Medical Center staff reap honors
UMMC ENT residents earn top spot in nation for exam scores
Residents in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery earned the best scores in the nation on the training examination. They are pictured, from left, Britton Beatrous (2023 graduate), Alberto Arteaga (2023 graduate), Trace Palmer (PGY-4), Alex de Gruy (2023 graduate), Ben Stevens (PGY-5), Shelby Barrera (PGY-4), Brooks Lampkin (PGY-3), Eleni Mijalis (PGY-3), Kelsey Bounds (PGY-5), Luke Driskill (PGY-2), Claire Babin (PGY-2), Jason Lee (PGY-3), Amy Krecker (PGY-2), Hunter McMullen (PGY-5), Kacie Oglesby (PGY-4) – not pictured
Residents in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery achieved the top score in the nation on the annual American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Training Examination.
Dr. Scott Stringer, department chair, said the achievement is the result of the department’s faculty and staff and their unwavering commitment to the pursuit of excellence in all of its missions.
“Teaching the next generation of health care providers is one of our most important missions. This remarkable performance reflects the hard work and teamwork of our residents. They have taken ownership of their preparation and take great pride in scoring at or near the top each year,” he said.
Residents surpassed last year’s accomplishment of scoring in the top three programs in the country. Dr. Lana Jackson, residency program director, said she is always proud of the residents’ effort and hard work.
“These guys work hard every day to take care of patients with us, and I feel so blessed to work alongside each one of them. This is just another indication of how dedicated they are to excellence,” she said. “I am so proud I cannot even express it!”
— — —
AORN names Children’s of Mississippi as Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety
Members of the Children's of Mississippi perioperative team smile outside the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower.
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) has named Children’s of Mississippi as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Prevention of RSI.
With this award, AORN recognizes the medical center for its commitment to reducing the risk of surgical errors by advancing the education of its surgical team members in the prevention of near misses and the consequences of unintentionally retained surgical items (RSI).
AORN announced its national education and recognition awards program in early 2022. Children’s of Mississippi is among the first facilities in the United States to earn the designation as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Prevention of RSI. The award signifies that Children’s of Mississippi’s Perioperative team has successfully completed the months-long comprehensive, evidenced-based program.
Unintentionally retained surgical items, or RSIs, refer to any surgical items unintentionally left in the patient at the completion of a surgery or other procedure.
“As surgical procedures continue to advance and medical research reveals new methods to improve surgical patient safety practices, it is imperative that facilities and practitioners adapt their practice in the interest of patient safety,” said Linda Groah, AORN’s executive director and CEO. “This Center of Excellence for Surgical Safety designation shows the community that they can depend on the quality of care provided by Children’s of Mississippi and its surgical teams.”
AORN represents more than 200,000 perioperative nurses by providing evidence-based research, nursing education, standards and practice resources to enable optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures.