TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | j a n / f e b 2 0 1 6 27 by specialized nurses whose entire job revolves around tub room wound care. "The bond between the tub room nurses and patients is really strong. It takes a great deal of trust between a nurse and a patient to get them through what is a very difficult experience," Sheaffer said. "It takes a lot of training and experience and compassion to do this job." Training and education are central to Blocker Burn Unit operations. Most trainee nurses and physicians receive very little burn-specific experience, both in the classroom and in the field. Students at UTMB, however, ben- efit from being so close to a highly regarded burn treatment center. Surgical residents rotate through the unit for a month at a time. Plastic surgery residents return for additional training. The unit offers fellowships for physicians who have completed their residencies and are interested in additional specialized burn treatment training. Nurses also receive most of their training in-house. "We have a long, six-month orienta- tion process for new grads where they will come in and begin their training in the tub room for several weeks," Sheaffer said. "Then they transition to the ICU where they learn ICU and burn care before moving into an independent role." Jong O. Lee, M.D., surgeon at the Blocker Burn Unit and Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston, and a professor of surgery at UTMB, began his career at UTMB in 2001 as a fellow in the unit. Lee said he did not have any exposure to burn treatment until his third year of residency, when he was sent to a burn center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. "I really enjoyed the experience, and getting to take care of adults and kids," Lee said. "When you take care of general surgery patients, you see them before surgery, they come in and have the surgery, and you might see them once after. Then they go home and that's it. For burns, it's a bit more pro- longed relationship and I enjoy that." Lee also expressed the importance of teamwork in the unit. "We emphasize a multidisciplinary approach to patient care," he said. "We have doctors, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, a dietician, respiratory therapists. Everyone contributes." A typical day for Lee and the other physicians on the unit begins with rounds at Shriners at 7:00 a.m. The same physicians serve both Shriners, which treats pediatric burn patients, and the Blocker Burn Unit, though the nursing staff differs. During rounds at Shriners, a large team, including attending physicians, fellows, residents, medical students and nurses, discusses each patient. Then the doctors head over to the Blocker unit to visit patients there, review what happened overnight and plan the day's agenda. After rounds, physicians head to surgeries at Shriners or UTMB. Afternoons are generally dedicated to patient care and bedside procedures. Generally, Lee said, patients spend at least one day in the unit per per- cent burned. A patient burned over 20 percent of his body, for example, might spend about 20 days in the hospital. Admission time also depends on other factors, such as the severity of the burns, whether first-, second-, or third-degree. Unfortunately for Mason, compli- cations have prolonged his time in the We emphasize a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. We have doctors, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, a dietician, respiratory therapists. Everyone contributes. — JONG O. LEE, M.D. Surgeon at the Blocker Burn Unit and Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston A skybridge connects Shriners Hospitals for Children-Galveston, which treats pediatric burn patients, to the John Sealy Hospital, where the Blocker Burn Unit is located. Mason relaxes in his room at the Blocker Burn Unit, where he has been undergoing inpatient and outpatient treatment since April 2014. Blocker Burn Unit. After his accident in the spring of 2014, Mason remained in the unit for about six months. Following his initial stay, he was in and out for rou- tine checkups and additional surgeries, until his wounds became infected and he had to be readmitted. His experience is not unusual—burn wounds are highly susceptible to infec- tion. Despite the setbacks, Mason calls his time as a patient in the Blocker Burn Unit "a good experience." "The doctors are spectacular here and have done a wonderful job trying to save my arm—and we're still trying," he said. "They have a good crew here and they take care of me. I've gotten to be quite a family member here."

• Cover