During a recent stop at UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital Surgical/Trauma ICU 4 West, Ed Jimenez visited with (from left) Ali Ataya, M.D., UF College of Medicine pulmonologist and an assistant professor of medicine; Trina Bala, M.S.N., ARNP, UF College of Medicine trauma/acute care surgery; Kristi Medlock, R.N., Surgical/Trauma ICU 4 West nurse; and Spencer Hyde, M.D., UF College of Medicine anesthesiology resident.
We caught up with CEO Ed Jimenez and asked him several questions for this edition of News+Notes. See how to submit your question at the bottom of the page!
How do cases like the successful separation of conjoined twins impact you personally?
Toward the end of the year, I was touring the UF Health Congenital Heart Center and introduced Dr. Bleiweis* and other staff members to my guest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little girl running down the hall. The next thing I knew, she wrapped herself around Dr. Bleiweis’ leg. He looked down at her, said hi, hugged her and she ran back to her parents, who were walking down the hall. As they came into focus, I realized it was the parents of the conjoined twins who were separated here and the child was the twins’ older sister. I asked the family, ‘How are the girls?’ They had big smiles on their faces and were elated that the twins were doing fine and they were thrilled to be back to see their ‘friend’ Dr. Bleiweis and his team. This interaction told me all I needed to know about the care we provided the family. This is why we do what we do.
*Mark Bleiweis, M.D., is UF College of Medicine pediatric and congenital cardiovascular surgery chief and UF Health Congenital Heart Center director. Turn to page 4 to learn more about the successful separation of these conjoined twins here at UF Health.
Why is it important for our organization to offer employees career development opportunities?
I’m a mentor at heart. I gain great satisfaction when I see people advance to their fullest potential. On some level, I’m a poster child for career advancement. When I was 16 my friends were getting jobs at the grocery store, working for landscape companies and cleaning pools — I became a hospital transporter because I was passionate about health care. To see where my road led shows that everybody has a chance to fulfill their potential if they find a career they truly enjoy. We work for an organization where we’re not afraid to give people a chance to advance and rise, and we’re committed to listening. This place is a family and that environment creates the right foundation for employees to grow and develop. We want people to take advantage of the career advancement opportunities here and to be hungry to do a great job because their next job or promotion might be right around the corner here at UF Health.
In this issue, learn more about several programs to help you advance your career — R.N. to B.S.N. (page 12), pharmacy technician training (page 13) and tuition reimbursement (page 22).
Want to submit a question? Email taylt@shands.ufl.edu and we’ll consider it for an upcoming edition.
