Shriners Children’s has long been recognized as a leading provider of pediatric specialty care, but it is also committed to the education of current and future healthcare professionals. At Shriners Children’s Hawai‘i, many features, such as the state-of-the-art operating rooms, were intentionally designed to support this educational mission.
When Shriners Children’s Hawai‘i built its current operating room, it created the largest surgical suites on Oahu. That’s just the way Shriners Children’s does things. The ample space allows for surgical residents to come in and observe procedures, reflecting the system’s broader commitment to advancing pediatric healthcare through education of the next cohort of clinicians.
Each year, visiting students, interns and healthcare professionals from institutions such as the University of Hawai‘i’s John A. Burns School of Medicine participate in mock or live surgeries. In real time, they gain invaluable experience under the mentorship of a Shriners Children’s Hawai‘i orthopedic surgeon.
“The ample space allows us to facilitate a safe and efficient environment for our surgical team members and learners,” said Maria Ress, RN, surgical services manager. “It ensures that educational engagement does not compromise patient safety. We take pride in being a premier site for both surgical excellence and clinical engagement.”
Compared to adult medicine, pediatrics tends to be resource-deprived, which discourages some medical school graduates from pursuing the field. But Shriners Children’s is committed to pediatric subspecialty care – and to showing medical trainees just how rewarding and challenging this work can be.
Across the system, Shriners Children’s has relationships with over 35 major educational institutions that cooperate to provide training opportunities and exposure to pediatric subspecialty care – especially in orthopedics – with an eye to generating interest in the field.
At Shriners Children’s Northern California, for example, orthopedic surgery residents gather for the PediOrtho WEST conference – a rare opportunity to train in pediatric orthopedic procedures often missing from general programs.
Learning each patient’s needs
Beyond clinical and educational achievements, it’s the compassion of the staff that truly defines the patient care experience. From anesthesiologists to orthopedic surgeons, every team member is committed to supporting the physical and emotional well-being of each patient.
Shriners Children’s Hawai‘i anesthesiologist Brandi Blair, M.D., and her team go above and beyond to ease patients’ anxieties before surgery through personalized and creative interventions. “It’s essential for kids to enter the operating room without fear,” said Dr. Blair. “We tailor our approach to each child. One time, we had a potentially challenging developmentally delayed teen who was a big ‘Star Wars’ fan. So, we created a ‘Star Wars’ ambiance when he entered the OR, with the theme song playing and film clips displayed on the monitors. It’s those small things that really improve the patient experience.”
At all Shriners Children’s facilities, surgical care is more than a procedure. It’s an opportunity to create a learning environment with real-time mentorship that shapes the next generation of healthcare professionals and life-changing care for children.
