Students from local high school provided with bird’s eye view of operating room as part of program designed to inspire careers in medicine In recognition of International Women’s Day (March 8), Allegheny General Hospital, the flagship academic medical center of Allegheny Health Network (AHN), welcomed students from Avonworth High School to observe an all-female surgical team performing a cardiac procedure. The visit by Avonworth students is part of the hospital’s formal Open Heart Surgery Observation Program, which is designed to inspire careers in medicine. Led by Candice Lee, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon at AGH, the all-female surgical team includes a cardiac fellow, surgical advanced practice provider, anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, perfusionist (heart and lung bypass machine operator), surgical technologist and circulating nurse. Dr. Lee and her team performed a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedure, an open-heart surgical technique that bypasses blocked coronary arteries by grafting a healthy blood vessel (usually an artery in the chest wall and a vein taken from the leg) to create a new pathway for blood to flow to the heart muscle, restoring oxygen supply and preventing cardiac incidents like a heart attack. AGH’s all-female surgical team is emblematic of a nationwide movement to advocate for greater representation of women in medicine, especially the surgical fields – since Dr. Lee joined AHN in 2020, having an all-female heart surgery team has become a more routine occurrence at the hospital. Even so, women have been – and continue to be – underrepresented in surgical specialties nationally. In fact, data from the Association of American Medical Colleges suggests that women make up less than 17% of the surgeons within the seven most common surgical specialties. “It’s a special honor to be in the operating room among such talented, highly skilled female clinical professionals,” said Dr. Lee. “Women are notably underrepresented in surgical specialties, but it’s our hope that today’s event will serve as a powerful reminder for future generations of young women that they are more than capable of achieving their career goals in the field of medicine.” International Women’s Day, which takes place during Women’s History Month, is recognized on March 8, and is considered a global celebration that honors women, advocates for gender equality, and pays tribute to the female pioneers who paved the way for socio-economic advancements around the world over the decades. All-Female Surgical Team at Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital Performs Cardiac Surgery in Honor of International Women’s Day facility, EMR, and other operational components. A supportive culture acts as a clarion call for other like-minded physicians and staff to join the team and leave a mark with leadership, clinical care, and the patient experience. A Shared Commitment to Excellence This partnership not only marks an exciting milestone in DMN and TECHealth’s history of providing holistic healthcare solutions; it also aligns perfectly with their mission to serve rural Texas hospitals by bringing best-inclass patient-centered emergency medicine to rural communities. The foundation of this unique program is a shared commitment to excellence and dedication to helping health care facilities deliver exceptional care while also ensuring their staffing needs are met while closely monitoring the financial cost to do so. The result is a re-defining approach to delivering emergency care while providing an excellent patient and clinical staff experience. “By combining our strengths, we can offer a strategic partnership that connects likeminded hospitals and healthcare providers in communities facing a shortage in emergency care. Our multi-step hiring process allows us to carefully vet and match physicians and nurse practitioners with intention, aligning the individual needs of each provider and each facility,” said Steve Tatum, Executive Marketing Director at TECHealth.
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