Brian King is PBH Employee of the Month

"I am fascinated by my job," said Brian King in a conversation about his nomination as Pen Bay Healthcare Employee of the Month for July 2008. "I get to watch surgeries, standing right there looking over the doctor's shoulder."

King is a Peri-Operative Support person and an Anesthesia Aide in the Operating Room at Penobscot Bay Medical Center. He cleans and helps to set up the operating room before surgeries, making sure any equipment needed is there while observing the OR's many safety precautions. For the anesthesiologists, he makes sure the anesthesia carts are filled with the correct syringes, tubes and medications.

"He arrives before his shift is to begin and works longer than his shift if needed," said Cathy Rayner, RN, CNOR, Operating Room Nurse Manager. "Brian will work extra hours and come in on his days off. He will always go above and beyond without any questions asked."

Andrea Wilcox, CST, added: "He has a fantastic sense of humor and is good for morale. He can get along with all types of personalities. He also trains other peri-support staff."

"Brian is alert to the needs of the OR, its staff and its patients," said King's supervisor, Constance L. Thyng, RN, OCN. "He maintains an upbeat and friendly attitude even when all the rooms are breaking at once. He enjoys learning. He is cross-trained as anesthesia support and is willing to step in and out of that role as necessary. He likes to learn as much as he can about surgical procedures, which ultimately decreases the turnaround time between cases. This increases patient safety and satisfaction."

King's excellence was specifically noticed the last two weeks of May when two very difficult cases were brought to the OR. These cases were especially stressful and taxing to the team. He performed above and beyond his duty by keeping the team in supplies, keeping pathways clear, calling in staff from home, helping to move patients and doing any other task he was asked to do. He performed all this in a calm manner and then shouldered all the burden of the clean-up, telling the nurses that they had "done more than their share."

In one of the incidents, if King hadn't been there, the patient outcome could have been grave. "Brian really did a lot in my case," said Sarah Wareheim, RN. "He was helpful at very crucial junctions when patient outcomes were so time-critical."

King has been in his current position for four years. In the 1990s, he worked at Kno-Wal-Lin as a facilities services coordinator. He lives in Camden, where he was born, and has a four-year-old daughter, Hannah. In his spare time he likes working out, cycling and spending time with his daughter.

Any Pen Bay Healthcare employee or group of employees may nominate another employee for Employee of the Month. The nominations are reviewed by a special committee. If no submissions meet the award criteria for a given month, then no award is given. The winning candidate receives a plaque and a gift of $100 in cash, and his or her name and photo are displayed prominently at the PBH organizations and in the employee newsletter.