Reuben May, a certified pulmonary medical assistant with Olympic Medical Center, was recently honored with the OMC BEE (Being Excellent Every Day) Award.
May was recognized for his work ethic and problem-solving skills as a new medical assistant. He was described as someone with “excellent critical thinking skills who can think outside the box,” whose dedication to teamwork and collaboration makes “Mondays so much more manageable.”
A colleague nominated May for the BEE award, writing:
“Reuben is fairly new to being an MA (medical assistant) and new to Pulmonology. He has jumped in with both feet, into the deep end. He has worked very closely with some of his provider’s patients who have very complex health issues and has really gone above and beyond to check in with them every day, sometimes multiple times per day to get them the care that they need in Seattle.
Reuben is an amazing problem solver with excellent critical thinking skills and can think outside the box, identifying solutions not previously thought of. He happily shares any knowledge he gains about some of the more complicated insurance processes.”
Reuben spends a lot of time managing patient calls and MyChart messages. He deals with a myriad of health concerns and assesses if the patient needs a higher level of intervention, such as an RN or the provider. However, he can drop any task at almost any time and step into the role of rooming patients, setting up orders or participating in creating the plan of care.
Reuben’s level of empathy for some of our more fragile patients has no bounds. He gives selflessly of his time. He routinely checks in with coworkers if they need help or breaks and his humor provides encouragement to all of us, especially on our tougher days. Mondays used to be the worse day of the week for me, covering two services lines of up to five providers’ patients. Reuben’s skills, knowledge and work ethic has made Mondays so much more manageable.
When he first started, he routinely reached out to me with questions. Now I am the one reaching out to him with questions.
Reuben deserves wide-spread recognition for taking on difficult tasks and performing at a level above.”
The award, established by OMC and a companion to the DAISY Award given to nursing staff, recognizes non-nurse staff members, both clinical and non-clinical, who exceed expectation in service excellence every day.
Olympic Medical staff may be nominated for the BEE Award by patients, families and colleagues. Each honoree receives a certificate commending her or him on “Being Excellent Every Day.”
The certificate reads: “With deep appreciation for being excellent at what you do, for going above and beyond and making a difference for those around you every day.”
Honorees also receive a BEE Award pin and a gift bag containing a jar of local honey.
A cross-functional committee of healthcare workers review the nominations and select the final nominee.
For more information or to nominate an Olympic Medical Center staff member, visit olympicmedical.org/thankyou.
About the BEE Award
The BEE Award was established to honor and celebrate Olympic Medical Center employees who exceed expectations in service excellence every day. This award recognizes team members outside of nursing staff who exhibit one or several of the following qualities:
· Shows HEARTFELT concern, goes above and beyond to be helpful
· Is INTEGRAL to the care or service provided; is innovative, impactful, instructive
· Shows VERSATILITY in their role, is a valuable part of the team
· Is EMPATHETIC to the needs of patients and coworkers, provides encouragement.
