question 1-4

CASE STUDY 4-2 Skittles and Bits as toc tol "tr we "A Karalee had a pounding headache by the time she got to work at Pediatric Associates, and the parking lot was full of patients waiting for the clinic to open. The doctors would not be there for another half hour. She unlocked the doors and let the patients fill the waiting room. When she went in the back room to put on her laboratory coat, the other medical assistants, Mindy and Carlos, were already there, drinking coffee. "Why didn't you guys open up?" she said. They just looked at her as though no reply was neces- sary. Karalee was relatively new compared with them, so she decided not to press the issue. She took some ibuprofen for her headache and put a smile on her face as she headed out to the reception desk, followed by Mindy and Carlos. As if in a wave, the patients rose from their seats and ap- proached the reception desk. Karalee took a deep breath and greeted a mother and her two children, who were first in line. Karalee could not help but notice that she was pro- cessing patients at about the same rate as her two col- leagues put together, but she just assumed their patients had more complex issues. Once the patients were checked in, Karalee pulled all the an fa lip na ro ra he of in ra charts for the day's appointments. Pretty soon, Dr. Patel came out and demanded to know who pulled the charts. Karalee stepped up. "Well, this is the wrong "Murphy', Kara- lee. Please try to be more careful." at ar to SH 84 JOB READINESS * Soft Skills Br sis ph she got to was full of ors would the doors she went the other ady there, she said. I a you ond as neces- you mer Her ears burned as she overheard Carlos referring to her as "Karaless." But she closed her eyes for a moment and took some deep breaths. Everybody makes mistakes, she told herself. I will be more careful next time. Then she approached her co-workers. "Wow," she said, "that was embarrassing. I need be more careful." "Don't worry," said Mindy. "It was a simple mistake." "I know. Thanks. Hey, what did you guys do over the weekend?" Just then, there was a commotion in the waiting room "Allie, Allie!" screamed a woman's voice. Karalee looked up and saw Allison Saliah with a surprised look on her little face, which had started to turn blue, especially around her lips. Her mother was kneeling in front of her, shouting her name. The three medical assistants rushed to the waiting room. "She's choking on a Skittle," the mother said. "Go get one of the doctors," Karalee ordered Mindy, who ran off. "Carlos, get everybody back. We need some room here." She gently turned Allison around and placed the hee of her hand on Allison's sternum, careful to ensure it was in the right spot. She gave her the Heimlich maneuver, a rather gentle one, but nothing happened. Carlos had cre- ated some space around the scene, gesturing people back and moving some chairs out of the way. Karalee gave the toddler another Heimlich, hard this time, but no response She could hear that Allison was not breathing, nor gasping m, so she ibuprofen me headed ad Carlos s and ap- eep breath were first was pro- two col- patients E like na. i whom "1 away Br lled all the Dr. Patel he charts. phy'. Kara- "C chatti script with "What trategies "Thank you relied on my tr That evenir the day. It was that Dr. Levin she was going for air. Just as Dr. Levin and Mindy rushed in the room to- gether, Karalee gave it another try, and out flew the Skittie. Allison sucked in a deep breath and let it out with the loud- est, best-sounding cry Karalee had ever heard. The mother swept up Allison into the waiting arms of Dr. Levin. Everybody crowded around Karalee as Allison's wail- ing retreated into the back. "Pardon me. I could use some air," she said good-na- turedly. Everybody stood back. "Wow, that was crazy," said one of the parents. "What if you didn't get it out?" said another. "Well, at least it happened in a doctor's office, with trained professionals around. Sorry for the commotion, ev- eryone," said Karalee. "We will be with you all shortly," she said, and everyone took a seat as if by cue. Later on, Dr. Levin pulled Karalee into an office with Dr. Patel. "I talked to Mrs. Sallah," Dr. Levin told her. "You showed great skill today, Karalee, and even greater leader- ship. You really took command of a very serious situation." QUESTION 1. What actic check? 2. What do y co-worker ently? 3. How did K ers? 4. Why do y leadership her ability A Different Path He stuck! that her laa Dom to- Skittle. he loud- "Thank you," said Karalee." just took a deep breath and relied on my training." That evening, Karalee finally got a chance to reflect on the day. It was stressful, but she managed it well. She loved that Dr. Levin said she showed leadership. From now on, she was going to think of herself as a leader too. is of Dr. n's wail- od-na- aid one another. e, with on, ev- ly," she QUESTIONS FOR THOUGHT AND REFLECTION 1. What actions did Karalee take to keep her stress in check? 2. What do you think of how Karalee interacted with her co-workers? Would you have handled things differ- ently? 3. How did Karalee manage the patients and her co-work- ers? 4. Why do you think Dr. Levin thought Karalee showed leadership? What actions do you think demonstrated her ability as a leader? ce with er. "You leader- ation