Employee awarded for commitment to patient safety
When meeting Shelley Bolyard, a diagnostic radiologic tech at the Murfreesboro campus, she comes across as quiet, but when asked about medical imaging and radiology she immediately fills up the room with her knowledge and excitement.
With 15 years of experience doing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a passion for serving Veterans, it’s no wonder Bolyard received a Good Catch Award for her work.
“It feels really great to have this,” Bolyard said after Deputy Executive Director Michael Renfrow presented her with a director’s coin and certificate. “I had a patient come in for his MRI appointment and we have to check to make sure they don’t have metal in their body. When I screened him, he had metal from a previous procedure.”
After doing the first screening, Bolyard discovered the Veteran had a second piece of metal – shrapnel. Free-floating metal objects pose as a deadly threat when getting an MRI because of the powerful magnetic force the scan creates.
An MRI uses strong magnets and radio waves to create very detailed, three-dimensional images of the inside of the body. The individual is placed inside a large tube-like machine and the magnets and radio waves send data to the computer to produce images of the organs, tissues, and skeletal system. These help clinicians look for diseases and gain a better understanding of the patient’s underlying health.
“Shrapnel is very dangerous because the magnets can pull it and cause damage to arteries, vision and other vital organs,” Bolyard said. “That’s why we screen the patients thoroughly. We also have a metal detector placed around the door, and it will alert us if there’s any other items or objects.”
The Good Catch Award recognizes team members for catching an error or preventing a potential harmful event. As part of the high reliability organization (HRO) model, Bolyard’s actions align with the “Just Culture” pillar and the “Sensitivity to Operations” principle.
“Ms. Bolyard consistently catches safety concerns during the MRI screening process. On multiple occasions, she has discovered contraindications to imaging despite previous negative screenings. Her preoccupation with failure has maintained safety for both TVHS Veterans and employees,” Anna Hopper, TVHS patient safety nurse said.