Holiday party speech for the emergency department

tianzc

2009 has been a tough year in our emergency department. Our volume is up, we have the H1N1, the French bus crash, and we have been asked again and again to do more and more. Plus we have had some tough patients.
I was called up to RME to see a patient who had a banana in his nose, a carrot in his right ear and celery in his left ear. The patient asked, Whats wrong with me, Doc?. I had to tell him, You arent eating properly.
But, seriously, its difficult to deal with chronic problems in the emergent setting. Just yesterday EMS brings in a woman on a 5150 psychiatric hold. She gets put in a room, and she isnt combative but she is scratching around, flapping her arms, pecking at things and clucking. I finally reach her husband and I ask, Sir, can you tell me what is going on with your wife?. He says, Doc, for the past two years my wife has thought that shes a chicken. Flabbergasted, I ask, Two years! What took you so long to get medical help?. He says, Doc, we needed the eggs!
But 2009 has been a great year, as well as a tough year, and this is a great party. The Docs and PAs chip in to pay for this party, and we are thrilled to do so. But one person more than any other deserves our credit for tonight. While moving to a new house, traveling, working full time, A. (star PA) organized this best ever party. Thanks.
''Some more thanks – JB great friend, partner, medical director, and mentor. He hired me, took and chance on me. Thanks for the opportunity, J., to try and fill your shoes as the new Medical Director as you take on the greater challenge of regional director for our partnership.
Which is what we docs at our emergency department are, by the way. We are each equal partners. We dont work for some distant corporate entity focused only on profits. Our partnership exists to provide satisfying careers for emergency specialists. I hope I can do JB proud. I know our other partner, LJB will do us all proud when he assumes the position of Assistant Medical Director.
The person to whom I owe the most thanks is always my best friend, my lawyer, my wife, and the mother of my children J.
There is a common Latin root of the words Patience and Patient (patientia to endure). We all have to endure as patients sooner or later. We are all called upon be patient to those we care for. I ask for your patience as I learn the new job and try and do my best to make our ED even better.
I am proud to be partners with our docs, and I am proud to be your colleague. You are great at what you do. What we do is hard work, but it is of undeniably vital importance – and we can all be proud of the job that we do.
Lets make 2010 even better that 2009.
Feliz Natividad!