1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,060 Imagine this. You're at the Hyatt Regency Chicago 2 00:00:03,439 --> 00:00:06,000 immersed in insightful discussions with the health care 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,459 industry's top leaders. 4 00:00:07,839 --> 00:00:10,580 Welcome to Becker's 12th annual CEO 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,740 and CFO roundtable from November 11th to 14th 6 00:00:15,134 --> 00:00:15,634 2024. 7 00:00:16,175 --> 00:00:19,315 Picture yourself networking with over a 1000 executive 8 00:00:19,454 --> 00:00:20,275 level attendees, 9 00:00:20,734 --> 00:00:23,795 collecting business cards, and forging valuable connections. 10 00:00:24,255 --> 00:00:26,654 Feel the excitement as you engage in 4 11 00:00:26,654 --> 00:00:28,675 days of sessions featuring 400 12 00:00:29,135 --> 00:00:30,870 elite health system speakers. 13 00:00:31,429 --> 00:00:35,049 Envision yourself diving deep into critical topics like 14 00:00:35,109 --> 00:00:37,450 rural health care, digital transformation, 15 00:00:38,070 --> 00:00:40,409 health equity, and c suite diversity. 16 00:00:41,270 --> 00:00:44,729 Now imagine being inspired by our celebrity keynotes, 17 00:00:45,195 --> 00:00:48,234 pro football hall of famers Troy Aikman and 18 00:00:48,234 --> 00:00:52,075 Emmett Smith, 43rd president George w Bush, and 19 00:00:52,075 --> 00:00:55,435 author and journalist Jenna Bush Hager. Their stories 20 00:00:55,435 --> 00:00:56,495 will leave you motivated 21 00:00:56,875 --> 00:00:57,695 and energized. 22 00:00:58,234 --> 00:00:59,535 Don't miss this unparalleled 23 00:00:59,995 --> 00:01:00,495 opportunity. 24 00:01:00,990 --> 00:01:03,329 Get registered today. Visit beckershospitalreview.com 25 00:01:05,230 --> 00:01:06,989 and click on the events page to find 26 00:01:06,989 --> 00:01:08,129 the conference website. 27 00:01:08,510 --> 00:01:09,489 That's the beckershospitalreview.com 28 00:01:11,709 --> 00:01:13,729 events page. See you in Chicago. 29 00:01:14,704 --> 00:01:16,864 This is Laura Dierda with the Becker's Healthcare 30 00:01:16,864 --> 00:01:18,944 Podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by 31 00:01:18,944 --> 00:01:21,825 Michael Thorn, who is a nurse practitioner for 32 00:01:21,825 --> 00:01:24,304 trauma, critical care, and general surgery as well 33 00:01:24,304 --> 00:01:26,144 as the chair of the NP and PA 34 00:01:26,144 --> 00:01:28,384 Innovation Committee at Mayo Clinic. Michael, it's a 35 00:01:28,384 --> 00:01:30,120 pleasure to have you on the podcast today. 36 00:01:30,359 --> 00:01:32,280 Thank you for having me. Now I'm really 37 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:34,600 looking forward to our discussion because I know 38 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:36,280 right now is such an interesting time in 39 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:38,120 health care, and certainly the NP and PA 40 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,299 roles are elevating and continue to evolve, 41 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,924 within the broader care team. So, you know, 42 00:01:42,924 --> 00:01:44,704 I think this will be a great opportunity 43 00:01:44,844 --> 00:01:46,284 to connect and learn more about what you're 44 00:01:46,284 --> 00:01:48,284 doing at Mayo Clinic. But before we dive 45 00:01:48,284 --> 00:01:49,724 into our discussion, can you tell me a 46 00:01:49,724 --> 00:01:51,665 little bit more about yourself and your background? 47 00:01:52,284 --> 00:01:54,204 Certainly. I I'm a Vermont, 48 00:01:54,525 --> 00:01:56,685 native. I went to school in Bangor, Maine, 49 00:01:56,685 --> 00:01:58,305 where I went to nursing school, 50 00:01:59,109 --> 00:02:01,909 at Husson University. And then I had the 51 00:02:01,909 --> 00:02:03,209 opportunity to go through 52 00:02:03,590 --> 00:02:06,390 an internship at Mayo Clinic, where in 2010, 53 00:02:06,390 --> 00:02:08,069 I was offered a job to work in 54 00:02:08,069 --> 00:02:11,129 ENT and plastics to start my nursing career. 55 00:02:12,044 --> 00:02:13,185 And then in 2014, 56 00:02:13,485 --> 00:02:16,044 I then transitioned over into the advanced practice 57 00:02:16,044 --> 00:02:18,364 roles, a nurse practitioner and where I'm at 58 00:02:18,364 --> 00:02:20,305 right now in trauma critical care. 59 00:02:21,164 --> 00:02:23,405 And I kinda wanna speak more to, like, 60 00:02:23,405 --> 00:02:25,264 how my innovation journey started. 61 00:02:25,980 --> 00:02:26,719 In 2016, 62 00:02:27,659 --> 00:02:29,280 my colleague and I, Rob Hill, 63 00:02:29,659 --> 00:02:32,400 we submitted an application to our Surgical Innovation 64 00:02:32,460 --> 00:02:35,580 Accelerator program, and we added this idea to 65 00:02:35,580 --> 00:02:38,159 develop this surgical drain stripping device. 66 00:02:39,314 --> 00:02:41,555 And this is really where I started to 67 00:02:41,555 --> 00:02:44,375 have this potential with pursuing more innovation 68 00:02:45,235 --> 00:02:47,334 and seeing how clinicians can be more 69 00:02:48,114 --> 00:02:50,375 active in the actual process of innovating. 70 00:02:50,914 --> 00:02:52,114 And since that time, 71 00:02:52,435 --> 00:02:53,735 we've been able to secure 72 00:02:54,550 --> 00:02:56,629 patent protection for our device, but then go 73 00:02:56,629 --> 00:03:00,250 through several pitch competitions where we've secured funding. 74 00:03:00,870 --> 00:03:02,409 And, currently, we're in the process 75 00:03:02,870 --> 00:03:05,509 of, going through clinical trials and working on 76 00:03:05,509 --> 00:03:06,009 commercialization. 77 00:03:07,485 --> 00:03:09,085 But like I said, this is the initial 78 00:03:09,085 --> 00:03:10,705 process where I started to become 79 00:03:11,324 --> 00:03:13,025 more and more innovative and being 80 00:03:13,405 --> 00:03:15,585 more supportive for others to be innovative 81 00:03:16,044 --> 00:03:16,865 within practice. 82 00:03:18,125 --> 00:03:20,384 And since then, I've been more involved with 83 00:03:20,770 --> 00:03:22,150 working with industry partners 84 00:03:22,449 --> 00:03:23,669 through know how agreements, 85 00:03:24,370 --> 00:03:27,750 but also helping other clinicians with industry involvement. 86 00:03:28,129 --> 00:03:30,129 And throughout this journey, I've been able to 87 00:03:30,129 --> 00:03:32,289 appreciate more and more that there's an immense 88 00:03:32,289 --> 00:03:34,530 potential for health care professionals, such as advanced 89 00:03:34,530 --> 00:03:35,509 practice providers, 90 00:03:35,865 --> 00:03:37,564 to be innovative within practice. 91 00:03:39,064 --> 00:03:40,825 That's really cool to hear and, you know, 92 00:03:41,224 --> 00:03:44,125 inspiring to think about how you evolved from, 93 00:03:44,745 --> 00:03:46,844 you know, kind of your practitioner 94 00:03:47,224 --> 00:03:48,905 in the work that you were doing on 95 00:03:48,905 --> 00:03:51,479 the ground level to thinking about innovation, how 96 00:03:51,479 --> 00:03:53,239 you can make patient care even better than 97 00:03:53,239 --> 00:03:54,939 actually putting that into action. 98 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:56,840 And I love the point you made too 99 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:58,599 about being able to support others and being 100 00:03:58,599 --> 00:04:01,500 more innovative, because, certainly, it is, 101 00:04:02,439 --> 00:04:04,599 not easy to do sometimes and and certainly 102 00:04:04,599 --> 00:04:06,735 can be helped if you've got others who 103 00:04:06,735 --> 00:04:08,895 are cheering you along the way. Now from 104 00:04:08,895 --> 00:04:11,215 your perspective, I know innovation is important to 105 00:04:11,215 --> 00:04:13,134 health care today, but it's not always easy. 106 00:04:13,134 --> 00:04:15,955 So what roadblocks do NPs face to innovation? 107 00:04:17,295 --> 00:04:19,074 That's an excellent question. So 108 00:04:19,454 --> 00:04:23,019 as advanced practice providers, we've seen significant roadblocks, 109 00:04:23,079 --> 00:04:25,159 and this is not just within one institution, 110 00:04:25,159 --> 00:04:26,699 but across all institutions. 111 00:04:28,039 --> 00:04:30,860 The first being that there's these un uncoordinated 112 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,464 efforts. So we all know that health care 113 00:04:34,024 --> 00:04:36,904 innovation is very sporadic and siloed and very 114 00:04:36,904 --> 00:04:37,404 slow. 115 00:04:37,865 --> 00:04:40,685 And MPs might develop great ideas, but without 116 00:04:40,745 --> 00:04:43,964 a coordinated system to help them capture, develop, 117 00:04:44,024 --> 00:04:45,404 or implement these ideas, 118 00:04:46,089 --> 00:04:48,750 they often just remain just that, just ideas. 119 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:50,910 So there needs to be a more streamlined 120 00:04:50,970 --> 00:04:51,470 approach 121 00:04:51,850 --> 00:04:53,310 from concept to implementation. 122 00:04:53,850 --> 00:04:54,589 And secondly, 123 00:04:55,370 --> 00:04:56,669 there's the knowledge gaps. 124 00:04:57,449 --> 00:04:59,769 While MPs are experts in patient care and 125 00:04:59,769 --> 00:05:02,375 they're at the frontline with patients, they often 126 00:05:02,375 --> 00:05:03,995 lack a lot of the knowledge that 127 00:05:04,375 --> 00:05:06,715 is crucial be to be innovative within practice, 128 00:05:07,014 --> 00:05:08,634 such as design thinking, 129 00:05:09,335 --> 00:05:12,235 understanding end user involvement and discovery, 130 00:05:12,615 --> 00:05:14,775 and just learning the actual business process of 131 00:05:14,775 --> 00:05:15,595 being innovative. 132 00:05:15,970 --> 00:05:18,370 So there's definitely this knowledge gap that's difficult 133 00:05:18,370 --> 00:05:20,230 for MPs and PAs to be innovative. 134 00:05:21,089 --> 00:05:23,329 And thirdly, I would say there's a cultural 135 00:05:23,329 --> 00:05:23,829 resistance. 136 00:05:24,449 --> 00:05:25,910 MPs and PAs might 137 00:05:26,449 --> 00:05:28,610 face skepticism or push back with their new 138 00:05:28,610 --> 00:05:31,154 ideas because they're kinda challenging the status quo 139 00:05:31,154 --> 00:05:32,694 as we know with all innovation. 140 00:05:33,555 --> 00:05:36,035 And advanced practice providers are not typically seen 141 00:05:36,035 --> 00:05:38,514 as innovators, but they're more and more just 142 00:05:38,514 --> 00:05:40,615 seen as the end users of the innovative 143 00:05:40,754 --> 00:05:42,854 output from others within health care. 144 00:05:44,069 --> 00:05:46,410 Well, that's really fascinating to hear and definitely 145 00:05:46,550 --> 00:05:49,449 appreciate how the their additional context, 146 00:05:49,750 --> 00:05:51,669 you know, in some of those roadblocks because 147 00:05:51,669 --> 00:05:52,410 I can imagine, 148 00:05:53,029 --> 00:05:55,430 there are a lot of NPs and PAs 149 00:05:55,430 --> 00:05:57,605 out there who, you know, have the ability 150 00:05:57,605 --> 00:05:59,285 to be innovative and really make a difference 151 00:05:59,285 --> 00:06:01,605 within the care team and care process. But, 152 00:06:01,605 --> 00:06:03,205 you know, having some of those, 153 00:06:04,165 --> 00:06:06,425 different cultural challenges as well as, 154 00:06:07,525 --> 00:06:09,444 not having necessarily the right push in the 155 00:06:09,444 --> 00:06:10,105 right direction, 156 00:06:10,564 --> 00:06:12,060 you know, might leave a lot on the 157 00:06:12,060 --> 00:06:12,560 table. 158 00:06:13,020 --> 00:06:15,180 So I understand at Mayo, you've developed a 159 00:06:15,180 --> 00:06:17,819 unique committee based approach to boost innovation and 160 00:06:17,819 --> 00:06:20,060 engagement. Could you tell me about that? What 161 00:06:20,060 --> 00:06:21,500 did you do initially, and what were the 162 00:06:21,500 --> 00:06:22,000 results? 163 00:06:23,180 --> 00:06:23,680 Certainly. 164 00:06:24,139 --> 00:06:24,639 So 165 00:06:25,204 --> 00:06:27,524 throughout my 1st few years being innovate being 166 00:06:27,524 --> 00:06:30,345 in the innovation ecosystem, I started realizing that 167 00:06:30,485 --> 00:06:32,485 why are there not more MPs and PAs 168 00:06:32,485 --> 00:06:34,745 being innovative within practice. And 169 00:06:35,285 --> 00:06:37,144 this actually kinda started out with 170 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,120 a clinical innovation questionnaire I put together called 171 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:40,860 the CIQ. 172 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:42,220 And 173 00:06:42,759 --> 00:06:45,560 within this questionnaire, there was about 20 questions, 174 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:47,560 which I sent out to all the, nurse 175 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:49,500 practitioners and physician assistants 176 00:06:49,879 --> 00:06:51,420 within the department of surgery. 177 00:06:52,245 --> 00:06:53,225 And that CIQ, 178 00:06:53,604 --> 00:06:54,345 that questionnaire, 179 00:06:54,884 --> 00:06:57,204 was really eye opening. What we found was 180 00:06:57,204 --> 00:06:57,704 that 181 00:06:58,004 --> 00:07:00,644 80% were calling for more resources to be 182 00:07:00,644 --> 00:07:03,064 supportive with potential efforts and innovation. 183 00:07:03,764 --> 00:07:04,904 There's about 63% 184 00:07:05,550 --> 00:07:07,490 did ex, express desire, 185 00:07:08,349 --> 00:07:11,550 for being involved in education and training based 186 00:07:11,550 --> 00:07:13,169 off of creativity and innovation, 187 00:07:14,029 --> 00:07:14,529 topics. 188 00:07:15,149 --> 00:07:18,269 But more more interestingly was that 70% of 189 00:07:18,269 --> 00:07:21,125 the respondents on that survey showed that they're 190 00:07:21,125 --> 00:07:24,245 willing to be participants in a committee specifically 191 00:07:24,245 --> 00:07:25,464 for MPs and PAs. 192 00:07:25,845 --> 00:07:28,024 So I went to the Department of Surgery 193 00:07:28,324 --> 00:07:28,824 Leadership 194 00:07:29,685 --> 00:07:31,845 who then gave us a 100% support to 195 00:07:31,845 --> 00:07:34,020 move forward with our efforts to develop a 196 00:07:34,020 --> 00:07:35,000 innovation committee. 197 00:07:35,379 --> 00:07:37,000 And this leadership was really, 198 00:07:37,540 --> 00:07:39,860 instrumental in our our success because it gave 199 00:07:39,860 --> 00:07:42,420 us the road map and the institutional support 200 00:07:42,420 --> 00:07:43,319 to move forward. 201 00:07:44,339 --> 00:07:46,120 And as we established the MDPA 202 00:07:46,925 --> 00:07:47,904 Innovation Committee, 203 00:07:48,205 --> 00:07:50,205 we decided to you know, we wanted to 204 00:07:50,205 --> 00:07:52,064 have a very diverse group of 205 00:07:52,764 --> 00:07:55,665 MPs and PAs from different surgical subspecialties. 206 00:07:56,045 --> 00:07:57,884 So this made up about 8, 207 00:07:58,285 --> 00:07:58,785 individuals 208 00:07:59,165 --> 00:08:00,064 going forward. 209 00:08:01,170 --> 00:08:03,170 And what we did within this committee was 210 00:08:03,170 --> 00:08:04,709 we had several key initiatives. 211 00:08:05,330 --> 00:08:07,970 We wanted to provide ongoing monthly meetings with 212 00:08:07,970 --> 00:08:11,110 educational sessions. So what that entailed was 213 00:08:11,649 --> 00:08:12,689 within our 60 minute, 214 00:08:13,584 --> 00:08:15,745 committee meeting on a monthly basis, we did 215 00:08:15,745 --> 00:08:18,564 provide 30 minute educational sessions for 216 00:08:19,024 --> 00:08:21,584 not just committee members, but we also included 217 00:08:21,584 --> 00:08:23,264 those who were not on the committee to 218 00:08:23,264 --> 00:08:25,024 come and listen at the endpoint of our 219 00:08:25,024 --> 00:08:25,524 committee 220 00:08:25,985 --> 00:08:26,485 meetings. 221 00:08:26,899 --> 00:08:29,860 And this educational session on a monthly basis 222 00:08:29,860 --> 00:08:30,599 would include 223 00:08:31,060 --> 00:08:33,539 how to secure your intellectual property, how to 224 00:08:33,539 --> 00:08:34,839 be involved with prototyping, 225 00:08:35,700 --> 00:08:38,360 how to pitch your idea and, secure 226 00:08:39,134 --> 00:08:41,075 stakeholder buy in going forward. 227 00:08:41,774 --> 00:08:44,254 And then secondly, we also put together a 228 00:08:44,254 --> 00:08:47,054 monthly newsletter, which allowed us to disseminate a 229 00:08:47,054 --> 00:08:49,134 lot of the information that we wanted to 230 00:08:49,134 --> 00:08:51,054 share with a lot of those within our 231 00:08:51,054 --> 00:08:51,554 department. 232 00:08:51,855 --> 00:08:52,754 And this included 233 00:08:53,230 --> 00:08:54,529 updates on funding opportunities, 234 00:08:54,910 --> 00:08:58,049 networking events, educational sessions, but also, 235 00:08:58,830 --> 00:09:00,990 project achievements from what MPs and PAs were 236 00:09:00,990 --> 00:09:02,610 working on. Then, 237 00:09:03,149 --> 00:09:07,009 thirdly, I put together in, an internal website, 238 00:09:07,070 --> 00:09:08,610 essentially a central hub, 239 00:09:08,910 --> 00:09:10,884 for for all the resources that could help 240 00:09:10,884 --> 00:09:13,704 guide MPs and PAs with innovation. This included 241 00:09:14,245 --> 00:09:16,584 a wide array of different tools, guidelines, 242 00:09:16,884 --> 00:09:17,384 podcasts, 243 00:09:17,845 --> 00:09:19,065 educational resources, 244 00:09:19,845 --> 00:09:22,105 but also a way to, submit 245 00:09:22,429 --> 00:09:23,009 a request 246 00:09:24,110 --> 00:09:25,970 for assistance with their innovative idea. 247 00:09:26,669 --> 00:09:28,429 And then on my own time, I would, 248 00:09:28,669 --> 00:09:31,629 on a monthly basis, provide ongoing open office 249 00:09:31,629 --> 00:09:32,529 hours where 250 00:09:32,909 --> 00:09:35,069 I would allocate 3 to 4 days a 251 00:09:35,069 --> 00:09:37,334 month where I would allow MPs and PAs 252 00:09:37,334 --> 00:09:39,254 to schedule a meeting with me, and I 253 00:09:39,254 --> 00:09:41,434 would help them go through the process of 254 00:09:41,975 --> 00:09:43,495 what they were working on with their idea 255 00:09:43,495 --> 00:09:45,495 and get them to fruition and get them 256 00:09:45,495 --> 00:09:47,914 to the next step steps in their process. 257 00:09:48,539 --> 00:09:50,620 What we found was these results were quite 258 00:09:50,620 --> 00:09:52,159 remarkable from the, 259 00:09:52,940 --> 00:09:54,240 studies that we did. 260 00:09:54,620 --> 00:09:57,120 Our primary measure of success with this committee, 261 00:09:57,500 --> 00:09:58,240 was to 262 00:09:58,700 --> 00:09:59,200 determine 263 00:09:59,980 --> 00:10:02,774 how well it improved an MP or PA's 264 00:10:03,075 --> 00:10:03,975 ability to, 265 00:10:04,514 --> 00:10:06,754 engage in innovation. And this was measured by 266 00:10:06,754 --> 00:10:08,855 our annual all staff survey. 267 00:10:09,714 --> 00:10:10,534 In 2022, 268 00:10:11,154 --> 00:10:12,375 we found that 66% 269 00:10:12,754 --> 00:10:14,774 of MPs and PAs within our department 270 00:10:15,315 --> 00:10:18,129 felt encouraged to innovate. And then after implementing 271 00:10:18,190 --> 00:10:20,110 this committee with all the initiatives that we 272 00:10:20,110 --> 00:10:20,610 had, 273 00:10:21,070 --> 00:10:22,929 this number had jumped to 82%, 274 00:10:23,309 --> 00:10:26,290 which was a significant increase over 15 points. 275 00:10:27,230 --> 00:10:29,549 But the impact from this was not just 276 00:10:29,549 --> 00:10:31,804 a statistical increase. It was we found that 277 00:10:31,804 --> 00:10:33,725 there was a lot of tangible outcomes that 278 00:10:33,725 --> 00:10:35,904 came from this committee. And this included 279 00:10:36,205 --> 00:10:38,144 structuring of new know how agreements, 280 00:10:38,924 --> 00:10:40,225 multiple people had, 281 00:10:40,605 --> 00:10:42,225 developed, medical prototypes, 282 00:10:43,085 --> 00:10:46,199 and, working with industry through other routes as 283 00:10:46,199 --> 00:10:48,120 well too. So we found that, you know, 284 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:49,959 MPs and PAs were engaging more and more 285 00:10:49,959 --> 00:10:52,039 in the innovation process based off of this 286 00:10:52,039 --> 00:10:52,539 committee. 287 00:10:53,399 --> 00:10:56,279 And going forward, we found that, also, is 288 00:10:56,279 --> 00:10:58,059 that 80% of the 289 00:10:58,439 --> 00:10:59,899 participants in our survey 290 00:11:00,439 --> 00:11:02,034 found that, being involved 291 00:11:02,574 --> 00:11:05,154 in innovation processes would actually positively 292 00:11:06,095 --> 00:11:07,554 impact their job satisfaction, 293 00:11:08,095 --> 00:11:09,714 but also their work life balance, 294 00:11:10,414 --> 00:11:12,355 which is this finding is quite significant 295 00:11:13,549 --> 00:11:15,809 because it because it suggests that innovation 296 00:11:16,190 --> 00:11:17,730 efforts could potentially 297 00:11:18,110 --> 00:11:20,610 improve staff retention, but also job satisfaction. 298 00:11:22,429 --> 00:11:24,429 That's amazing to hear. You know? And and 299 00:11:24,429 --> 00:11:26,774 certainly, what a great idea to have the 300 00:11:26,934 --> 00:11:28,934 committee be put together and and be able 301 00:11:28,934 --> 00:11:30,055 to support the different, 302 00:11:30,774 --> 00:11:32,695 clinicians at different levels so that they can 303 00:11:32,695 --> 00:11:35,014 really realize their visions and dreams and be 304 00:11:35,014 --> 00:11:36,774 pushed into a space where they can be 305 00:11:36,774 --> 00:11:39,495 more creative and innovative thinking. And you're right. 306 00:11:39,495 --> 00:11:41,654 I mean, the results speak for themselves to 307 00:11:41,654 --> 00:11:42,634 really see how, 308 00:11:43,309 --> 00:11:44,690 you know, that engagement, 309 00:11:45,389 --> 00:11:46,610 can make a big difference, 310 00:11:47,070 --> 00:11:49,950 is just really cool. Now, you know, from 311 00:11:49,950 --> 00:11:52,269 your perspective, I'm wondering if you could talk 312 00:11:52,269 --> 00:11:54,029 a little bit about some of the lessons 313 00:11:54,029 --> 00:11:56,370 that you've learned since establishing the committee. 314 00:11:57,475 --> 00:11:57,975 Certainly. 315 00:11:58,674 --> 00:12:00,274 So one was that we found that, you 316 00:12:00,274 --> 00:12:01,574 know, NPs and PAs 317 00:12:02,115 --> 00:12:04,834 really are an untapped potential for innovation within 318 00:12:04,834 --> 00:12:05,574 health care. 319 00:12:06,194 --> 00:12:08,355 Our professions, we can come to the table 320 00:12:08,355 --> 00:12:09,574 with unique insights 321 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:12,919 just based off our daily patient interactions, but 322 00:12:12,919 --> 00:12:13,419 also, 323 00:12:14,279 --> 00:12:16,360 really understanding the boots on the ground, what 324 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,779 needs to work to make health care better. 325 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,639 We also found that there is a high 326 00:12:21,639 --> 00:12:23,419 importance when it comes to education. 327 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:25,100 A lot of MPs and PAs 328 00:12:25,535 --> 00:12:27,295 and as well as nurses do not receive 329 00:12:27,295 --> 00:12:28,195 a lot of this 330 00:12:28,575 --> 00:12:29,875 entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship, 331 00:12:30,654 --> 00:12:33,215 innovation education. And what I found was there's 332 00:12:33,215 --> 00:12:35,774 a lot of, medical programs that are starting 333 00:12:35,774 --> 00:12:37,774 to integrate a lot of that education into 334 00:12:37,774 --> 00:12:39,634 their actual medical training. 335 00:12:40,070 --> 00:12:41,990 And it's kind of it it's a pitfall 336 00:12:41,990 --> 00:12:42,970 when it comes to 337 00:12:43,269 --> 00:12:44,490 advanced practice providers, 338 00:12:44,950 --> 00:12:45,929 education base. 339 00:12:46,389 --> 00:12:49,269 So with our ongoing monthly education sessions, we're 340 00:12:49,269 --> 00:12:51,450 trying to, you know, fill that gap where 341 00:12:51,590 --> 00:12:53,750 they don't actually get that education starting off 342 00:12:53,750 --> 00:12:54,570 in their career. 343 00:12:54,914 --> 00:12:56,514 But now we're gonna try to provide that 344 00:12:56,514 --> 00:12:57,014 ongoing. 345 00:12:57,955 --> 00:12:59,875 And then we also find that time and 346 00:12:59,875 --> 00:13:01,894 resources are critical. And we know 347 00:13:02,195 --> 00:13:04,754 all hospitals are short staffed, and we're kinda 348 00:13:04,754 --> 00:13:07,095 running at higher acuity and census levels. 349 00:13:07,539 --> 00:13:09,379 And we understand that we can't always get 350 00:13:09,379 --> 00:13:12,259 allocated time and resources. But, you know, we've 351 00:13:12,259 --> 00:13:13,860 learned that if we could have a little 352 00:13:13,860 --> 00:13:16,660 bit of dedicated time and some resources, we 353 00:13:16,660 --> 00:13:19,139 could have a lot more impactful outcomes from 354 00:13:19,139 --> 00:13:21,399 our efforts within the innovation ecosystem. 355 00:13:21,954 --> 00:13:23,315 Because a lot of this is all being 356 00:13:23,315 --> 00:13:25,575 done just on everybody's time, 357 00:13:26,195 --> 00:13:28,214 1 point o kinda FTE approach. 358 00:13:28,995 --> 00:13:30,995 Everybody's doing it on their own time, and 359 00:13:30,995 --> 00:13:32,514 we're being able to show that you can 360 00:13:32,514 --> 00:13:35,014 still have a considerable amount of outcomes 361 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,559 without actually having dedicated time, but what could 362 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:40,480 it be if you actually gave everybody a 363 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:41,620 little bit more time? 364 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:44,240 And then also learning is that, you know, 365 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,960 leadership support is vital. You know, the support 366 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:47,860 from our department 367 00:13:48,399 --> 00:13:50,660 has been crucial in our success, and 368 00:13:51,154 --> 00:13:53,554 we we applaud and thank them, for providing 369 00:13:53,554 --> 00:13:54,934 us with the ongoing support. 370 00:13:55,634 --> 00:13:58,054 So as we know with all innovation processes, 371 00:13:58,115 --> 00:14:00,115 we really need to have key stakeholders when 372 00:14:00,115 --> 00:14:02,274 it comes to, you know, going through with 373 00:14:02,274 --> 00:14:03,875 a project or an idea. And with this 374 00:14:03,875 --> 00:14:06,054 committee, we've had that vital support. 375 00:14:07,220 --> 00:14:09,139 And, lastly, I'd like to speak to, you 376 00:14:09,139 --> 00:14:10,840 know, the innovation culture is 377 00:14:11,220 --> 00:14:14,820 really self reinforcing. And perhaps more important importantly, 378 00:14:14,820 --> 00:14:16,899 we just need to learn that once you 379 00:14:16,899 --> 00:14:19,059 started to foster a culture of innovation, it 380 00:14:19,059 --> 00:14:21,620 tends to snowball. And, you know, as MPs 381 00:14:21,620 --> 00:14:22,279 and PAs, 382 00:14:22,975 --> 00:14:25,014 we see our colleagues to see succeeding and, 383 00:14:25,014 --> 00:14:27,375 you know, bringing ideas to life. So it 384 00:14:27,375 --> 00:14:30,014 inspires them to do the same. So creating 385 00:14:30,014 --> 00:14:32,415 this, you know, virtuous cycle of innovation is 386 00:14:32,415 --> 00:14:35,134 really crucial going forward. We've seen that through 387 00:14:35,134 --> 00:14:36,434 our efforts with this committee. 388 00:14:38,059 --> 00:14:40,220 That's really helpful to understand and, you know, 389 00:14:40,220 --> 00:14:40,720 really, 390 00:14:41,100 --> 00:14:43,419 see the evolution of how you worked within 391 00:14:43,419 --> 00:14:44,159 the committee 392 00:14:44,460 --> 00:14:46,940 creating it and then, you know, learned, got 393 00:14:46,940 --> 00:14:49,179 feedback, and continued to, I can imagine, iterate 394 00:14:49,179 --> 00:14:50,559 and improve on the process. 395 00:14:51,245 --> 00:14:53,664 Now before we wrap up here, I'm wondering, 396 00:14:53,725 --> 00:14:55,485 how will you keep up momentum? What are 397 00:14:55,485 --> 00:14:57,084 you going to do to make sure that 398 00:14:57,084 --> 00:14:59,424 as time goes on, the energy and passion 399 00:14:59,485 --> 00:15:00,705 doesn't wane from, 400 00:15:01,164 --> 00:15:02,304 the innovation committee? 401 00:15:03,500 --> 00:15:04,000 Certainly. 402 00:15:04,379 --> 00:15:05,980 I think the first thing we need to 403 00:15:05,980 --> 00:15:08,139 focus on to kinda keep momentum with this 404 00:15:08,139 --> 00:15:11,580 is really continuing to provide ongoing education and 405 00:15:11,580 --> 00:15:12,320 skill development 406 00:15:12,940 --> 00:15:15,904 within the committee, but also disseminating that across 407 00:15:15,904 --> 00:15:16,565 to others. 408 00:15:17,264 --> 00:15:19,445 You know, we're we're committed to ongoing education 409 00:15:19,585 --> 00:15:21,904 through our monthly sessions, and I'm finding more 410 00:15:21,904 --> 00:15:23,845 and more topics to bring to the table. 411 00:15:24,625 --> 00:15:26,785 And, you know, most recently, we've we've had 412 00:15:26,785 --> 00:15:29,529 conversations with our office of engineering on how 413 00:15:29,529 --> 00:15:31,230 to submit an idea for a prototype. 414 00:15:31,769 --> 00:15:33,769 I've done a couple talks on how to 415 00:15:33,769 --> 00:15:36,330 keep an idea notebook ongoing and just keeping 416 00:15:36,330 --> 00:15:37,950 that at hand. So 417 00:15:38,330 --> 00:15:41,210 providing those little educational sessions through, like, a 418 00:15:41,210 --> 00:15:43,149 microlearning approach is very important. 419 00:15:44,075 --> 00:15:46,235 Otherwise, on top of that, we would, you 420 00:15:46,235 --> 00:15:48,475 know, look at expanding our reach. So we're 421 00:15:48,475 --> 00:15:51,355 looking to expand our community's influence beyond just 422 00:15:51,355 --> 00:15:53,274 our current scope and then the department of 423 00:15:53,274 --> 00:15:55,595 surgery, and we're hoping to expand it to 424 00:15:55,595 --> 00:15:58,654 a institutional level outside of our department. 425 00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:02,539 And then thirdly is the the mentorship program 426 00:16:02,539 --> 00:16:04,299 that we're trying to put together. We're in 427 00:16:04,299 --> 00:16:06,799 the process of developing this mentorship program 428 00:16:07,339 --> 00:16:08,959 to help connect experienced 429 00:16:09,259 --> 00:16:12,379 innovators with those who are kinda newcomers to 430 00:16:12,379 --> 00:16:13,600 the innovation ecosystem 431 00:16:14,154 --> 00:16:15,855 to help kind of provide some nurturing, 432 00:16:16,235 --> 00:16:18,254 and guidance through this process. 433 00:16:19,355 --> 00:16:22,414 Fourthly is working on strengthening our industry partnerships. 434 00:16:22,634 --> 00:16:25,034 You know, we're we're actively working on building 435 00:16:25,034 --> 00:16:26,414 more and more stronger relationships 436 00:16:26,820 --> 00:16:27,799 with industry 437 00:16:28,259 --> 00:16:31,220 and, multiple different start ups. And this not 438 00:16:31,220 --> 00:16:34,360 only includes, you know, potential pathways for commercialization, 439 00:16:34,660 --> 00:16:38,100 but also providing ongoing strategic support for us 440 00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:38,840 going forward. 441 00:16:39,220 --> 00:16:41,080 And we really also need to continue 442 00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:43,245 looking at leadership engagement. 443 00:16:43,865 --> 00:16:46,585 We're maintaining strong connections within our department, but 444 00:16:46,585 --> 00:16:48,524 now we're looking at more of our institutional 445 00:16:48,664 --> 00:16:49,884 level as well too. 446 00:16:50,264 --> 00:16:52,924 And, you know, the ongoing engagement and 447 00:16:53,465 --> 00:16:56,789 conversations will really help us strengthen our committee 448 00:16:56,789 --> 00:16:58,490 and hopefully expand it further. 449 00:16:59,269 --> 00:17:01,269 And then lastly is, you know, I think 450 00:17:01,269 --> 00:17:03,590 it's very important to keep a way to 451 00:17:03,590 --> 00:17:06,329 keep the momentum going is really linking innovation 452 00:17:06,390 --> 00:17:08,950 to career development. And this hasn't been something 453 00:17:08,950 --> 00:17:11,195 that's been really talked about in the in 454 00:17:11,195 --> 00:17:13,355 the past, and I'm hoping we can kinda 455 00:17:13,355 --> 00:17:14,815 continue this forward, is that 456 00:17:15,434 --> 00:17:18,075 looking at ways to more formally recognize that 457 00:17:18,075 --> 00:17:19,934 innovation activities can be 458 00:17:20,235 --> 00:17:23,130 a way of career development and advancing your 459 00:17:23,289 --> 00:17:25,150 career with as a MP and PA. 460 00:17:25,769 --> 00:17:27,289 And this will need to be more and 461 00:17:27,289 --> 00:17:30,009 more incorporated into our professional development programs as 462 00:17:30,009 --> 00:17:32,730 we go forward as, you know, leadership programs 463 00:17:32,730 --> 00:17:34,970 and all are great, but really focusing on 464 00:17:34,970 --> 00:17:38,605 innovation as a possible gateway to professional growth 465 00:17:38,605 --> 00:17:39,424 going forward. 466 00:17:40,205 --> 00:17:42,205 That's amazing to hear. Michael, thank you so 467 00:17:42,205 --> 00:17:43,725 much for joining us on the podcast today. 468 00:17:43,725 --> 00:17:45,725 This has been such an inspiring conversation, and 469 00:17:45,725 --> 00:17:47,404 I look forward to connecting with you again 470 00:17:47,404 --> 00:17:49,985 soon. Thank you. It was great. Thank you.