Arlene Fry: Celebrating 30 years of excellence

By Jane Shuman, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Like so many of you, Arlene Fry, COT, came to ophthalmology without experience in eye care; she had been a medical secretary for a pediatrician in the same multidisciplinary practice and applied for the position when she saw an opportunity for personal growth. That was 30 years ago.

There are a lot of words beginning with the letter P that describe Arlene. She is a professional who is patient, personable, persistent, and a perfectionist.

She was the first assistant hired for the ophthalmology department, learned directly from the ophthalmologist on staff, then trained those who were hired, including myself. She was — and still is — the epitome of professionalism, respected by her peers, providers, and patients alike. Her patience is unparalleled, as I saw for the first time when I couldn’t “get” the Jackson cross cylinder when refracting. I asked her to demonstrate it to me, repeatedly, because she did it so well.

Over the years, Arlene continued training the new hires and extended her knowledge to teaching people who were interested in the career at a local community college. She has attended every local CE program, listening attentively to improve her own knowledge. As the first department grew in staff and volume, there was no question she deserved to be the lead technician. Years later, the ophthalmology department separated from the parent company and created a private practice, Dedham Ophthalmic Consultants and Surgeons, Dedham, Mass., where she will be stepping down as the clinical supervisor.

FROM MS. FRY’S COLLEAGUES

Her current administrator, Karin Gyukeri, commented that Arlene has been an amazing person to work with. It has been her pleasure and honor to work alongside of Arlene sharing knowledge with the staff and being able to problem solve issues together to continue to maintain the reputation of DOCS.

Many of the original staff are still working with Arlene. Here is what some of them have to say:

▶ Cathy Berry, COA: “I have worked with Arlene for the last 20 years and would not have succeeded as a COA and surgical coordinator without her guidance. Having begun without clinical experience, Arlene not only trained me but gave me the courage to push myself. She is a loyal employee and never missed a day during COVID, pitching in beyond her expected duties. I applaud her many loyal years in the field of ophthalmology.”

▶ May Amaral, COA: “For 31 years of my career, Arlene has been a sounding board, a mentor, a leader, and a friend! She has shown by example how you can be an advocate for your employees and still have the patient’s best interests at heart.”

▶ Andrew Gillies, MD: “I can sum up the impact that Ms. Arlene Fry has had on our practice in one sentence; it would not exist were it not for her. Nor, in fact, would my professional success. She has ruined me as far as my expectations for both technicians and administrators. She has set the bar so high that it’s not visible! I have often joked with patients, who are uniformly in praise of Ms. Fry’s care, that I will retire the day before she does, a day I wish would never, but inevitably will come. That day will be one of the saddest days of my life.”

ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER

That day is approaching, slowly we hope, as Arlene reduces her hours and responsibilities. It has been an honor and a privilege to have worked beside her for 20 years. We all wish her plenty of time to relax with her family and friends in her next chapter. OP

COVID-19’s surprise challenges, obstacles, and opportunities

By James D. Dawes, MHA, CMPE, COE

Now that we are 6 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and most, if not all of us, are back to seeing patients, we can look in the rear-view mirror and see challenges, obstacles, and opportunities that we did not expect earlier in the spring. In speaking with practices across the country, two items in particular have jumped out at me as situations I certainty had not anticipated. Below, I outline these two situations and address the opportunities they present for ophthalmic professions to improve the delivery of patient care. Each of these new realities also present leaders with “teaching moments” to reinforce the importance of customer service and the patient experience through education and empathetic understanding of patients.

CHALLENGE 1: “COVID RAGE”

Who would have thought that trying to keep patients safe could enrage them so much? Many ophthalmic professionals have given me a number of examples of what I call “COVID rage.” This is indicated by extreme frustration with the safety protocols and a desire to go back to “normal.” These patients are extremely angry, they yell, and they are rude to our team members. To manage this, remember the basics of customer service:

1. De-escalate the situation by getting the angry patient away from the general population.
2. Listen and talk in a calm voice.
3. Try to understand the patient’s issue.
4. Use the patient’s words to re-state the problem.
5. Define a solution consistent with the practice’s safety standards.

In the case of COVID rage, I find most patients just need to vent. But, it is important they understand that we, as professionals, are charged with ensuring the safety of all of our patients, who may have significantly compromised health. Therefore, we cannot be afraid to take a hard stand with a patient who chooses not to be compliant with our safety standards.

CHALLENGE 2: MASKED AND DISTANCED COMMUNICATION

As health-care workers, I think we can all agree that wearing masks and social distancing makes sense. But, wearing masks and communicating at a distance has presented us all with challenges. Primarily, a difficulty in communication due to lack of ability to read facial expressions, lack of ability to see the pronunciation of words on people’s lips, and the muffling of our voices. On top of that, many times we communicate at a distance or through plexiglass panels, both of which exacerbate the problem. Then, to top it off, those of us who wear spectacles spend a considerable amount of time with our glasses fogged over. As I was discussing these frustrations with a friend, it hit me – “This is what it is like to be a 70-year-old patient with hearing loss and cataracts!” Instant “teachable moment” for many of our team members.

This challenge we are all facing gives us an opportunity to talk to our teams and help them to become more empathetic to our senior patients about communication difficulties. Let’s give our team techniques for improved communications, such as clearly enunciating our words, speaking clearly but not shouting, being patient, and listening. Also, use the foggy glasses scenario to demonstrate to our younger staff what it must be like to have a cataract or advanced vision loss. Using the example of the difference between a foggy spectacle lens and a clear lens is a great way to discuss the before and after of cataract surgery. These are great teachable moments, and I encourage you to use them with your teams. OP