Erin Robinson, DO, Named Recipient of Fairfield Medical Center’s Physician Teammate of the Year Award
In the emergency department, the value of teamwork is undeniable. The care being delivered requires efficiency and cohesion leaving no room for second guessing or questioning. For Erin Robinson, DO, being a team player and contributing to a unified work environment is non-negotiable. She focuses on building relationships with her colleagues and having open communication so when patients enter the emergency department, their efforts are concentrated on providing quality care. Given Dr. Robinson’s commitment to her team, it is no surprise her colleagues nominated her as the recipient of Fairfield Medical Center’s Physician Teammate of the Year award.
“Never in a million years did I think I would be the recipient of this award,” said Dr. Robinson. “You always hope you’re doing a good job, but an award like this never quite feels like it’s ‘yours’ to be had. I am still in shock about the whole thing, but wow, what a great honor it is to know my colleagues see me as a teammate they want to acknowledge and celebrate.”
Prior to learning about the award, Dr. Robinson was going about business as usual in the emergency department when her medical director, who is also the chief medical officer, asked her for a “favor.” This favor was a request for an unnamed meeting later in the week with the medical staff president. Having no knowledge of what the meeting could be about, her mind went racing, wondering what could have gone wrong to require such a meeting. The day arrived and Dr. Robinson cautiously sat down in the director’s office. The medical staff president wasn’t there yet, so they set off to find him and, in doing so, they approached a large assembly room, causing Dr. Robinson even more confusion about what was going on.
“It’s rare for me to leave the emergency department, so I had no idea where our director was taking me,” laughed Dr. Robinson. “We went into the assembly room, which was filled with people, and I see our medical staff president in the front of the space with a microphone. It was hospital week, so I just assumed we were waiting for him to finish up before starting our meeting. He begins speaking about an award for a female emergency physician which prompted me to look around to find none of my other colleagues around me, so it all starts to click. It’s mostly a blur what happened after my ‘ah-ha’ moment, but all I can say is I was both shocked and relieved that this meeting turned into such a welcomed surprise.”
Dr. Robinson earned her medical degree from Kansas City University and completed her residency at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, in 2016. After completing residency, Dr. Robinson elected to stay in Ohio and signed on with USACS, landing at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio, the perfect location to fit her desires of working in a small community hospital. Since then, Dr. Robinson has enjoyed working with her team in the emergency department.
“The ED is a special entity. If you are not all on the same page or don’t work well as a team, things don’t go well,” said Dr. Robinson. “The relationships I’ve built with each of my team members have grown so much over the years, and many times they already know what I’m looking for and what I’m going to need. We have a great dynamic and I can’t imagine working anywhere else.”