Gold Star Award

I have mentioned on occasion, about the doctor I work with. I have a job in medical records (the most important position, I think! *wink*) and work with one of the best doctors in the state. Or probably, in the country! I have worked with some very pompous, arrogant, smart-alicky doctors before, and when I first started my job working with Dr. Saffari, I was afraid of more of the same. I came from a place where I was worried that if I accidentally opened his mail, I would get a tongue-lashing. Dawn, one of the receptionists, told me that Dr. Saffari was not like that. It took me a long time to get over my fear of just talking with him, because I had learned that Doctors are above every one else, and can not be bothered with anything trivial, or be interrupted from their tasks. Doctors should be respected and treated with high regard, of course. They help save lives. But that doesn't mean that they should put off an air of "I can't be bothered with you, you're not important", either.

A lot of patients may see one side of a doctor, while the staff sees something else completely. That's not true with Dr. Saffari. What you see with his compassionate, caring nature towards his patients, you still see towards his staff. Everyone loves working with him, because he is such a joy. Rarely does he get angry, and never does he raise his voice. He's a work-a-holic, and while we probably see more of him than his family does, they know his job is important and that he cares deeply for the patients that he treats.

This is why he was presented with the Gold Star Award. Dr. Saffari has won recognition in the past (most recently was in South Sound Magazine for being voted The Best doctor in the South Sound) but this award was a bit different. CHI (Catholic Health Initiatives) dignitaries flew in from across the country to be there when this award was presented. The president of our company gave this award to him. It had to be a surprise, and it was difficult for our manager to get him to come to this "meeting", partially because he had a surgery to do on a patient who needed it so badly that he'd scheduled it on one of his two clinic days, because his surgery schedule was booked up for weeks.

This is the kind of man he is.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS-JFOrcMrI&feature=youtu.be  - Link to the video of his award

From left to right: Stacy (MA), Michelle (PSR), Dawn (PSR), 

Me (Med Recs), Dr. Saffari, Stephenie (RN) and Julie (ARNP)

That's our whole office.

You will never meet a man more caring about the job that he does, or a staff more willing to go out of their way to make a patient feel comfortable and secure. This is the best doctor and clinic to work for, bar none. I love it here, and I hopefully will never have to leave.

A little info:

Dr. Bahman Saffari is the only Gynecologic Oncologist (Woman Cancer) south of Seattle. He treats everything from Ovarian, Uterine, and Endometrial Cancer, to Vaginal or Cervical Cancer and beyond. He is one of the few licensed doctors to use the da Vinci robot for his surgeries, which reduces recovery time and scarring.