Miren Schinco, MD

Associate Professor of Surgery

Shands Jacksonville

Jacksonville

At Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, staff and administrators of the Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit are happy to nominate Dr. Miren Schinco Schaffer for a Hospital Hero Award as a result of her tireless efforts that go well beyond the numerous job descriptions and responsibilities of being a lifesaving Trauma Surgeon.

Dr. Schinco Schaffer, known to us simply as Dr. Schinco, has been employed with Shands Jacksonville and the University of Florida since 1998 after completing a surgical fellowship at Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut.  Her numerous appointments, certifications, and awards are not happenstance.  They all symbolize how she feels about her patients and her responsibilities to our trauma unit.  Her unfaltering commitment is seen daily when she talks with patients and their families as well as educating all staff who provide patient care.  For instance, she received awards for her teaching skills via “Best Faculty Teaching Award” (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and through an “Exemplary Teacher Award” (2004).  It is difficult to refer to Dr. Schinco as just another attending physician; to us she is a true hospital hero every day and we are lucky to have her not only as a leader, but a team player as well.

Dr. Schinco’s impact on the community is noteworthy as she has written and co-authored many publications and participated in numerous presentations such as “The Burden of Noncompliance with Seatbelt Use on a Trauma Center;” “The True Cost of ‘Personal Freedom’;” “An Analysis of the Repeal of the Florida Helmet Law;” and “Impaired Residents:  Identification and Intervention.”  Publications include:  “Two Careers in One:  An Analysis of the Earning Power of Certification in Surgical Critical Care,” and  “Beyond the Gold Hour:  Avoiding the Pitfalls from Resuscitation to Critical Care.”

When she is on-call it is not unusual to see her in the unit at all hours of the day and night checking on patients, talking with families, and all the while looking for ways to optimize the patient’s ability to heal quickly.  While most will snap to attention when she steps on the unit, it is out of true respect and consideration for her and the care she helps everyone in the unit deliver.  She intimidates no one.  It is particularly rewarding to see her interaction with families as even in the worst of times (death and life-threatening injuries) she readily provides comfort.  We have found that Dr. Schinco has certainly raised the bar for “great bedside manner” when it comes to talking with patients and family members.  Our surgical residents often comment on her caring manner and we see her influence every day as residents grow in their practice to become surgeons.  She always leads by example.  She is program director of the Critical Care Fellowship Program, the only one-year, ACGME-approved Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program in Florida.  The fellowship allows even seasoned surgeons opportunities to develop and maintain best practice standards for future career opportunities as they are given supervised opportunities to teach resident surgeons as well.

Dr. Schinco would never expect a nomination as she is the kind of person who just does by nature the “right thing” and to be recognized would certainly be a warm surprise for what she would just normally do.  Our staff benefits often as a result of her generosity and kindness.  She always contributes to make the holiday party successful and she makes a point to recognize nursing excellence within patient care.  She also has been seen to take a moment as needed to speak with her children and it is not unusual to hear her quiet voice talking in reassurance or applauding their academic efforts.  These moments never take away; they only seem to add a little human touch and calm to our many times chaotic meetings.  Her approach to unit and hospital management is humanistic and allows morale to stay healthy in every area she works in.  Dr. Schinco’s inner strength, patience, and great surgical care have truly helped unite and improve Shands Jacksonville’s commitment to trauma and surgical patients in Jacksonville, Florida.

Thank-you for your consideration of the nomination of Dr. Schinco Schaffer for a Hospital Heroes Award.  It is greatly appreciated.

Cynthia Gerdik, MA,BS,RN,CEN,CPHQ