Guest post: Recognizing your superheroes

by Rachel Strom, RN, CCDS

I don’t know about all you folks out there, but sometimes working in the trenches and doing chart reviews all day long can get a little bland…as bland as my light grey cubicle accentuated by the (not-so) glow of the florescent lighting down in the basement where my workspace is-kind of bland. Yes sir, over time doing chart review can be a little mundane, but never fear good citizens—CDI Week is near! A time to promote and celebrate the role of CDI professionals and an even better excuse for me to decorate these cubicles!

This year’s theme is “CDI Superheroes: The Heroes Hospitals Deserve.”

A couple weeks back during a stressful time, my CDI superhero friend Karen Elmore, RN, BSN, CCDS, from BJC Health Care way down in Missouri sent me a funny and encouraging email. In the email, she included a meme of Bill Murry saying “…You Can Do It.” Her email totally made my day and I of course promptly printed it out and stuck on my cubical wall. There was Karen using her powers for good. With a few clicks on a keyboard, she magically transformed my day.  That got me thinking, I bet there are other CDI superheroes out there with this same “power.”

In honor of CDI Week, why not recognize one of the unsung CDI heroes that you know? My #1 CDI superhero (besides Karen) would be Barb Odegaard, RN, CCDS, at Essentia Health in Fargo, North Dakota. She is a steadfast, sweet, and knowledgeable co-worker/friend who is (thankfully) gracious enough to put up with my antics. She has been a huge source of encouragement through the years and she even let me decorate her cubical. But seriously, I don’t know where I’d be without my hero, Barb.

So, who’s your CDI hero? Join me in giving a CDI Week shout out to the CDI superheroes in your life! Plus, at the end of CDI Week, ACDIS will pull a name of one of the superheroes to win a giveaway. To nominate a hero, head over to ACDIS’ Facebook page or to the ACDIS Forum and follow the instructions there.

Editor’s note: Strom is a CDI specialist at Essentia Health in Fargo, North Dakota, and a member of the ACDIS Chapter Advisory Board. Contact her at Rachel.Strom2@EssentiaHealth.org.