News

A Doctor’s Passion for Mission Trips and the Generosity that Followed

Dr. Karen Smith, MD, a family medicine doctor in Amarillo, has a passion for going on mission trips each year. She currently works for BSA Urgent Care, and has regularly taken trips over the past few years to go with large groups to El Paso and along the border for medical mission trips. This year would be a different mission trip for her entirely.

Inside Careers at BSA - Nurse Practitioner

Tim Bixenman APRN, FNP-C joins us on the blog today to talk about his career as a nurse practitioner at the BSA Urgent Care Center.

BSA Leadership Series with Director of Nursing Services Cindy Casey

A rewarding, challenging and life-long career is a gift. At 21-years old, Cindy Casey, RN carefully examined her own thoughts about what she wanted to do professionally. Though she had not grown up with family in health care, she believed nursing was the clear path for her to take. “It was a true calling,” she explains. “It was laid on my heart that I would go into nursing.

BSA Leadership Series with Supervisor of Laboratory Services Tracy Anderson

Tracy Anderson, MLT (ASCP) supervisor of laboratory services, has worked at BSA for 37 years. What she learned from her leaders and mentors not only shaped her career, but also taught her about “The BSA Way”.

I was the first one in my family to go into health care; I come from a long line of school teachers. My dad was a school superintendent and my mom was a teacher and librarian. My parents were well-respected in our community and they were great examples for me growing up on how to be a leader. I learned so many things from them, and the right way to treat people.

New BSA Nurse Shares Path to Nursing

In July, Megan Hubbard, RN embarked on a new career when she arrived at BSA’s orientation. “It fits my personality,” she shares of choosing to pursue a career in critical care nursing. At the conclusion of her 13-week orientation with a preceptor (an experienced nurse in her department) at her side, she was ready for her first 12-hour shift on nights in the coronary care unit of the intensive care unit (ICU). “I’m completely new. Working at BSA is my first-ever work experience in a hospital, but I do feel like I’m ready. I’m ready to develop my own routine caring for patients.”

Physicians Surgical Hospitals Tops Best Places to Work in Health Care List Second Year in a Row

We are honored to announce that Physicians Surgical Hospitals have been listed by Modern Healthcare on the Best Places to Work in Health Care list as 18th overall and first in the category of small providers. This is the second year in a row Physicians Surgical Hospitals has received the top ranking in the small provider category by Modern Healthcare. The ranking was announced Thursday evening in New Orleans, LA at the awards dinner. Physicians Surgical Hospitals join four other facilities receiving this recognition within Ardent Health Services, our parent company based in Nashville, TN.

Patient shares compassionate care received after suffering stroke

The morning of September 21, 2013 Gilbert Solano headed to work like any other normal day. He arrived at work, grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk. After a quick break to the restroom, something was a little off as he sat back down. “I felt a little strange,” he recalls. “I tried to shake it off. I thought I’d walk around to get the blood flowing. I tried to get up, but couldn’t. I didn’t have a left leg or left arm.”

Gilbert was suffering a stroke at the age of 65.

What Stroke Takes Away

Larry Munday, 61, and his wife, Corene, were anxiously awaiting a trip across the country to welcome one of their sons, Scott, a staff sergeant in the United States Army, home from Afghanistan in March. They left their hometown of Perryton to spend the night at their other son’s home in Bushland - just outside of Amarillo. The plan was to board a flight the next morning for Seattle. Once Larry and Corene arrived in Bushland, they ran a few errands – taking their dog to the kennel and stopping by Home Depot. “When I got out of the car, I felt funny,” Larry recalls.

A Patient Guide to Managing Pain during a Hospitalization

We all know what pain feels like, but communicating how much discomfort we are experiencing can be much easier said than done, especially in the hospital setting. Pain is different for everyone. Pain can be acute, typically sharp and sudden, or chronic, which persists over a period of time – weeks, months and even years. Pain that may be unbearable to one person may be mild to another. While we are our own best judge of pain, BSA doctors, nurses and staff are trained to work with patients to more accurately identify and communicate their pain level to help manage it as soon as possible.

Protection from Zika and Mosquito-borne Illnesses

Concern continues to build as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a recent report that more than 300 people in the United States have contracted the Zika virus, 31 of those being pregnant women. However, the vast majority of those cases are travel-associated cases with only locally acquired cases in Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reports 31 cases in Texas including one pregnant woman.