ER Worker: Heal Thyself. | Hadassah International

HMO Holds “Health Week” for Emergency Medicine Staff

Physicians are legendary for being the worst patients, as their busy work caring for patients overrides looking after themselves.

It’s a problem that’s especially acute in hospitals, and all the more so in emergency rooms, where long hours and shift work can disrupt efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. And that’s without their wartime role on the frontline of saving life and limb for civilians wounded by missiles or soldiers injured in combat. More than most, the pressure and pace of ER work can leave its physicians, nurses, technicians and other staff susceptible to exhaustion and illness.

Dr. Ahmad Nama, director of emergency medicine at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, is making sure this doesn’t happen to his staff. In collaboration with the Employee Health Clinic, the Nutrition Department, and the Physiotherapy Clinic, he organized a Health Week for them at the hospital to support and enhance his team’s personal wellbeing.

During the week, the staff were offered professional content and practical tools designed specifically for the ER. Prevention was a key theme. In addition to providing stations for health checkups, which included blood tests and weight and BMI calculations, the program included sessions with physical therapists focused on corrective and regular exercise. It also included advice on “smart nutrition” while on the go and when switching between morning, evening and night shifts throws the body clock into turmoil.

“For me, this week is more than an initiative — it’s a statement,” says Dr. Nama. “A reminder that behind every life we save, there is a team that also needs to be seen, supported, and cared for.”