BBGH Hospitalist Dr. Dwaine Smith tip of iceberg in recruitment efforts
Hospitalist Dwaine Smith, MD
Starting a Hospitalist program at Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) has been a priority of CEO Lori Mazanec and her administration team for over two years now, first with an overnight eHospitalist program and now with the recent addition of an in-house Hospitalist to the BBGH staff.
Last month it was announced BBGH had signed on Internal Medicine physician Dwaine Smith, MD, as its first in-house Hospitalist. He started seeing patients in the hospital’s Patient Care Unit (PCU) Thursday, January 10. He will be seeing PCU patients during the day on a rotating schedule of two weeks on, two weeks off. It’s also been announced that Alliance Family Medicine’s Dr. Terri Myers will become the hospital’s second Hospitalist in February on a one week rotation every fourth week. BBGH is actively searching for a third Hospitalist to fill the monthly schedule. In-house Hospitalists will be available during the day, with eHospitalists providing PCU care in the evenings.
Dr. Smith obtained his Medical Degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in 2015, finishing his Internal Medicine residency at St. Vincent Hospital in 2018. He is board eligible with the American Board of Internal Medicine.
The field of medicine is actually his second career. “When I started college I was very interested in medicine, however at that time in my life I couldn’t imagine going to school for that long,” Dr. Smith said with a smile. “So I went into finance in 1993 and I did really enjoy it. But the sparkle of Wall Street soon lost its shine, and I decided to return to my first passion of medicine; which apparently some people call a midlife crisis.”
He finds the role of Hospitalist to be very satisfying. “Patients seem to feel relieved when I tell them that my sole responsibility is to take care of them while they are in the hospital. That is a very rewarding aspect,” Dr. Smith said. “Since I am in the hospital the entire day, not only will my patients see me each and every day; but I’m always there if the nurses or patients have any questions or concerns.”
Dr. Smith has only been at BBGH for a short period, but that time has already made an impression. “My first impression of the hospital was ‘what a gem,’” he recalled. “I was surprised to learn the people of this community had such a great resource.”
BBGH plans to have a Meet and Greet reception soon to welcome Dr. Smith to the BBGH family. A little biographical information indicates how he is a perfect fit for the health care community at BBGH: “I am from Fort Worth, Texas, but I’ve spent the last four years in Indianapolis, Indiana,” he said. “I moved out here with my wife, who is now the new Hospitalist at Sidney Regional Medical Center. People always ask if we met in medical school, but actually we met on a scuba diving trip in Florida. Then we decided to go to medical school together, but not before we adopted our dog Shiloh who is now almost 10 and loving chasing the jackrabbits of Nebraska. We both enjoy hiking and camping and we are excited to now be close to some of our favorite national parks.”
Please watch for date and time of the Meet and Greet for Dr. Smith.
A Hospitalist cares for adult patients in a hospital setting only. Establishing a Hospitalist program has been a priority at BBGH due to the fact that new physicians are looking for less on-call and more free nights, weekends, and holidays. A Hospitalist program gives physicians that option and was deemed a vital recruiting tool for BBGH’s ongoing efforts to obtain new qualified Family Practice physicians and mid-level providers. BBGH’s first efforts in that regard resulted in the establishment of a night shift eHospitalist program in December of 2017 through Bryan Telemedicine. That program (which started with three eHospitalists and now has seven) allows a nighttime break for local medical providers who wish to utilize the service. Both GNMSS and Alliance Family Medicine have consistently taken advantage of the eHospitalist program, according to CNO Carolyn Jones. She added positive feedback has been received by providers of both clinics, as well as patients and their families.
Having an in-house Hospitalist during the day allows primary care providers to focus exclusively on seeing patients in their clinics, if they so wish.
Ms. Mazanec is pleased to bring a full Hospitalist program to BBGH to strengthen the overall medical community and provide better access to healthcare, as identified in the hospital’s Community Health Improvement Plan. “Dr. Smith is a great addition to the great things already happening here,” Mazanec concluded.
Box Butte General Hospital is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
