A team member writes about what it was like when she stepped out of her work role at Baystate Health and into the patient/family role:
I want to take a moment to express how thankful I am for not only being an employee of Baystate Health but, to have experienced outstanding care from a patient/family perspective.
In 2015 I began my career in Physician Recruitment and have had the honor to assist in recruiting providers to our organization. Over the past six years I have had the opportunity to be the primary recruiter for the OB/GYN service line and work closely with department leaders and candidates.
In 2020, my wife and I decided it was time to build our family. I was very familiar with the Reproductive Endocrinology team and knew they would be a great resource to help build our family.
The staff in the REI practice were amazing! During the times we felt discouraged they encouraged us and after six months of trying we finally received our positive test result. In July 2020, we welcomed our son with the help from the midwifery team at Baystate. Our primary midwife Rochelly, guided us through the birth process and not once left our side. She made our birth experience so special that a year later we decided to try for a second baby.
My wife Jasmine decided to carry this time around and we followed the same steps as we did for our first pregnancy. Two weeks after our first IUI we received a positive test result. At the first ultrasound we found ourselves receiving the most unexpected and shocking news. We were having TRIPLETS! This news was very difficult to digest. In a state of shock, the staff were extremely compassionate and reassured us that the MFM team would follow us throughout this journey.
We spent lots of time at the MFM practice. At 24 gestational weeks we received scary news that our baby B had (Intrauterine Growth Restriction) IUGR. The MFM physicians assured us they would continue to monitor the babies and get us to a safe delivery date. While this was a terrifying moment, the physicians were very informative, walked us through every step of this process, and took the time to be by our side and make sure all our questions were answered. Thankfully we were able to successfully carry the pregnancy to 32 weeks and on December 30, 2021 delivered THREE beautiful baby girls.
The girls spent several weeks in the NICU. From the moment our girls arrived in their unit to being discharged, every NICU/CCN nurse, PCT, and physicians cared for our girls as if they were their own children. They took the time to not only get to know our girls but us as parents as well.
Talk about full circle! I found myself in the shoes of both a patient/family member interacting with the staff I had once either partnered with in recruitment or recruited to our organization. This entire experience was a great reminder that my role here at Baystate has a huge impact on patients and the care they receive. Very special thank you to the entire OB/GYN division, NICU and Pediatric Surgery staff. My family is forever grateful.
-Ariana Caradiaz, MBA, CPRP (she/her)
Sr. Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiter
Physician and AP Recruitment, Baystate Health
