Broken bones can cause some of the most painful traumatic injuries. Last spring, I experienced that reality firsthand when I fell nearly 12 feet off a ladder and severely fractured my wrist while painting my brother’s home in San Francisco.
By the time I landed in Chicago to make my transfer home, my arm was throbbing in pain, and my fingers were swollen to the size of an NFL linebacker’s.
I called my internist from the airport, and he told me from the description of my symptoms, something was wrong. I needed to see an orthopaedic surgeon immediately.
Two hours later, I was in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, hurting terribly.
The swelling and intense pain most likely was caused by a temporary cast being put on too tightly in the emergency department in San Francisco.
Whether it was the tight cast or the traumatic fall, my injury required carpal tunnel release surgery, which meant a series of casts. I was dreading the casts more than the reconstructive surgery.
Then I met the head cast technician, Brian Rawls. And I smiled — even laughed — for the first time since my fall.
As he wrapped my arm in a bulky, but comfortable, temporary cast before my impending surgery, he joked with me about picking a cast color that would match my spring wardrobe (we went with black). But most importantly, he made me comfortable and put me at ease.
“Brian has an incredible bedside manner and is an inspiration to our whole department,” says Richard H. Gelberman, M.D., the Fred C. Reynolds Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, head of the department — and the surgeon who treated me.
“Brian is a very unique person. He has an unwavering commitment to delivering the best possible patient care. He has excellent technical skills, and our physicians and staff really trust his work and value his opinions.”
The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery agrees that Rawls has a gift — an intuitive ability to assess a situation and do whatever is needed.
“Brian is always there 100 percent for his patients,” says nurse Jean Szerzinski, Rawls’ supervisor and a clinical administrator in the orthopaedic surgery department.
“He has an innate ability to listen to every patient and understand his or her individual needs. Both our staff and patients sense his compassion and dedication. Patients leave here smiling and very grateful.”
But as Rawls so humbly likes to put it, he’s just doing his job.
“Casting really offers me the opportunity to be part of the healing process,” he says as he sets a woman’s leg in cast after a staph infection following major reconstructive surgery. “I like that I can help someone who walks in here in a lot of pain, and they can walk out of here with hope that things will get better.”
A few years ago, a young woman’s foot was crushed after her boyfriend slammed a car door on her leg in the midst of a heated argument. The injury was so severe that all of her toes needed to be amputated.
“I was there when they took off the cast and was with her when she had to experience for the first time the reality of losing her toes,” Rawls says. “It was one of the worst times of her life, and I was able to help her through the physical and emotional healing process.
“This job really gives me the chance to be helpful and make a difference in my patients’ lives. It’s a gift to be able to help someone in pain. Patients often just need someone to listen to them. A kind word goes a long way.”
A shining star
Helping that young woman deal with the aftermath of amputation, assisting me through a series of casts and offering patients tips to surviving their time in a cast — a blow dryer on cool setting helps alleviate itching, a package of frozen peas reduces swelling without damaging the fiberglass — are just a few of the reasons Rawls’ colleagues nominated him for the Guiding Star Award, one of the highest honors a clinician can receive at the School of Medicine.
In 2003, Rawls won the award, which honors a staff member who exemplifies professionalism, teamwork and compassionate patient care while demonstrating an ongoing commitment to exceeding job responsibilities and creating a positive work environment.
“What impresses me most about Brian is that he is very much the same as a clinician and as a person,” Szerzinski says. “He is genuine and sincere.
“Brian is truly a team player. He has a great attitude, and he treats everyone with respect.”
Szerzinski adds that Rawls has an amazing ability to listen to others.
“Brian says it’s simple and that he’s nothing special, but that is what’s so special about Brian Rawls,” she says. “He is a constant morale-booster for our department.”
Incredibly dedicated
Rawls is the quintessential example of how hard work, determination and dedication can open doors at the University.
His career at the School of Medicine began nearly a decade ago when he took a position as an animal technician in the Department of Otolaryngology. His work with chinchillas and monkeys inspired him to learn more about anatomy and the epidemiology of various diseases.
A colleague recommended him for a position as an administrative assistant in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and he began working in the department, doing everything from office maintenance to coordinating shipping and receiving.
Gelberman and other physicians admired Rawls’ quest for knowledge and positive attitude, and they took him under their wing.
Rawls’ fascination with medicine continued to grow. He borrowed books from physicians to study anatomy and physiology, and became especially interested in bones and fractures. He listened attentively while physicians taught residents and fellows. He even made flash cards to learn orthopaedic terms.
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Brian Rawls Family: Wife, Roz; children: Nicole, 26; Tonya 25; Angelo, 24; and Brittany, 18. Hobbies: Gardening, restoring floors, exercising and cooking with his wife. “My wife is my best friend,” he says. “Now that our kids are grown, we’re enjoying the empty house. It’s like we’re dating again, which is really nice.” Age: 50. “I turned 50 in August, and I feel like life is just beginning.” What he loves most about casting: “Helping patients through the healing process.” Most popular cast color: “Right now it’s red because the Cardinals are winning,” he says. |
Six years ago, an opportunity for a position as a cast technician became available. His wife of 20 years, Roz, a fitness coordinator for the Wellness Program at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, encouraged her husband to “get out of his comfort zone” and apply for the job.
“You can accomplish anything you want to when you put your head to the sky,” Rawls says, citing his strong faith in God. “Through prayer, anything is possible. If you want to broaden your horizons, anything is possible.”
But it wasn’t just faith that help Rawls get ahead — his positive attitude, dedication to the job and willingness to learn also contributed to his success.
Before long, Rawls was working with doctors, nurses and residents, learning everything from different casting techniques to understanding medical computer software.
Now as the head cast technician, Rawls oversees a staff of cast technicians. He treats patients at the School of Medicine and St. Louis Children’s, Missouri Baptist and Barnes West hospitals, setting casts, removing splints and staples and assisting physicians in the irrigation of wounds. Some days in the clinic, he’ll cast up to 16 patients.
“We see everything here,” he says, “from construction workers who slice off their fingers from chainsaw accidents, to glamour girls who want their cast to match their nail polish shade, to kids who break their arms on the monkey bars.
“Casting is really an art, and I see this job as a real opportunity to help patients and be a part of the healing process.”
Rawls worked hard to create a staff that will be there for patients and “be a friend to their broken limbs.”
“I’m really thankful the department has given me a chance to be a leader,” he says.
He explains one of the reasons he loves working at the University is that people here are willing to train you.
“As a teaching institution, people at the University are willing to teach you and take you under their wing, if you’re willing to learn,” he says. “And there’s always something new to learn.”
Rawls also leads a training tutorial for medical students as they rotate through orthopaedics.
“I often hear the students thank Brian at the completion of the training session,” Szerzinski says.
“They stop by my office to say what a great job he did and how much they got out of spending time with Brian.”
Gelberman, who called from Italy to talk about Rawls, says, “Brian is a consummate professional and has a strong commitment to learning and is dedicated to providing the best possible patient care. He is a leader and a role model to our whole department.”