My job, my routine and my general life have changed entirely since I started working at Medline in 2020. As ICU Senior Nurse, I used to look after patients, always making decisions in their best interest, including those immediate decisions with high-level responsibility.
Before, it used to be alarms and bleeps, observing cardiac monitors, checking in on patients on life support, conducting blood tests and delivering oxygen therapy. And it wasn’t unusual to hear: ‘1 mg of adrenaline, please.’ ‘We need to take this patient to the theatre!’ ‘We have a meeting with the family of x patient to discuss treatment.’ etc.
Now, it is a matter of products, costs, stock units, forecasts, visiting clients and so on. And in line with this, I’d hear: ‘We need to complete this Excel with the forecast…’ or be asked: ‘Can you send me your established new trials for this week?’, for example.
The new work environment
What hasn’t changed, however, is the idea of the importance of facilitating and ensuring quality people-centred care and the dedication to critical care quality improvement remains.
At Medline, it is my belief that we provide healthcare services and medical supplies for effectively the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery, in a range of facilities—from accidents and emergency (A&E) to paediatrics. We manufacture and supply a range of items and most of these are necessary for crucial, round-the-clock and optimal hospital care delivery (i.e. essential for patient intervention and outcomes).
To put that into perspective, if a surgery-enabled facility has no gloves, drapes, masks and other key items, its staff cannot safely operate on patients as planned. Medline, therefore, occupies a crucial space in the expansive industry of medical devices.
From the field to behind the scenes
As a nurse in the field, I did not know the extent of the work that is necessary to ensure a steady supply of medical items. What thought was I most likely to have? ‘Why don’t we have enough PPE and whose fault is it?’
But with my transition to this space away from the directness of care in the field, especially after the pandemic started, I began to take note and could appreciate the level of hard work it takes. As Account Manager, for example, I learnt how to distribute critical personal protective equipment (PPE) amongst all clients, ensuring (at the least) a minimum of supplies in an equal pattern, so that no facility would be compromised. This means working with many Excel spreadsheets, quotes, references etc., and all I had were my critical care nursing skills as the foundation. Nevertheless, with the support I have from all my colleagues and managers, I always felt supported.
Why is it beneficial to have a strategic partnership with a supplier like Medline?
I’ve since learned a lot from working at Medline, and today, as Critical Care Account Manager, I am promoting solutions of very high quality that I know are beneficial in an intensive care environment, which can be very demanding without notice.
As I’ve mentioned before, Medline can help at just about every point in the spectrum of healthcare delivery. The company thrives on innovation and going the extra mile. Some examples of our solutions (along with their general function) that have made a lot of difference for our partners/customers (learned through feedback) are:
- Ultrasorbs Drypads for improved management of moisture and maintenance of the integrity of patients’ skin
- Chlorhexidine-based mouthwash/rinse to help protect patients from respiratory infections
- Comfort Glide Repositioning Solution to help prevent friction and shear amongst patients and ease strain on nurses’ backs.
I’ve witnessed continuous progress and improvements since joining Medline and that is represented in our portfolio, which gives patients and end users the best quality products for their every need. And the icing on the cake is that the in-house critical care team features wide-ranging expertise and its members support me every day, allowing me to develop professionally.
If you couldn’t already tell from my words above, I will say it for you: I am proud to be working on behalf of a company like Medline. And despite first having experience in ICUs, when I visit a new client, I am happy to introduce myself as a Medline representative and ICU nurse second. For me, both serve an important purpose and deserve the respect that already exists.
Salvador Mansanet
Account Manager Critical Care, Medline Iberia
Salvador has over 10 years of experience in nursing and he has worked in intensive care and operating theatres throughout his career. His experience lends itself well to his current role in the new critical care team at Medline, where he also works as Clinical Sales, providing support for core business. Learn more on LinkedIn.
2 March 2022
