Katrina Kean received a call from a 43-year-old veteran on Wednesday inquiring about his ortho consult that was placed in the ER. Katrina explained that there was minimal staffing in Ortho due to providers being off for spring break and if he did not get a call back by a certain date to let her know.

This veteran stopped by Friday and spoke with Katrina. This Veteran is a mechanic who tried to catch a falling motorcycle and injured his right upper arm. The x-ray from the ER visit suggested it could be a torn biceps tendon but would need an Ultrasound or MRI to be sure. Katrina inspected his right arm and noted extensive bruising, swelling, and disfiguration. Katrina called the one orthosurgeon here today and explained the situation to Dr. A. Dr. A asked Katrina to get the Veteran scheduled today and he would see him in between his surgical cases. Katrina placed a comment in the consult to answer it and contacted the administrative officer to build the appointment and schedule it for 1030 today.

While waiting Katrina placed an ice pack on the veteran's arm and gave him instructions on keeping it elevated and rotating the ice off and on to prevent tissue injury. Dr. A saw the veteran in between cases and was able to schedule an MRI same day. Katrina directed the veteran to radiology and asked him to return once the MRI was complete. The MRI showed an Acute complete tear of the bicipital tendon insertion with proximal retraction, buckling, and folding of the tendon with hematoma in the approximately 9 cm gap. Dr. A returned and met the veteran and explained he would need surgery to repair this injury, completed an H&P, and got him scheduled for surgery next Tuesday.

Without Katrina's willingness to go above and beyond for this veteran, his care, imaging, and scheduling for surgery could have been delayed. Katrina is always happy to help advocate for the veterans we see in the OKC VA and does so with a smile on her face and a can-do attitude.