When I first heard of the Destination Medical Center project, I knew I had to learn more. After attending an open house at the Rochester Art Center, the excitement of knowing Mayo Clinic’s vision to carry on their legacy, once again made me proud to be affiliated with such a great organization.
The legacy is something I have experienced since my first tour of the Saint Marys operating rooms, in the early 1970s. My mother worked as a nurse back then. The Franciscan nun Mom worked for said my brothers and I could come for a Saturday morning tour to see where our mom went to work every day. On that day, I saw one of the original heart-lung machines, and an artificial heart valve. It was an amazing experience. As soon as I was old enough, I became a hospital volunteer on a cardiac floor in the same building. When I was young there were countless trips to Mayo Clinic for school tours of various areas including the medical museum and the electron microscope. Mayo Clinic’s history intertwining with exciting new technology struck a chord.
Even as an employee, the contrast of the legacy with the advancements in technology and patient care help me see the vast changes that have taken place. Knowing the ability to adapt from old ways and move toward a promising future seems key to this organization’s prosperity. Seeing the vision of DMC is another exciting path in Mayo Clinic’s journey.
Becoming a destination for medical care is not necessarily a new concept. Sister Moes’ original vision has transpired into what we see today. As described in Mayo Clinic’s history (The Doctors Mayo, by Helen Clapesattle), the early 1900s saw passenger trains bringing multitudes to Rochester to seek care. Looking to the future of Mayo Clinic as well as the Rochester area, once again seeing the needs of the world’s patients brings with it the opportunity to expand our vision to “The needs of the world’s health comes first.” Built into the DMC plan is not only a plan for Mayo Clinic to expand care for patients, but expansion for our community as well. Knowing the history, I feel the legacy. Visualizing patient care in the future, I feel proud to be a part of Mayo Clinic’s DMC plan.
Jane Ferber is simulation technologist for the Education Simulation Center at Mayo Clinic
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