More than 400 employed and affiliated advanced practice providers (APPs) collaborate with Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s physicians, nurses and clinical teams to deliver expert care to our patients. This month, we’re highlighting Crystal Poole, PA, who works for Charleston Nephrology, serving Roper St. Francis Healthcare patients at Roper Hospital.
1. Share a fun fact about yourself and/or what you enjoy doing outside of work.
As a mom of two, I try hard to find that magical work-life balance. I have a seven-year-old daughter, four-year-old son, husband that works in tech and a 12-year-old golden retriever. When I am not working or doing normal mom things, I try to carve out time for exercise, reading, spending time with friends and traveling. Adventures look a bit different today than they looked a decade ago, but I love taking my nature-loving kids anywhere they can run, be free, build habitats and look for creatures. Over the past few years, I have explored various ways to keep my body and mind healthy. I have trained for and completed obstacle course races, come to love yoga and continue to challenge myself with a varied genre of books.
2. How long have you been a PA and what inspired you to work in medicine.
I have been a PA for almost 17 years, graduating from the MUSC PA program in 2008. When I started college, I had no intention of going into medicine. My childhood dream was to become a high school biology teacher. I started out pursuing a biology, secondary education major, and wound up with a major in biology and minor in chemistry. Out of necessity, I took a job at AnMed Hospital as a nursing assistant on a cardiac step down unit. Working in a hospital and caring for patients quickly became my passion, and it did not take long to realize I needed to shift to a pre-med path. I worked with two wonderful PAs in this job who inspired me to pursue the career I am in now.
3. How long have you worked with RSFH? What special areas?
I have worked with the RSFH system for the entirety of my career. I have been a PA for Charleston Nephrology for almost 17 years. I spent two years moonlighting in the Roper Hospital SICU, working with the pulmonary critical care team several years ago.
4. Tell us about your current role and what you find most rewarding about it.
My last clinical rotation in PA school was with Dr. Sam Franklin, a now retired nephrologist at Charleston Nephrology. I did not realize at the time that this would be the beginning of my career in nephrology. I went from being a PA student to the personal PA for Dr. Franklin for six years. Now, after his retirement I work for all of the physicians at Charleston Nephrology.
Charleston Nephrology is a private practice, however we serve a large number of patients throughout the RSFH system. With nine physicians and six APPs providing care throughout the tri-county area, our group covers five hospitals, two offices and multiple dialysis clinics.
My role is to be “boots on the ground” at Roper Hospital downtown, Monday through Friday. Each of my physicians rotate through Roper Hospital and together, we care for patients with ESRD, CKD, AKI, kidney transplants and electrolyte abnormalities. I strive to develop relationships with patients, their families and Roper Hospital teammates to provide compassionate and streamlined care. For me, the most rewarding part of my job is being able to serve as a constant for our patients who are chronically ill, often requiring prolonged and recurrent admissions to the hospital. On their worst days, I hope I can provide people with a familiar face that they can look to for comfort, consistent care and encouraging words. Even when the prognosis is grim, I hope to offer compassion and provide comfort for patient and their families.
5. Tell us a patient story that has really touched you.
There is no one patient story that has touched me. The cumulative stories over the past two decades have made me the provider I am today. Our patients are so brave. The tests and procedures they have to endure are not an easy road. Everyday, I am humbled by medicine.
6. How do you advocate for your patients?
Having the ability to advocate for our patients is one of my greatest gifts. Patients with ESRD/CKD often have multiple coexisting medical conditions, necessitating involvement of several specialists and medical procedures. I am so grateful that I can pick up the phone to call a cardiologist, surgeon, pulmonology critical care doctor or interventional radiologist to expedite and coordinate essential procedures and care. Developing relationships with my colleagues is a key piece of the puzzle to providing our patients with the care they need. I am so grateful for the vast care team at Roper St. Francis Healthcare that helps me advocate on a daily basis. Without the help of the nurses, case managers, APPS, physicians, secretaries and administrators, this would be an insurmountable task.
7. Are there any mentors or experiences that significantly shaped your approach to patient care?
After nearly two decades as a PA, I could name numerous people that have served as a mentor to me in one way or another. In efforts to not turn this into a novel, I will have to leave so many wonderful people out.
As previously mentioned, Dr. Franklin was my inaugural mentor. First as my preceptor during PA school clinicals, then as my supervising physician, Dr. Franklin took me under his wing and put me through what we called a six-year nephrology fellowship. I initially worked as Dr. Franklin’s personal PA, and he prioritized teaching me the medicine of nephrology. I think I carried the textbook ,The Nephrology Primer, with me everywhere I went for ALL of those six years. Anytime we would treat something “new to me,” I would pull out the primer, read the appropriate chapter, and Dr. Franklin would elaborate and ensure I had an understanding of the condition and treatment plan.
Dr. Franklin was an incredible teacher. In addition to teaching me the fundamentals of nephrology, Dr. Franklin coached me in all that it meant to be a compassionate provider.
“Listen to the nurses and their recommendations,” he said. “They know the patient so well, and have been doing this a lot longer than you.”
“Always take the time to talk to your patients and their families and try to make sure they know what’s going on.”
“Always follow up on the labs you ordered.”
There are countless non-medical tidbits from Dr. Franklin that I will always remember.
It wasn’t only Dr. Franklin’s words that stuck, but also his actions. He was respected and well-loved among his patients for far more than his nephrology knowledge. Dr. Franklin entered the patient’s rooms as if they were the only person he was seeing that day. Adorned in his white coat, bowtie and big smile, he sat down, touched the patient, and took the time to get to know them outside of their medical problems. He showed interest in their hobbies, careers and families. He knew what brand of liquor they drank, whether their cigarettes were filtered or unfiltered and where they took their last vacation. There will never be another social history taken than can provide as much color as the ones Dr. Franklin took. When the patient returned for their subsequent visits, he remembered these things, talked about them and managed to make the patient feel like they were meeting up with an old friend. He did not cut corners or rush visits. Taking care of the patient “took as long as it took.”
The rapport he built with his patients has been one of the goals I strive toward each day. I believe that being able to trust your provider plays a huge role in a patient’s satisfaction and recovery. The relationship building, the ability to instill trust, the dedication, the resiliency, the tears and the hugs are the things that set an adequate provider apart from an incredible doctor or APP.