Dr. Lucy Puryear of The Women’s Place: Center for Reproductive Psychiatry is the latest Texas Children’s Super Star physician. “It is a privilege to have patients trust that we will do our very best to care for them, as if they were our own family member,” Puryear said. Read more of Puryear’s interview and find out how you can nominate a Super Star.
Q&A: Dr. Lucy Puryear, July – December 2015 Physician
Your name, title and department. How long have you worked here?
Lucy J. Puryear, M.D. Medical Director, The Women’s Place: Center for Reproductive Psychiatry. I’ve been at the Pavilion for Women since they opened.
What month are you Super Star for?
July through December of 2015.
Tell us how you found out you won a super star award.
Dr. Belfort called me to his office unexpectedly. I at first wondered if I’d done something wrong, but when I arrived he made me close my eyes and hold out my hands. He put a red bag in my hands with the award inside and read aloud the notice of the honor I received. What a nice surprise!
What does it mean to be recognized for the hard work you do? How has the organization helped you achieve your personal and professional goals?
It feels wonderful to have your colleagues recognize all of the efforts you make to do the very best job that you can. It helps to know that those efforts are recognized, and it feels wonderful to be appreciated. It’s validating to hear, “yes, you are doing a great job, and we see it.”
What do you think makes someone at Texas Children’s a super star?
I would really have to say there are lots of superstars at Texas Children’s Hospital. I find the dedication to patient care and the mission to be the best at what we do is a consistent attitude among most people who work here, from top to bottom.
What is your motivation for going above and beyond every day at work?
I feel being a doctor is a mission to serve others. It is a privilege to have patients trust that we will do our very best to care for them, as if they were our own family member. I take that commitment very seriously. I want to be the very best I can be. I get great joy seeing the patients I treat get better.
What is the best thing about working at Texas Children’s?
I most enjoy the sense of teamwork, that we all have the same desire to improve the lives of women and children, and that treating others with kindness and compassion is who we are and how we are expected to behave.
What does it mean to you that everyone at Texas Children’s is considered a leader? What is your leadership definition?
When everyone at an institution has a passion for the same mission, and a common goal, then each member of the team is responsible for taking leadership in their own area to ensure that in their place of work they are contributing to that goal. Even if far removed from patient care, the goal of everyone who works at Texas Children’s is to be a leader in the quality and safety of the patients we care for. For me a leader is someone who keeps the goal in sight, encourages others to collaborate to achieve that goal, and is able to put aside personal benefit in order to make sure everyone wins.
Anything else you want to share?
I love my job!