Photo By Douglas Stutz | Make no bones about it…For his efforts as orthopedic surgeon and NMRTC Bremerton...... read more read more
Make no bones about it.
Navy career responsibilities are often matched by the rigors intrinsic to a military life.
Many a musculoskeletal system have required critical orthopedic support to handle the strenuous duties and physical challenges.
Providing that crucial – and demanding – specialty has not gone unnoticed at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) Bremerton.
For his efforts as orthopedic surgeon and NMRTC Bremerton Orthopedic Department head, Lt. Cmdr. Brandon Ellis Prioreschi was selected by his medical staff colleagues (MEC) as the command’s Provider of the Year.
“I was shocked and appreciative, if not a little embarrassed. There are many providers who are more affable, harder working and equally dedicated to their patients. I am still not sure what would make me qualified above them but I am beyond thankful for the vote of confidence from the MEC and nursing staff,” said Prioreschi.
Capt. Shannon J. Johnson, NMRTC Bremerton commanding officer presented Prioreschi with a Letter of Commendation which read in part, ‘for superior performance of duty while serving as staff orthopedic surgeon, NMRTC Bremerton, from January to December, 2020. Your selection as Provider of the Year, a highly competitive award, sets you apart as a true professional and personified the command’s reputation for high standards of conduct and performance. Your tireless efforts, dedication and interaction with subordinates, peers and superiors have contributed greatly to the mission of the command. It give me great pleasure to have a person of your caliber representing the command and to express my thanks for a job well done.’
“This is a huge honor. The others considered are amazing providers, so being recognized makes me realize how hard I will need to work to live up to this level of recognition. It is awesome to see Directorate Surgical Services and orthopedics getting recognized for the great job they do taking care of patients as a team,” Prioreschi said.
Prioreschi, a Pueblo, Colo. native and Pueblo Centennial Class 2003 graduate and Colorado School of Mines 2007 alumnus, finished medical school at Albany Medical College in 2012, followed by completing his residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Orthopedic Residency in 2017.
In his current role, he has guided his Orthopedic Department in helping to stop the spread of COVID-19, as well as provide needed services and procedures.
“During the height of the pandemic Ortho was helping to man the COVID tents and more importantly, we re-structured the Orthopedic Clinic so we had a provider available at all times to act as the musculoskeletal Urgent Care Clinic provider,” explained Prioreschi. “We tried to re-direct all the acute musculoskeletal complaints away from the UCC and into Ortho to free up the UCC team for COVID patients and testing.”
Now we are working to limit clinic exposures while still seeing a full panel of patients,” added Prioreschi. “The corpsmen are constantly cleaning behind patients to maintain a safe clinic space. The directorate has implemented rigorous pre-operative, intraoperative and post-operative testing and protocols to mitigate the risk of spread. Ortho is just one part of that effort.”
Despite the ongoing pandemic outbreak, Prioreschi has ensured his department is aligned with the Navy surgeon general priority on operational readiness and the core mission of ensuring force medical readiness with a ready medical force.
“Ortho is directly in sync with the priority of operational readiness. The military life is not easy on the body. Our active duty service members ask a lot of their bodies and often sustain acute or overuse injuries. The main function of Ortho is to manage those injuries, either surgically or otherwise, to return the incapacitated service member to a place of medical readiness,” stated Prioreschi, noting that orthopedic needs – especially in the Navy - remain essential whether during a pandemic or not.
“The one thing that’s a little different versus our civilian counterparts is having an ortho team who is tuned into the active Duty tempo,” continued Prioreschi. “We interact with our patients as a team with the active duty member playing an integral role. The type and pace of treatment can be varied depending on operational, deployment and career limitations. The civilian surgeons are less in touch with that aspect of military medicine and it allows our department to do a bit better job keeping the force ready to fight.”
Prioreschi attests that best part about his career has been the teams he has worked with.
“My fellow surgeons, our corpsmen, the Main Operating Room technicians and physical therapists function as one unit. That cohesive, shared mental model makes all the difference,” commented Prioreschi, who has been assigned to NMRTC Bremerton since 2018 after a previous tour of duty at U.S. Naval Hospital Guam.
Growing up in Colorado, Prioreschi initially had designs to join the military after completing high school until family urging convinced him to attend college.
“I went to college for engineering and late in my time pivoted to medicine. I have always felt a desire to serve my country, so when I decided to go to medical school I signed up for the Health Professionals Scholarship Program. I commissioned via the Denver Military Entrance Processing Station in 2008 prior to starting medical school and was in the reserves from 2008-2017,” related Prioreschi
It was at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire for residency that he met and married Lily, an operating room nurse. Their family has grown since assigned to NMRTC Bremerton, as they welcomed their first child, Finley Reed Prioreschi.
Prioreschi’s naval commitment wraps up in 2021, when he will further his orthopedic knowledge in a one year fellowship for adult reconstruction at the noted academic medical center, Cleveland Clinic.
“From there, no idea,” confided Prioreschi.
Wherever he ends up, it’ll be ready to support any responsibilities and all rigors.
| Date Taken: | 12.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.28.2020 15:56 |
| Story ID: | 385902 |
| Location: | BREMERTON, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 523 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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