Leaving with a Smile

Physician’s soothing manner and silly dance moves ease the stress of an Emergency Department visit.

When Moses Olorunnisola, M.D., a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Southern Ocean Medical Center, did the chicken dance in the middle of the Emergency Department, 6-year-old Lillian Reese knew everything was going to be fine.

It all began last November, when the Lacey Township first-grader tripped while playing in her front yard and split open her chin. Her facial wound was bleeding severely, so her panicked parents rushed her to Southern Ocean’s Emergency Department, which has a dedicated pediatric section.

Easing Fears

After cleaning her injury and assessing the damage, Dr. Olorunnisola determined that Lillian’s cut could be closed with medical glue rather than traditional stitches.

“The glue provides similar results to stitching and it’s less traumatizing for young patients, so pediatric nurses and technicians from our emergency team pitched in to help care for Lillian while I worked on the laceration,” says Dr. Olorunnisola.

“Lillian was terrified, but Dr. Olorunnisola talked her through the whole process and went out of his way to put her at ease, including using purple glue, her favorite color,” says her mother, Stacey Reese. “He fanned her face to help the glue dry and said she was receiving such special treatment because she was a queen, which made her giggle.”

Sending Kids Home With Smiles

While Dr. Olorunnisola was providing the family with after-care instructions for the wound, Lillian told him that she would attend the Harvest Hoedown at school in a few days and couldn’t wait to do the chicken dance.Dr. Olorunnisola asked her to demonstrate, and he immediately joined in the fun.

“I couldn’t believe that Dr. Olorunnisola was nice enough to dance with Lillian right in the Emergency Department,” says Stacey. “I was so pleased that he and the rest of the staff took such great care of my daughter’s injury — in less than an hour — and that she left happy.”

Sending children home with a smile is Dr. Olorunnisola’s goal. “Our staff is specially trained to administer quality emergency pediatric care,” he says. “But we also do whatever it takes to put children at ease while we provide that care, whether it’s a high five, a joke or performing some superhero stunts if we happen to be wearing a Batman shirt.”