Philip Stern, M.D., Named Physician of the Year
March 31, 2011
Orange Park, FL – Yesterday, Dr. Philip Stern was named “Physician of the Year” by the staff at Orange Park Medical Center (OPMC). Staff selects a physician each year to receive this special honor as part of the national Doctor’s Day celebration held annually on March 30.
Dr. Stern was chosen by staff because of his compassion, respect for patients and hospital staff, his great attitude and passion for teaching. “Dr. Stern consistently provides our nursing staff the support they need to provide safe, quality care,” said Kathy Hester, OPMC Chief Nursing Officer. “Nurses look to him for guidance and education, and he never fails to be there for them and assist with any patient care situation.”
“Dr. Stern represents the ideal physician,” said Intensive Care Unit nurse, Debbie Sherrod. “Not only is he extremely knowledgeable but he is an approachable doctor who is always willing to offer a helping hand to his peers. He is certainly an asset to OPMC.”
Sandy Bunn, an Intensive Care Unit charge nurse, said, “Not only is Dr. Stern a great physician to work with, he always takes time to explain things, creating an environment for nurses to feel supported and educated so we can provide the best care for our patients.”
Dr. Stern is an intensivist who joined the medical staff at OPMC in 2006. Intensivists are physicians who care for critically ill patients in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. Intensivists also respond to codes called in the hospital for patients with life threatening conditions. Orange Park Medical Center has an intensivist on staff 24/7, which is not the case with most hospitals.
Dr. Stern received his medical degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. He completed a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, and he is board-certified in both Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine.
Doctor’s Day has been celebrated since 1933. March 30 was chosen because it commemorates the day in 1842 that Crawford W. Long, M.D., became the first physician in history to use anesthesia in surgery.