| EMERITUS STATUS Capital Region Medical Staff |
||||
| Any member of the Capital Region Medical Staff may
nominate a peer for Emeritus Status upon their retirement. The nomination should be
forwarded to the Capital Region Medical Staff Association with the reasons for the
nomination outlined. Eligibility: Criteria: Process: 2. RMAC recommends to Capital Health (as per regional medical staff bylaws) 3. Concurrence of physician being nominated.
Dr. S.S.. Nakai Dr. S.S. (Nick) Nakai received is MD at Government Medical College, Amritsar, Province of Punjab, India in 1960 and completed his Internship at Erwin Hospital in New Delhi from 1961 to 1963. In 1963 he began is general surgical residency at Grasslands Hospital in Valhalla, New York, affiliated with the Columbia Presbyterian System of New York. Dr. Nakai completed his general surgical residency and began his cardio-thoracic fellowship between 1964-68. At this point, Dr. Nakai realized that his immigration status and surgical trauma skills might make him a draft choice for the U.S. armed forces. In December of 1968, he arrived in Edmonton to continue his cardiovascular fellowship at the University of Alberta with Dr. J.C. Callaghan. Dr. Nakai soon became chief resident of CVS and Dr. Carmen Brooks was chief resident in cardiology. Dr. 1971 Dr. Nakai received his fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. That year was spent in the surgical and medical research lab at the University of Alberta. In 1972, Dr. Nakai returned to India to look for work. Fortunately for us, a suitable opportunity was not found and Nick returned to Edmonton. That year the Board of Directors of the Misericordia Hospital approved the appointment of Dr. Nakai and his surgical practice began in earnest. Soon Dr. Nakai and Dr. Colin Ross, the thoracic surgeon at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, were sharing call, and between 1973 and 1976, Nick's practice expanded to the RAH as well as the Misericordia. Dr. Nakai's skill and experience in the surgical management of tuberculosis also gained him privileges at the Charles Camsell Hospital, working with Dr. Meltzer. Privileges were also granted at the Cross Cancer Institute in the 1970's. In 1980, Dr. Nakai was named head of the thoracic surgery at the RAH. For more than twenty years Dr. Nakai performed major thoracic and vascular surgery in three and sometimes four hospitals virtually simultaneously. The closure of the Charles Camsell Hospital and healthcare reform in the mid 1990's reduced his practice to the RAH but he did provide services at the University of Alberta Hospital and Stollery Children's Centre during this time. Dr. Nakai finally retired from active practice in the summer of 2001. I often marveled at how anyone could do what Nick had done. It seemed superhuman in a way. Even with this work load he always seemed to be available when needed, his patients always seemed to do well, and his complications were few. A true testament to his meticulous skill and judgement no doubt, but there was more to it than that. At least part of his success came from the way he dealt with colleagues and staff. Nick was and is a charmer. He engaged the nursing staff in teaching and learning how to assess they became expert assessors of the peri-operative patients. The nurses became his eyes; this day and age we would call them nurse practitioners. Dr. Nakai's telephone rounds became legendary, as he was able to assess and manage his patients "long distance" through the skills he had instilled in the staff. He cultivated his relationship with nursing managers, treating them as respected colleagues. The staff was proud of their work and extended themselves that extra mile for Nick and their patients. There are three perspectives of Dr. Nakai's career we can recognize as superior.
Early in his career Dr. Nakai was recognized to be a gifted surgeon. He was cool in a crisis, slick with his hands and unerring in his judgement. Colleagues would seek his advice and assistance in difficult and complex cases both selectively and occasionally emergently when perhaps minor misadventure would turn to chaos. Nick could always seem to bring control to disorder and obviously he was a superbly talented operator. Nick never gloated about his ability or denigrated his colleagues. Soon Nick's practice filled with relatives of colleagues and staff who would wish nothing but the best for their loved ones. This is indeed one of the finer forms of flattery for any physician or surgeon. Nick loved his work and his patients. His patients might not see him for long, but they were always grateful and somewhat awed by his manner, skills and care. Finally, Dr. Nakai was a fine teacher and mentor for colleagues, students and residents. He had a sense about danger and misadventure and an uncanny ability to anticipate a crisis before it developed. He would often quiz his residents before a case to ensure they had anticipated problems before they arose and had a plan to deal with all eventualities. Nick taught residents in many specialties, not only his own, as he was recognized to be an able and enthusiastic teacher. Nick loved teaching and learning. As time went on it was not unusual for Nick to receive a call on the weekend from a former student somewhere else in the world. They would be asking their old mentor what he thought about a particularly difficult case they were facing. There are indeed few surgeons with the accumulated experience and wisdom of Dr. Nick Nakai. Nick, you truly deserve and can be justifiably proud of your Emeritus membership to our medical staff. On behalf of your colleagues, patients and students, thank you for a job well done. . |
Emeritus Medical Sta 2003 Dr. S.S. Nakai |