The words ’emergency room’ conjure up images of defibrillator paddles, oxygen masks and frantic screams of “stat”!
But Netcare Alberlito Hospital’s bubbly new trauma unit head says life in the ER is not always a Grey’s Anatomy episode.
Johannesburg-born Dr Jessica Voerman is from ER Consulting Inc, an emergency medicine company that manages 18 emergency departments around South Africa, most recently Alberlito.
The passionate physician decided to venture into medicine after a gap year in Australia.
Once she got her medical degree from the University of Cape Town Voerman completed her internship at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, followed by a year-long stint in the military.
“We were based in a bush in Limpopo, six kilometres away from civilisation – what an eye opener. An experience I will never forget was when a South African ‘plane crashed in Mozambique and the survivors told us they had ‘heard lions roaring’. That opened my eyes to the world of emergency medicine. We are the first point of contact for injured people. If I can reassure someone, make a difference in the early stage of treatment, I go home happy.”
Dr Voerman said she is thrilled to join Alberlito and looks forward to growing the unit, which she calls her baby.
She thanked previous unit head Dr Dinesh Patel for his work and said she would build on it.
“I look forward to helping the Ballito community, which has been awesome so far. The people are so friendly!”
Although she is on call 24/7 Dr Voerman spends her spare time on the beach, or enjoying good wine and karaoke.
“Ballito also has some really good food, which I hope I get to taste.”
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