My Working Life: Raphael Jaffrezic

What is your role at Blackrock Health?

I currently have a dual role in Blackrock Health, the first as the local CIO of Blackrock Health Galway Clinic to manage the IT department day to day issues and priorities projects for Galway.

My second role is the Group Transformation Director for Blackrock Health which mainly comprises of managing the Hermitage and Galway Electronic Health Record (EHR) Meditech teams for day to day support but also includes the position of Program Director for the Group EHR program. This initiative is a group wide implementation of an Electronic Health Record, specifically in Hermitage and Blackrock clinics. This is, by far, the biggest part, and highest priority, of my role right now and a very exciting program to be a part of.

Overall I feel that my role is all about enabling the great people I have in my teams to do their jobs and deliver the excellent work they do on a day to day basis. I am honoured and blessed to have such people to work with. I’m the least important person in the team and the smallest cog in the wheel, my role is to help them excel.

Do you have a morning routine when you get to work?

I usually look at my emails from home before heading to work so I can see if there’s any urgent issues and to prioritise the first couple of hours of my day so, by the time I’m at work, I usually have a good idea of what the beginning of my day will look like which helps with the rest of the day and also coming a bit more relaxed at work.

How long have you been in this role?

I have been the local CIO of Blackrock Health Galway Clinic for the last 16 years and got the exciting opportunity to become Group Transformation Director for the last 1.5 year.

What is the last thing you usually do every day?

It is extremely boring I’m afraid, I check my emails to see what my day will be like tomorrow and review my schedule.

What is the most rewarding part of your job at Blackrock Health?

The most rewarding part of my role is that I started, and have always been at heart, an IT engineer. I am as much as a geek as you can find but, by sheer luck, my career fell into Health Informatics and I now work with teams of people, previous nurses, doctors, lab technicians and much more who used to work face to face with patients. With those amazing people we implement solutions that increase patient safety and help improve patient care. This is something that I had never planned in my early career but got the luck to get involved in. I feel extremely lucky and humbled, that someone such as myself, with no clinical skills, is able to play a positive impact on patient care, thanks to all the fantastic people in my team and the opportunity I was given.

How does your role contribute to improving the patient experience at Blackrock Health?

The use of Health Informatics and continued development and improvement of a comprehensive Electronic Health Record have a direct impact on patient care and patient safety. From improved communication and legibility to direct improvement in medication prescribing and administration, the list is endless.

What is the greatest piece of advice you were ever given?

Pride and ego do not have to merge together. Be proud of your achievements but humble in the fact that you never fully achieved them on your own. We all have teams and support, both in our professional and personal lives.