“He just cares so much and it really does rub off on people and then you want to be just as good as he is,” says Lexi Flesher of her co-worker Chris Bussan, an APNP at the SSM Health Monroe Urgent Care. “He's so thorough and always smiling. When you're with a patient, that can make all the difference. He will extend his hand to help them off the table and often walks them out to the car.”
Chris was nominated for the My Purpose, Our Mission series by Lexi, a radiology technologist. “He is living the Mission for sure. The patient always comes first for him. He'll come out and tell me, ‘Hey, can you just kind of walk slow with this patient or just hold their arm while you're walking with them? They're a little unsteady on their feet’ and that’s why patients actually request him in Urgent Care.”
The diverse nature of Urgent Care is one of the reasons Chris loves his work. “We see everything from babies with ear infections to adults with pneumonia, heart failure and a lot of fractures. Today, I took a stick out of a lady's leg, set a kid’s broken wrist, and completed three sports physicals for the local college team. I've had like 31 patients so far today and it's 4:05pm.”
When asked how he felt about the nomination he said, “Part of my daily reflection is to ask God to let me be a vessel for him to work through, to care for his people. One of the most important things is just validating people's concerns and help them develop a plan. It’s to help resolve anguish.”
Chris volunteers at a kids’ camp in North Carolina to offer medical care when needed. “There are typically 400 to 450 boys there and it is a Christian based camp, but it's about living with respect for yourself and each other and you can feel the presence of the spirit at that place and you can see how those boys are changed after their two weeks of experience there.”
When he isn’t working, Chris can be found tending to four majestic Icelandic horses and a menagerie of cows, chickens and rabbits on his farm. For his 50th birthday this summer, he took the trip of his dreams. He actually went to the land of his horses - Iceland - where he hiked volcanoes.
Connect your purpose to the SSM Health Mission. Explore current job opportunities, become a member of our talent community and learn more about our My Purpose Our Mission honorees at our Careers Site.
