黑料专区

鈥淚鈥檝e had a few chaotic days.鈥�

Dr. Steve Shelton, a 1987 graduate of Pfeiffer College, uttered these words with disarming matter-of-factness on Jan. 23 in Columbia, S.C. He did so on the telephone during a work break at , his employer, where those 鈥渇ew chaotic days鈥� would morph into several more of readiness, thanks to his able skills as an Emergency Manager for the health system. He鈥檚 been an Emergency Manager and an Academic Emergency Physician at Prisma Health for more than 30 years. 

Shelton devised plans detailing how three hospitals in Columbia and another just outside that city would cope with the fallout from a then-imminent ice storm and from an outbreak of measles. This was quite the challenge, with Shelton taking into account everything from the 1,000 beds spread across the four hospitals to the 12,000 employees working at a 24/7 business that has to stay open, no matter what.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got to make sure that everyone鈥檚 prepared,鈥� Shelton said. 鈥淗ow do we get staff in and support them, things like that.鈥�

Shelton鈥檚 duties as Emergency Manager last month also included providing updates and counsel for the public as a spokesperson for Prisma Health. It was a role he had undertaken several times before, one of the most notable happening in early 2022, when South Carolina experienced a rapid spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant that strained healthcare systems across the state. Shelton also shared clinical updates about the status of Prisma Health鈥檚 hospitals and made healthcare recommendations at press conferences that South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster called in 2020, when COVID-19 was new. He served as leader (Incident Commander) for Prisma Health鈥檚 COVID response from beginning to end.

Shelton said that although his work as Emergency Manager has made him feel 鈥渙verwhelmed鈥� at times, 鈥淚鈥檝e been doing this for a long time and I鈥檝e been lucky enough to surround myself with some really sharp people.鈥� He said he鈥檚 a big believer in listening to his colleagues鈥� concerns and making course corrections in response. 鈥淲e adapt and overcome,鈥� he said.

Shelton鈥檚 people skills began to develop at Pfeiffer, with which he was long familiar, having been raised in Stanly County. A chemistry major who minored in biology and math, he also took advantage of the many extracurricular activities on offer, particularly those that entailed serving in student government and various organizations. As President of the Male Student Association, to cite one example, he learned how to work through a range of issues with everyone from faculty to students. 

鈥淭hat experience was invaluable,鈥� Shelton recalled. 鈥淚 was able to build on it throughout my career.鈥�

As for Shelton鈥檚 work as an Academic Emergency Physician, this, too, is rooted in his time at Pfeiffer, which he attended on scholarship. As a pre-med student, Shelton took a requisite course on Biochemistry, which was taught by Dr. Mike Riemann 鈥�70 (Hon.) 鈥�10 (Hon.), Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Pfeiffer.

鈥淪teve was serious about his academics,鈥� said Riemann, who also served as Shelton鈥檚 advisor. 鈥淗e asked the kind of questions that gave this professor confidence that he would do well no matter the endeavor.鈥�

In Riemann, Shelton saw 鈥渁 mentor and somebody I definitely respected.鈥�  He recalled that Riemann always went the extra mile for him and his fellow students: The door to the professor鈥檚 office – and even his faculty housing on campus! –  always seemed to be open to anyone who needed help with overcoming the more daunting challenges of chemistry. Also, Shelton recalled that when it came to the campus lab, Riemann 鈥渨ould be there weekends or evenings making sure you had what you needed to complete the task you were given.鈥�

After Pfeiffer, Shelton attended the East Carolina University School of Medicine, then, in 1994, completed an Emergency Medicine Residency at Richland Memorial Hospital/University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia. At East Carolina, 鈥渢he material wasn鈥檛 crazy-difficult,鈥� Shelton said. 鈥淏ut the volume of the material was a lot greater and came at me a lot faster than was the case at Pfeiffer. Still, I felt that Pfeiffer had given me the skills to succeed.鈥�

In time, Shelton would gravitate to emergency medicine as a specialty, having found 鈥渢he opportunity to make quick fixes and to make an immediate impact on people鈥檚 lives鈥� more to his liking than, say, managing a chronic condition over time.

He also came to feel energized by working with medical students (from the University of South Carolina), calling them 鈥渢he best of the medical students who come to us.鈥� And he has liked absorbing the new approaches and thinking that the residents under his supervision bring to the ER environment as he guides them not so much with orders but with questions (e.g., 鈥淒id you think about this?鈥�).

In Shelton鈥檚 eyes, all this and more can be traced back to Pfeiffer, which he says provided him with a great foundation for what followed.  鈥淚t got me where I needed to go,鈥� he said.