The Telemedicine robots are a key component to the program, linking specialized physicians to remote patients. As a result of this, coupled with their mobility (and, perhaps, the friendly doctor face on the screen), many Telemedicine Network Partners view their robot almost as a true member of the team, rather than just a piece of technology.

In fact, many of our partners have personalized their robots by giving them names. Robot names are often selected as part of contests. Hospital employees and members of the community were given the opportunity to come up with a name for the newest member of Clara Barton Hospital and from that, R.E.T.A, Remote Emergency Telemedicine Assessment, was born. Nathan Pummell, RN at CBH, came up with the catchy name.

When asked about his process, Pummell declared, "I started with simply listing all of the words that came to mind when I thought about what this technology would provide or mean to our community. I listed words like stroke, neurologist, CVA, TIA, assessment, emergency, telemedicine, NIH Stroke Scale and this quickly grew into a very long list of options. After I had what I felt was a complete list, I started putting words together that made sense to me and seeing what type of acronym I could create with it. Her name finally came together when I determined that this would be a telemedicine assessment performed remotely by off-site providers which would be performed in the emergency room. After manipulating these components, R.E.T.A., Remote Emergency Telemedicine Assistant, stood out in my mind and became my submission."

Coleen Tummons, Gove County Medical Center's Radiology Department Director, won their "Name the Robot" contest with Dr. Spock. Soon after, Dr. Spock "showed his appreciation" when he was utilized in a stroke telemedicine consult for Coleen's Mom, Cora!

Yes, our robots have won a special place in our hearts and ERs. If you have a name for or a story about your robot, we'd love to hear about it.