Barry Boyce, RN, care management director at McKay-Dee Hospital, may have a stressful job at times overseeing care management operations for more than 60 caregivers spread over six hospitals, but he also knows how to make work fun. He loves to sing to fellow caregivers in huddles and team meetings. He’s also been asked to sing during systemwide enterprise care management huddles, making him a rising musical star at Intermountain.
Barry Boyce, RN
“I’ve been singing songs with my local team for years,” says Barry, who performed in musical theater in his youth. “When we have new processes and things to remember, I’ll sing. I even sing ‘Happy Birthday’ from time to time.”
Barry says one of the most thoughtful birthday gifts he’s ever received was a karaoke singing microphone from his team. “They gave it to me in June,” he says. “It’s been a staple in huddle ever since. I keep it in my office. My kids are upset I won’t take it home.”
Kristy Barlow, LCSW, care management manager at McKay-Dee, says, “Barry is very positive, he always has a smile on his face, and he’s encouraging. He’s a really great leader. The work we do here isn’t often fun and it can be really difficult, so it’s nice to know we have Barry on our team who knows what we’re doing and is willing to listen — and he adds that level of fun. We all have to be here every day and take care of our patients, and he helps make work enjoyable.”
In fact, Barry’s department has had very high caregiver experience survey scores in the last couple years, possibly in part because of Barry’s fun singing. The survey, administered by Press Ganey, helps measure caregiver engagement. “We moved into a tier one department last year, which was pretty exciting,” says Kristy.
“Really the songs are just a way to boost morale and make people laugh,” Barry says. “With all that’s going on the songs are great for huddle and people have come to expect it from me.”
Here are the lyrics to “Six Feet Apart” written by Barry Boyce and sung to the tune of “Open Arms” by Journey: Welcome back Monday You’re already here Before we blink its Friday Daily we huddle to get prepared How can it already be August We used to meet together Now everything is on Webex And nobody’s here by my side So now I say Hi to you Six feet apart No shaking hands Just a nod of my head So here I am Six feet apart Hoping you’ll see That I am COVID free Six feet apart….
Barry has written a few COVID-19 parody songs recently, including “Take Me to Intermountain,” which is a spin-off of “Take Me Out of the Ball Game.” He also wrote a song called “Six Feet Apart” to the tune of “Open Arms” by Journey.
“One day I was driving to work and these lyrics came to me, so I sang for my local team, and they busted up laughing,” Barry says. “Then others heard about it so I was asked to sing it for all of enterprise care management. It’s some of my best work to date.
“It’s funny because ‘Six Feet Apart’ is a Monday song. I wrote it to start the week off with a bang and make everyone laugh and feel good. I like to call it Monday Fun-day. We also have Friday Eve. There’s no Thursday in our workweek. And of course Taco Tuesday is kind of a joke. It helps keep our engagement up.”
Barry has also created multiple jingles for his hospital team about an IV antibiotic process they have to remember. “It’s about what we do when sending patients home to make sure they’re on the right dose for the right amount of time,” says Kristy. “We all know the process so there’s no reason to sing it anymore, but he does anyway.”
“They’re all waiting for my next big hit, which I can’t say I’ve written yet, but it’s coming,” says Barry. “I do know the positivity goes a long way.”