In any healthcare system, the emergency department is the place where the unpredictable becomes routine. It’s where pressure, lack of time and limited resources meet. At Hôpital Bon Sauveur de Cange, the emergency department functions as the core of the facility, and few people understand its demands better than Dr. Samorah Christie Legagneur.
Since completing her emergency medicine residency at Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais in 2023, Dr. Legagneur has returned full-time to Cange, not only as an emergency physician, but also as the ER intern manager and coordinator of the quality improvement committee. She brings years of experience and a clear vision: not just saving lives in the moment, but strengthening teams and systems to withstand the daily storms of emergency medicine.
“What motivates me is knowing that with every second, I can change a life,” she explains. “We are often the first line, sometimes the last hope. Every patient who walks through our doors carries with them a world of worry, and our role is to be the calm spot in the middle of that storm.”
Emergency medicine teaches an important lesson about leadership under pressure. It’s not just about reacting quickly, but also about creating an environment where the team can perform at its best, despite the inevitable challenges. Every day, Dr. Legagneur assesses and treats critically ill patients, coordinating care with specialists, nurses, the laboratory and administration. At the same time, she invests herself in training interns and spearheads efforts to improve the quality and safety of care throughout the hospital.
One experience in particular sticks in her mind as proof of what teamwork and determination can achieve. A young asthmatic boy, also a heavy smoker, arrived in the emergency department in severe respiratory distress. Despite their best efforts, he went into cardiorespiratory arrest. The team intubated him on the spot. With the roads to Mirebalais blocked, they kept him ventilated for two days in the emergency room. Against all odds, he survived and left the hospital standing.
“This episode showed me how many things are possible when a team is united and ready to give everything,” she confides. “Even in a system with few resources, human determination can fill many gaps.”
But this job doesn’t just require clinical skills, it also demands emotional resilience. One of the greatest pressures she feels often comes not from patients, but from their loved ones. Fear and stress can sometimes turn into aggression. Dr. Legagneur strives to remain calm and see beyond the words, recognizing the pain behind these reactions. She also highlights the constant tension created by the lack of resources, forcing her team to adapt, improvise and find creative solutions on a daily basis.
Despite everything, she sees positive results. Her team has become more confident, more vigilant, more responsive. “Commitment, rigor and passion are contagious,” she says. “It’s the little victories every day that give me the energy to keep going, even in difficult times.”
For Dr. Legagneur, the great lesson of emergency medicine isn’t just about managing crises. It’s understanding the power of calm leadership, teamwork and perseverance when the going gets tough.
“In the chaos of every day, we have to keep a cool head. We are often the last spark of hope for those who come to us. Every gesture, every decision counts. And we mustn’t forget to take care of ourselves. Together, we can continue to bring light where it’s needed most.”
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