She was vulnerable, while being professional. In our short
time together, she shared with me about the declining health of
her father. My own father passed away 10 years ago, and we were
able to commiserate on the challenges of taking care of loved ones
during their declining health. Similarly, family members and loved
ones of our patients are stressed during their illness, surgery and
recovery. Any words of encouragement, kindness or vulnerability on
our part will go a long way in relieving their stress and letting them
know we understand.
Friendly skies
I know we don't have a lot of time with our patients. The good news
is, the things the flight attendant did were brief, but meaningful to me.
As you observe areas of excellence, whether in healthcare or some
other industry, make a mental note to see how that excellence could
be translated to better care for your patients.
As an OR nurse for more than 30 years, I had my own ideas about
caring for patients. The biggest change to my career was when I
became a recurring patient after an elective surgery went wrong. After
6 months of recuperation and 4 surgeries (2 of them emergent), I have
come out on the other side with a renewed passion for patient care
and the care of their families.
OSM
Ms. Williams Beydler (kathybeydler@bellsouth.net) is a speaker, author,
leader, nurse and the managing partner of Strategic Surgical Solutions in
Eads, Tenn.
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Business Advisor
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