Customer Service in Healthcare

I was listening to one of our nurses the other day regarding pet peeves and it got me thinking about one of my own pet peeves - lack of customer service. Our nurse was talking about how she had been thanked profusely by a family member for taking such good care of her husband. Her response was that it was her job and that she loved doing it. Now maybe someone wouldn’t really think about that too hard, but with the experiences I have had lately, it was both refreshing to hear and troublesome at the same time.

It was refreshing to hear someone state that they loved their job, and that they were just doing job but it’s more than that. I have observed a lot of people who just are doing their job, but it’s the one’s that go above and beyond their jobs that are truly remarkable. What is even more remarkable and should be noted is that healthcare workers consistently go above and beyond just doing their jobs. The care, concern, efficiency and just having a person who sees another human being at their very worst, and takes the time to not just be the clinician taking a vital sign but notices that the other person is silently crying, or is just staring or should have another pillow, or that their family member just needs someone to talk to. Those are things that very few people do…pay extra attention to the little cues that makes all of the difference. That is not in the job description, that is due to the kind of person they are and it has been my experience that those people are rare but more prevalent in healthcare than anywhere else. Their attention to customer service/patient care is something to admire and be thankful for, and I for one am making sure that I say thank you, because the nurses and allied healthcare workers that I have encountered renew my belief that just doing your job is the expectation, but what they do is exceed expectations and that is what we all should aspire to do and that is what I am so thankful for!