Be a Hannah Healthcare Provider!
This is not Hannah, but it could be:)
This past week has been full of all sorts of feelings. Honestly has felt like a roller coaster. Interesting imagery. What does that even mean relative to roller coaster-ing? I use it and then consider the correlation. I love a good roller coaster and I actually love going up the big hills because of the anticipated joyous ride down. I take it back. This week has not felt like a roller coaster. I didn’t love it like a good ride. It has, however, been full of experiences I did not want to have and then mixed in were wonder-filled experiences that I will be forever grateful to have experienced. Hannah was a wonder!
A close family member has been in the hospital following a major stroke. The whole experience has been so unsettling. I won’t go into details but if you have had a similar experience it is not something you want to re-live. It was Christmas morning and my husband and I walked into the hospital room. The day before had been quite discouraging and this day felt similar to the previous until…in walked Hannah. This may sound dramatic, but I am telling you it is not.
She entered the room with a mix of optimism, compassion, genuine interest for all in the room and curiosity…a LOT of it. And, all of this observable in the 2 inch space between the bridge of her mask-covered nose and her eyebrows. Almost instantly, I could tell that this HCP was different. She was special. She asked me my name as well as others in the room {and remembered our names and used them later} she asked us questions that allowed us to open up and ask her questions that probably were not hers to answer but she did not seem bothered by any of it.
I can honestly say that Hannah changed the trajectory of the day for me and my husband, our whole extended family and of course her patient. I have thought so much about what she did because as a fellow HCP I think it is so important to learn from each other and to be inspired by amazing care. Hannah is one of those who provides care to her patients so intuitively that I would consider it akin to art rather than healthscience. Don’t get me wrong, all of the magic she performed was based on science and she skillfully weaved the neuroscience into her explanations as she was working. There was so much to gleam from the short physical/occupational therapy session that I will do my best to pick out the true gems. I realize that everyone needs to find their unique way to connect with their patients but my intention is to provide inspiration for specifics on how that might look.
Here were the things I noticed Hannah do:
Confirmed patient’s name and introduced herself to patient and all in the room and asked their relation to patient
Asked about patient’s occupation and interests
She smiled with her eyes
She exuded energy and enthusiasm for the task at hand
She immediately began to make the patient more comfortable physically, even offered a back scratch
She complimented the patient over and over again about his looks, strength, every effort he made was met with praise
She involved those in the room with whatever she was doing
She encouraged interactions between us and the patient
She actually had us all singing at one point {and this is not a sing-a-long type of group…but we did it for Hannah:}
She explained what she was doing and the why behind it.
She let us know what results we could expect and how to get them
She showed us how first and then let us try and encouraged our efforts
She celebrated our victories with us! {At one point there was not a dry eye in the room…even Hannah’s}
After Hannah left we all noticed the lift that she had provided. Even the nurse who had been on watch in the hallway had a new outlook on this patient and treated them with a new level of positive compassion that was absent before. I don’t think as HCP we realize the impact we are having on our patients. We have the opportunity to not only provide a patient procedure but a patient experience.
How do you make the shift between patient procedure and patient experience? Through genuine connection. {aka Love} Love between provider and patient is most definitely the secret sauce. It’s recipe is unique to each provider and can only be realized through introspection and generosity. Our hearts must be open and available for us and our patients. I understand that is a big ask in today’s world.
If you would like help finding your connection piece, I would love to help you! I am a Life Coach. I have been a healthcare provider for several decades now.
Click on the button below, which will take you to my scheduler, click on FREE consultation and then pick a day and time that works best for you. I look forward to chatting with you.
