Standing Out
Written by: Dr. Michael Weiss
Bill Williams stands out.
As a head nurse on the night shift at Suburban General Hospital, Bill not only runs a smooth-sailing ship, he also has a great attitude about it. I get to watch him in action when I’m doing rounds at 5:30 or 6 a.m. Even though it’s near the end of his shift, Bill is still helping the staff nurses, pitching in wherever he’s needed and using his abundant good mood to keep everyone else upbeat.
Kathy Oswald stands out, too.
Kathy was the first customer service representative to work at UPMC Passavant. Some say she’s still among the best.
She greets patients and visitors as they walk through the hospital’s main entrance — providing directions, assistance and wheelchairs if needed, not to mention a wide grin, an understanding ear, a hearty laugh and real compassion for the people she helps.
Kathy’s is usually the first face that patients and visitors see when they come to the hospital. It’s a caring and friendly face, for sure.
Jennifer Esposito also stands out.
A nurse, Jen works as a clinical coordinator in our office. She’s point person for the 10 physicians in our practice — the bridge between our patients and us. She takes 40 to 60 calls a day from patients who need prescription refills, have questions about their symptoms, are concerned about their progress after surgery or just want some reassurance that they’re healing O.K.
She’s perfect for the job — kind, competent, patient and unflappable.
Bill, Kathy and Jen know what the rest of us know: Health care is a hard place to work these days.
How hard?
Well, there’s the paperwork. Sometimes, it sends the pain-in-the-neck meter off the charts. Then, there’s the chaos. It can be like looking into a teenager’s closet — behind every mess to clean up lurks another mess to clean up. Finally, there’s the frustration. To quote one astute observer, working in health care nowadays is "not so much a thankless task, it’s more a job with no thanks."
But Bill, Kathy and Jen also know that, even though it’s a tough place to work, health care is also an important place.
Other people rely on the health-care system every day. Sometimes, it’s a matter of life-and-death. More often, it’s a matter of relieving pain, restoring vigor, easing concern. That the health-care system itself is in upheaval holds little relevance to those who need it.Unlike those of us who get distracted by the turmoil, Bill, Kathy and Jen always remember why they’re here — to serve and help and ease and comfort.
The paperwork doesn’t overwhelm them. The chaos and frustration don’t frazzle them. They arrive on the job early and stay until the work’s done. They remain positive and energetic, while the rest of us may go home feeling cynical and sapped. They say "Let me help" instead of "No, I can’t." They say "Let me find out" instead of, "I don’t know."
They are efficient at the business of getting patients to and through the system, but their efficiency doesn’t come at the expense of a human touch. A smile is their default expression.
Fortunately, there are still some Bills, Kathys and Jens out there. They work alongside us in the O.R., labor faithfully on the units, file our charts, transcribe our reports, decipher our handwriting, reassure our patients after we’ve left the room.
At a time when the health-care system falters, people like Bill, Kathy and Jen are the stabilizers. They keep it functioning with their sheer force of will.
Because they stand out, we can all stand tall.
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