Kindness will go a long way. I had a health issue that put me in and out of the hospital for 6 months. I would always say please and thank you. I tried to greet everybody by name. I brought pics of my kid with me which got me into convos with the nurses and aids about their kids. I also brought snacks and drinks and when I was up for a walkabout I would fill up their break room with unopened stuff.
One time the quality officer was touring my floor. I knew my favorite nurse was trying to transfer to a similar job that offered daytime/weekday hours. I made sure they knew how awesome that nurse was. She got her wish. Did it help? I don’t know. But It certainly didn’t hurt.
As my condition improved and I needed less attention, I did end up getting the lesser nurses. But that was ok. If they were inexperienced I tried to make them a little more comfortable. If they were foreign and had low conversation skills, they appreciated that I at least tried to speak with them and brighten their day. The better ones would usually find a few minutes to pop in and say hello if they saw my name on the board. One thing I loved was there were two prime rooms that had a view of the helipad, which really made my boring stays more interesting. At first I got one because I was in such bad shape. But I got one of those two for all but 1 of my trips. They knew I liked to be there.
The lowly janitors and aids tended to appreciate the smiles and thank yous, too. Sometimes these low level people get the brunt of the shit rolling downhill. But you know that you’re in good with them when you’re passed out when they come to take a food order and your favorites show up anyway. Or if you want to see your doc and they go out of their way to get them there.
By all means, just be pleasant and respectful and most people will respond positively. If they’re stressed and it’s a bad time, make the convo quick and check in again later. They have hard jobs and a little understanding can go a long way.
Kindness will go a long way. I had a health issue that put me in and out of the hospital for 6 months. I would always say please and thank you. I tried to greet everybody by name. I brought pics of my kid with me which got me into convos with the nurses and aids about their kids. I also brought snacks and drinks and when I was up for a walkabout I would fill up their break room with unopened stuff.
One time the quality officer was touring my floor. I knew my favorite nurse was trying to transfer to a similar job that offered daytime/weekday hours. I made sure they knew how awesome that nurse was. She got her wish. Did it help? I don’t know. But It certainly didn’t hurt.
As my condition improved and I needed less attention, I did end up getting the lesser nurses. But that was ok. If they were inexperienced I tried to make them a little more comfortable. If they were foreign and had low conversation skills, they appreciated that I at least tried to speak with them and brighten their day. The better ones would usually find a few minutes to pop in and say hello if they saw my name on the board. One thing I loved was there were two prime rooms that had a view of the helipad, which really made my boring stays more interesting. At first I got one because I was in such bad shape. But I got one of those two for all but 1 of my trips. They knew I liked to be there.
The lowly janitors and aids tended to appreciate the smiles and thank yous, too. Sometimes these low level people get the brunt of the shit rolling downhill. But you know that you’re in good with them when you’re passed out when they come to take a food order and your favorites show up anyway. Or if you want to see your doc and they go out of their way to get them there.
By all means, just be pleasant and respectful and most people will respond positively. If they’re stressed and it’s a bad time, make the convo quick and check in again later. They have hard jobs and a little understanding can go a long way.
As an RN for over 30 years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this post! 💕💕💕