A slightly different view

I have been thinking about something for quite some time and it may be slightly offensive or unusual, but hey, it’s my blog and I can talk about it if I want.  Keep on scrolling if you want….

I have been working in healthcare for 15+ years now and I have seen so many changes.  Nothing new there, but I have also had my opinions about ways things are done.  I am a traveling lab tech and have seen many different situations.  Even when I wasn’t changing jobs every 3 months or so,  I would see quite a bit.  I now realize that it’s the wisdom in the experience that has brought me to this boiling point.

I have noticed that within the hospital, a fair amount of the time, especially when I first started, there was a lot of lab vs. nursing.  Back then, I wasn’t sure why that was.  Whether it’s the fact that the average person, when they think of who works in a hospital, thinks only doctors and nurses; or the lack of education across departments, I’m really not sure.  Here’s what I do know: 1) I am tired of being called a vampire-it’s not funny anymore.  We don’t drink anyone’s blood or save it for strange purposes.  We test it. Period.  2) I am also tired of being called a nurse-that is not what I got my COLLEGE degree in.  I am a Medical Laboratory Technician.   3) I don’t understand everything that goes on in other departments.  I know some basic things, but the whole point of there being other departments is that  the people who work in them are specialists in that department.  Please don’t pretend you know everything that happens in my department.  4) I am big believer in the TEAM approach.  Tying in with #3, we all need to use our special expertise to help our patients.  Radiology needs to do their imaging, respiratory can help people breathe, nursing monitors even the smallest changes in a patients’ condition.  I respect the people who are doing what they can for the patient and I expect the same in return.  We really can’t help anyone unless we are all working together.  5) Respect and kindness.  I think that it is so important to remember why we are there and to treat every patient as if they are a family member.  I am as kind and respectful to patients as I can be and don’t do anything that I would be horrified by if it happened to a member of my family.

There is too much of a culture of trying to blame for when something goes wrong.  “The lab lost the specimen,” “Nursing mislabeled the specimen,” etc.  I would like to move past that.  This is healthcare, none of us are perfect and not often to things goes the way we imagine they will.  However, if we care for our patients to the best of our abilities, that will take us a long way.  I can not advocate enough for a team approach to this ever changing healthcare world.