Being a patient experience leader is an exciting and daunting role. You are expected to address concerns and satisfy patients and family members while at the same time effectively collaborating with staff of every variety and position, including senior leaders—all the while creating the often elusive “culture of caring”. Undeniably, this role, in its many shapes and forms, is one of the most important in healthcare, since it impacts not only the patient and family experience but also financial health, clinical outcomes, patient and staff safety, risk reduction, employee engagement, and the overall culture of the organization.
Dear Nursing Executive, I want to give you warm and heart-felt thanks for all you do every day. Doing the work of Angels is not easy but without you, patients and families could not experience the care necessary to heal. The work you do goes so far beyond what is obvious to the eye. As a former Nurse Executive, I understand how much of you is required to accomplish even small bits of progress in the midst of the major challenges you face.
It’s 2 am and there’s loud talking at the nurses’ station. Marty realizes she and her coworkers must be disturbing patients. She lowers her own voice. Is Marty doing enough?
Many of us spearhead strategies to create a consistently exceptional and healing patient and family experience. We identify best practices and implement them with gusto. We give our all to launching and sustaining initiatives.
That’s great. And it’s not enough.
We have to engage in more than tactics that feel exciting, appealing, and heartwarming. We have to do what is called for even when it feels scary, awkward, or unnatural.
Being caring and communicating caring are two very different things. In the same vein, having skills and using them are two very different things. When employees engage in communication skills training, they improve their skills, but this doesn’t mean they use the skills in their work.
As I see it, bridging the gap between people’s capabilities and their USE of their capabilities is a major challenge to us as we pursue the consistently exceptional patient and family experience.
