Thanks

In a bid to reverse my 3 month bout of overwheleming negativity, I decided to count how often someone said "thank you" to me at work this week.

This failed on two parts. One, I completely forgot about one hour in, but also, as a cynical ploy to justify why I felt undervalued, it just didn't work. Why?

Cos loads of people DID say thank you. And it was from the best group of people. My patients.

I sometimes wonder if perhaps I get a little too close to my patients, on a Friday evening it is now not uncommon for me to personally wish each patient well and for them to comment on my weekend when I come back on Monday.
I've told them where to get a similar coat to mine for their son, chatted about X-Factor, and even been offered grapes and home-made wine.

Don't get me wrong, I don't take them all down the pub after work, but I like to think I have a positive impact on their care beyond the medical. I don't put it on so that they "like" me... but it's a very welcome side-effect.

The time that set alarm bells off in my head was when a patient wanted to complain on my behalf... i.e. they felt we as staff weren't treated well by our bosses, although they had nothing but praise for the efforts we'd made ("above & beyond" and all that). Had I/we got too close to this patient?

The conclusion I've come to is that no, we hadn't. Being professional doesn't have to mean being stoic and boring. Being in hospital is BORING, and motivation is such an important factor in getting well. By letting our patients "in" on our banter and lives helps lift their spirits.

And you know what, however undervalued I feel by "the bosses", it doesn't matter. The customer is always right, don't you know?!