I am writing this letter to serve as a reminder to medical staff that patient are real people! As you begin your next shift, I hope you will remember the words you are about to read. I’ve spent countless days among you watching how mechanical medical staff has become today. I’ve watched sick and hurting people unsure of where to go, what to do, who to ask, being treated rudely.
Maybe they’ve never needed your services before. Patients have simply become a diagnosis, a chart, an inconvenience, or a charity case because they have no insurance.
I’ve watched sick people sit in your waiting room for hours only to be shuffled through a whirlwind of paperwork, tests, burned-out nurses, doctors in a hurry, and budget-scarce facilities robbed of any dignity or pride they may have left.
I am shocked at how impersonal staff have become, huffing and puffing if someone asks you a question, how you carelessly discuss other patients in front of others or your personal life, or talk about you can’t wait to go on break to get away from the misery of these people.
It breaks my heart to see that people have been reduced to an insurance card, a diagnosis, or a chart to take up your time. That’s only what you see, but let me assure you behind those charts are people, real people with feelings, a life, and fears just like you.
I would urge you not to discount what I say. You have the power to touch the person behind that chart you clutch in your hand with your words or your actions. Tomorrow it just may be your loved one who becomes a chart or a number to be crossed off at the end of the day. So tell me, how will you greet your next patient?
Kelly Crabill
Bristol, Tenn.
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