Patients Come Second

Commit to a Lifetime of Learning

"High performers will disengage if we allow mediocrity to exist. ‘B’ players need to show signs of being an ‘A,’ and ‘C’ players should be moved out."- Patients Come Second, page 110

In Patients Come Second, the authors outline 3 steps to embracing a learning culture:

1. Break Free From The Box – The box is what people put themselves in and what we have been taught to put ourselves in. We should decide on our own instead of having a barrier, we should open our minds to possibilities beyond our box. We should make the commitment to being a “lifelong learner.” This commitment will push our worldview, e.g., what else is being taught on a particular subject? Why does this or that person believe what he or she believes? We must also push our learning beyond what is being told. We must seek out new technology, new advancements in medicine, better communication, etc.
2. Socialize The Learning Process – Continuing our education is not an easy task. If “the learning process starts becoming static or boring,” we will probably quit pursuing that educational aspiration. However, interacting with others not only keeps us accountable, but challenges how we see our worldview, and how others see our worldview. This interaction is creating a social environment that pushes our learning to a different level by challenging and questioning our thoughts. We also are seeing something different than others, and we are learning how to communicate more effectively.
3. Choose A Mentor – Most people don’t seek out mentors and most mentors don’t ask to help. There is a shyness about asking for help from businessmen and women. But if there is someone who can help us, why don’t we seek out the opportunity to learn? We should, and when we do, we will be rewarded. An old proverb speaks to choosing a mentor, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise.” There is something to be treasured with wisdom and experience. Unfortunately these items sometimes are undervalued.

Service is Personal

"Patients expect that they’re going to get the best care all the time. What they want is to feel that someone cares about them."- Patients Come Second, page 20

The thought that someone cares about another person is special and exciting. The opposite is frustrating and degrading. Think about going to a place where you become a number. Your identity is stripped and you are now number 230 out of 232. But, when you are yourself, others see you, and you are comfortable and engaged in the process. This is because service is personal. Your identity is treasured and valued and that is when the best care is given—to a person not a number.

Regardless of your industry, take the time to make personal connections with those you interact with. A human connection, even a brief one, can make a massive difference in how people feel about their service.

Collaboration is Essential

"The future will not be centered around the hospital experience. It will be the entire patient experience, which includes more than hospitals. Organizations that used to be competitive will now need to work together."- Patients Come Second, page 15

The journey and the challenges of healthcare requires a solid team. When thinking about your team everyone in the team must be working together with the same drive and consistency. The amount of information, tasks, change in best practices, would be hard and impossible to do on your own. There must be collaboration and involvement from the entire team. We will lose people along the way, but we have to rise to the challenge of collaborating with others or we will push people out of the way.

Work within your team to establish a culture of collaboration, and you will see great improvement in outcomes.