The first of “3 C’s” was connection. The second “C” is compassion.
In the TV series The West Wing, a staffer is going through a
really tough time. This staff member is coming out of a particularly difficult
meeting and discovers the chief of staff waiting in the lobby. The staff member
is surprised and asks what his boss is doing there. The chief of staff tells
this story.
There was this guy that fell into a deep hole and couldn’t
get out. He was shouting for help when a doctor walked by. The guy yells, “Hey
can ya help me get out?” The doctor writes a prescription and tosses it into
the hole. Next a priest walks by and the guy yells, “Hey, can ya help me get
out?” The priest writes a prayer and tosses it into the hole. Pretty soon a friend
walks by and guy says, “Hey Joe, can ya help me get out of this hole?” The guy’s
friend jumps down into the hole with his friend. The guy in the hole says, “What
are you nuts? Why did you jump in the hole? Now we are both stuck!” The friend
replies, “Listen I’ve been down here before, I know the way out.”
In the current atmosphere of payment reduction and cost
cutting, every healthcare facility is scrambling to find the balance of
providing good care and being fiscally responsible while maintaining market
share. There is one thing that can change the landscape without costing a dime;
compassion.
Merriam-Webster tells us compassion is sympathetic consciousness of others distress together
with a desire to alleviate the distress. Sometimes compassion gets mistaken for pity or sympathy. The difference
between these three is distance and commitment.
Pity is best done from far away. Pity is a strong feeling of sadness for
someone or some situation. Often time, pity comes from gratitude we are not in
that same situation. Sympathy is different in that we understand the
circumstances and we are willing to get close enough to pat the person’s hand
or touch their shoulder. Compassion
contains similar feelings as pity and sympathy, but joins them with an up-close
commitment to alleviate their distress.
There are days when it is difficult to maintain a compassionate
heart toward our patients. Some of our patients we see multiple times a month
with conditions of their own making.
Whether it is a repeat patient or a brand new one, each deserves a
sympathetic consciousness of their condition. But having a sympathetic
consciousness is just the beginning. Those feelings must be coupled with a
commitment to alleviate the patient’s distress. This is true compassion.
Compassion is the
only thing that will set healthcare apart from Ford, IBM, Walmart and all the
rest that offer great customer service. Our “customer service” must flow out of
our compassion. Our Compassion is our
service for the people who come to us in need, looking for help.
