Now more than ever, I realize how important it is to appreciate everyone who participates in our healthcare. Not only our doctors, but those who provide essential services that we sometimes overlook. In fact, it is the seemingly “least significant” of those people in healthcare-related jobs who make the greatest difference in our lives. And it is so very important to treat these people with great respect and appreciation for the times when they go the extra mile or provide extra care.

For example, anyone who has tried to get an appointment with a busy doctor knows it can take awhile. Minutes on hold, hours to get records transferred or a phone call returned, days or months to get the appointment itself. It isn’t the doctor who facilitates all of this. Rather, it is someone in his or her front office – a nurse or assistant who fields the calls and often makes the call about whether a situation requires immediate attention or can wait a bit. Yes, these “gatekeepers” are important, many times under great stress, and seldom underworked. But how often do we forget and vent our frustrations or otherwise act less than patient and courteous toward them?

Think, too, of the people who draw our blood or manage our scans, X-rays, and MRIs. If they don’t do their job properly, we might be in for pain (multiple needle sticks) or repeated tests. Yet, how often do we approach these procedures without a kind word or smile for those carrying them out?

As we start to look at the healthcare we receive as service rendered by many different individuals, not only our physicians, we can begin to see the people in the positions and extend our respect and appreciation to them, too. Believe me, the more conscious we are of this, the more smooth the path through any healthcare crisis or ongoing challenge.

Blessings for the day!

Maureen