1. Reflection: Worst Day
April 26, 2016
We cannot allow ourselves to be tone deaf to the
messages that are coming from the consumers of our
services when they say to us: Recognize that while
today is another day on the job for you, for us it may
be among the worst days of our lives, and treat us with
civility, compassion, dignity and respect.
Patient Experience Journal, Volume 1, Issue 2 – Fall 2014 © The Author(s), 2014. Published in
association with The Beryl Institute and Patient Experience Institute; Downloaded from
www.pxjournal.org http://pxjournal.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1044&context=journal
Recently I went into the Labor & Delivery department from the entrance
that goes right past a patient room just inside the doors. As I began to walk past, I
heard a baby cry. This is a common sound in a hospital and I did not think much
of it initially. I stopped though when I realized that the baby whose voice I was
hearing had probably been born not very long before, and I was among the first
persons on earth who were hearing his or her voice. I felt emotion rising in my
throat as I reflected on the significance of being a witness to a brand new voice.
We also witness the last moments of those who spend them with us. This too is an
honor, to assist someone to leave this world as peacefully and painlessly as
possible. Each person dies one time, and their families experience their death
once. We do not have the opportunity to practice to get it right. Whatever way it
happens cannot be undone. The stories will be told and retold, whether good or
bad.
We are witnesses to some who are experiencing the worst pain they have ever felt
in their lives, sometimes pain they never dreamed possible. We are not inside their
bodies and cannot feel their pain. Yet at times, we can be quick to judge what
they should or must be feeling. What if we are wrong? Is it acceptable for even
one person to suffer unmitigated excruciating pain because we misjudge what they
are feeling? Is this a less important risk than the risk of making someone too
comfortable?
May it never be “just another day on the job” for us.
Regards, Chaplain Denise