Appreciating excellence at a job that matters

Today I took the day off of work to take part of the industry that I work for from a different perspective. Today, I am a patient at some of the clinics that I just took live on a enterprise EHR software.  It was time to have my annual physical and another doctor wanted me to come in for a follow-up appointment so I thought why not just make a day of it.

I started the day by sleeping in a bit. This something I almost never do anymore.  But by 8:50am I couldn't really sleep anymore because the house was starting to wake up and stir so I thought let me go get my "fasting labs" done before the hunger pangs start.  Luckily, I had already communicated with my doctor via text and asked her to place the orders for the labs so I could go at my leisure and get them done. I know this is something that most people can't do (communicate with their personal physician via text or SMS message.  If I hadn't worked so closely with my physician on the project of implementing an EHR, I wouldn't have that privilege either.  However, we instituted a new online patient portal where our patients can send messages to their providers and nurses. So actually, I could have sent her a message using that.  So I made my way to the doctors office and checked in and waited for them to call me back to be stuck.  I know no one enjoys this part of the process. But after the last time I gave blood a few weeks back, I was really not looking forward to it. My last blood donation was extremely painful.  They nicked a nerve or something and fire shot down my arm into my hand.  I of course being a grown man sucked it up and didn't even make a sound.  I might have made a grimace but other than that I was a model volunteer donor and thought of all the children at our Children's hospital that I might be helping. But it definitely left a mental scar.  One that I didn't realize until I got to the doctors office this morning to have labs drawn.  When the phlebotomist finally came to the waiting room and called my name I found myself feeling anxious as I followed her to the lab.  When she started putting the tourniquet on my left arm and searching for a vein I suddenly started feeling sympathy pains from the last experience.  Had anyone been paying attention I'm sure they would have said my facial expression was tense and concentrated.  I was really hoping that this would not be a repeat of that experience.

I normally am not squeamish when it comes to needles.  I like to "stare it down" so to speak and watch it go into my arm. Somehow that seems like what John Wayne would do.   Of course, they probably don't have a needle tough enough to take blood from him.  But I digress...   I put on my best pleasant expression and watch as the young lady pushed the small gauge needle into my bicep just above my elbow. As it disappeared into the skin I was surprised that I felt almost nothing. When she brought up the tube with the colored top on it and attached it to the needle and blood began to fill it up I was almost shocked that I still couldn't feel anything other than the warmth of her hand against my arm.  It seemed surreal.  How could this be?  No pain?!?  Wow, now that was refreshing!   In less than a minute after she stuck me it was all done. She had filled up two tubes of blood and was now holding the cotton ball over the almost non-existent wound and wrapping it with a stretchy material.

I walked out to my car still somewhat in shock of how easy that was.  Then it hit me what had just happened to me...  I just experienced "excellence"   The young lady phlebotomist was very good at her job.   And her job is one that REALLY matters.  Just ask everyone who has to get a needle put into their veins.  I know I shouldn't sound so suppressed at this excellence in an ordinary health care worker.  But I've got to tell you that my experience working at an academic medical center has been somewhat the other way.  There are way too many workers that don't take pride in what they do and are just collecting a pay check. I don't know what this young lady makes per hour but I can tell you that she's worth every penny of it plus some.

My parting thought is this:  Why don't we tip phlebotomists when they do a good job?  If we can tip carhops at Sonic for something that takes very little skill, why can't we make our appreciation known when something as important to our well-being as phlebotomy is performed at a high level?