Do you treat your each patient as if they were your daughter?
Do you listen attentively while taking an injury/illness history as if you were listening to your grandmother? Do you welcome each patient into your treatment room with a smile and thank them for stopping in? Do you call your patients after surgery just to make sure they are doing ok – you know, just the way your mother used to with you?
I remember being an athletic training student at Canisius College when I was challenged by my mentor, Pete Koehneke, to treat every patient as if they were his daughter or a family member.
Boy, did my attention to detail quickly change.
How would the quality of your patient care change if you were treating your daughter/son or better yet your boss’ child?
Would you still be texting on your cell while performing that ultrasound treatment? How about the “advice” of rest and ice you gave the long distance runner without examining them first?
Would that change?
What if that track athlete was a family member? Your sister? Your child?
How would you treat your patient then?
Art Horne is the Coordinator of Care and Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball Team at Northeastern University, Boston MA. He can be reached at a.horne@neu.edu.
