one of those fake
smiles that said, "We
both have to be here
so let's make the best
of it." It was a genuine smile that came from her eyes and told me she
cared about my comfort. I was more than the person in seat 5C to her.
As a patient, that's what I'm looking for. Someone to look me in the
eye with a genuine smile that shows they care. I've experienced the
opposite when a rad tech verified my name and date of birth while
talking to her co-worker about what they were doing this weekend.
Neither of them ever looked at me, much less smiled. Talk about feel-
ing like a number!
She called people by their names. I watched Krisztina through-
out the flight greet people by name. She had a list of passengers
and their seat assignments and made a point to look them in the eye
and use their name. How many times have we talked about the gall-
bladder in room 2? Or worse, went to meet the patient without taking
time to look into their eyes and call them by name?
She was compassionate. I watched Krisztina as she asked an
elderly passenger about his family. She took time to listen to
him and speak kindly to him. I've had more than one nurse show com-
passion to me. One commented on how my elective surgery had mul-
tiplied into many, and offered words of kindness as she wheeled me
from my room to pre-op. She then bent down and gave me a hug — a
much welcomed gesture. For comparison, think Nurse Ratched from
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Cold. Heartless. Nobody wants
Nurse Ratched. Patients tell us they appreciate pleasant people caring
for them. I know I do.
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D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 7
When someone is genuinely smiling,
the areas around their eyes will crinkle
(think Santa and the twinkle in his eye).
