Love is all you need.

Today reminded me of a wonderful truth.  Providing healthcare to people is not about always being on time, always crossing your t's and dotting your i's or always doing exactly what is expected.  Providing care for people is different in every circumstance.  Every person has a different concept of what makes them feel cared about.  Every person reacts to things differently and every person is a value to life no matter what baggage, opinions or walk of life they come from.  My job is not to get everything just right but to make sure I meet people's needs when they are in my presence so they leave the clinic feeling more cared about than what they felt when they walked in.  Sometimes it  is better to help the patient go to the bathroom even if it is going to make the doctor late.  Sometimes taking the time to listen to a patient's story is more rewarding even if you forget to document the number of their pain they are having.  Not that it is not important to document and strive for excellence but that we must not forget the most important part of healthcare is the love part.  I have heard it said that the longer you work in healthcare the more hardened you get to people as you develop a thicker skin.  Although I do agree with age you get a thicker skin I do not agree your heart has to harden.  I feel with age comes wisdom and deeper understanding of the struggles of life.  The longer we work in healthcare should make us that much more understanding of people's pain and that much more softer to being a helpful hand in they're journey through life.  Healthcare starts at the heart and moves out from there.  Love first and healthcare second.  Sometimes the angriest of people is just one hug away of letting go.  No one gets up in the morning and says "Today I want to be mean and grumpy."  Mean and grumpy people need encouragement and love more than those that walk around happy and perky.  Although sometimes it seems it would feel so good to just tell that nasty mean person off, try being genuinely nice, not the kill with kindness kind and you would be amazed at how the hardest of people will crumble before you.  The song says it all... "All you need is love.  Love is all you need."