This morning, I was awakened at 3:15, 4:30, and 6:00 to have blood drawn, vitals taken, and at six a catheter removed by those diligently watching over me at Overlake Hospital, in Bellevue, WA. While awaiting release and for Ann to come and retrieve me, I drafted this letter which will be posted tomorrow to Jon Duarte, CEO of Overlake Medical Center and Michele Curry, Chief of Nursing.
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Dear Ms. Curry and Mr. Duarte:
Lying in a bed with a catheter up one’s pecker is hardly pleasant, but I commend your staff who work their butts off to make it so. I came into your emergency room on Thursday night, May 9th, having begun to pass blood in my urine. The receptionist checked me in proficiently and cordially and an ER nurse quickly took me in hand. I was chagrined to have an accident in the men’s room, soiling its floor and myself, but she without missing a beat reassured me and got me into an ER room. (I wish I could recall her name, but I was a wee bit distracted, as you can imagine.)
I was in professional, caring hands. Dr Alex Lambert was the attending ER Physician; he calmed my wife and me with his demeanor and assurance that mine was a frequently seen situation with older men blessed with an enlarged, angry prostate. I spent the night in ER and next day was admitted to the hospital’s West building, 3rd floor short-stay ward. During my not-so-short, three-day stay, I interacted with nurses, aides, PAs, imaging techs, and others; all (with one exception who appeared to be having a bad day) were pleasant, professional, proficient, and caring.
A word about my interest in the management and delivery of services: half my career was in consumer marketing of products; the second half, in marketing, teaching, and consulting on development and delivery of consumer services in hospitality industries. So, I was watching through both a patient’s eye and a professional’s eye.
What impresses me is how hard and effectively your staff, especially the nursing crews, worked to make my stay, given the circumstances, as pleasant as possible. What strikes me is how much they enjoy and trust one another; I could overhear the chatter and laughter from the bull pen. Clearly, they like their teammates. In my experience, the coherence, mutual trust, and affinity within a service worker team reinforces their sense of responsibility and the quality of their delivery. That doesn’t just happen: it takes a commitment by senior management to lead, not merely manage; to encourage; to share information[1]; and to be accessible.
There are too many names to keep straight: Hannah, Josh, Anna, Nancy, Goodness, Tyler , Pam, “T” -- and too many more to remember. But one who stands out among all these competent and empathetic employees is RN Sarah, who appears ready to return to school, to leave real estate investment behind, and to earn her Nurse Practitioner quals. Sarah is a real keeper among the many. I also have great confidence in Urologist Dr. Elizabeth Miller.
Congratulations to you both. This was not my nor my wife’s first experience with Overlake: we each recovered from knee replacements there, rehab, shoulder surgeries, etc. You and your staff have created a fine, patient-focused institution. Whatever you’re doing, especially with nursing staff, you’re apparently doing it right.
Sincerely,
Fletch Waller
PS: The food is not up to the standards set by your care team – but I’m sure you know that. You’re not alone: in my work in and with hotels, resorts, and retirement homes, if we stubbed our toes, it was more often than not on food quality and F&B performance. How customers do love to natter about food, probably the #1 subject of hotel and resort complaints.
PPS: Subsequent to having drafted this letter while awaiting release, I was walked out by RN Miranda. She’s been with you a month. I asked her what surprised her the most. After reflecting for a moment, she said the reception by her team, who has embraced her as companion and teammate. She said it was so unique compared to other hospitals she worked in. I was delighted to have my observation about Overlake’s strong team culture confirmed.
[1] At Westin, we established weekly management and quarterly employee NETMA sessions – Nobody Ever Tells Me Anything – to shine light on facts and strangle rumors in their cribs.