Pure Goodness

Last month at our LocumTenens.com kick-off meeting, Shane Jackson, President of Jackson Healthcare, spoke to us about the importance of relationships and growing value over a period of time. He encouraged us to “do something meaningful that makes a difference”.? This really resonated with me.? Inspired by Shane’s message, I decided to immerse myself in getting to know the landscape of healthcare in the southwest and witness the embodiment of Shane’s message by visiting hospitals and interacting with as many healthcare workers as I could. One word sums up my 30 day journey, “goodness”.

In my 33-year sales career I have covered every area of the country except the southwest, so I was excited for the adventure, the newness and the unknown.? January 31, I set out to listen as hospital leaders told me about their challenges related to staffing and reimbursement and the increased cost of running a hospital. ?I met with CEO’s, CFO’s Medical Directors, Recruiters and COO’s all so eager to tell me about the incredible healthcare systems they were a part of.? There was something truly magical about witnessing so many people with so much passion, energy, and capacity for helping others.?

One of my favorite experiences was a Daisy Award ceremony I was invited to attend.? I met the teary-eyed parents of Mary, the outstanding nurse that received the award.? Her parents told me she was the first in their family to go to college and from a very early age she wanted to serve others. Mary was glowing as she embraced the very thing that sets her soul on fire. ?So much goodness.

?I attended a weekend event sponsored by a hospital on healthy eating.? The speaker, Tina, lit up the audience with her smile and uplifting spirit. She shared with me that their community consisted of many grandparents caring for grandchildren. ?“If we can change the cooking of a Grandma, we can change the trajectory of healthy lifestyles for many generations to come”. ??The community outreach by health systems is rarely celebrated, yet they add so much goodness to the communities they serve far beyond the walls of the hospital.

It was very eye-opening visiting a crisis stabilization unit that is helping the unhoused population in their community overcome addictions with prescriptions and the basic care they need.? One caregiver told me his patients are no different than anyone else, “The reality is that anyone can be one bad decision away from being homeless.? I believe in helping all of humanity, not just those that can afford it.” Pure goodness.?

I attended a hospital association meeting and listened to the challenges of caring for the unhoused population and learned about the caregivers that go into the community to provide mobile care in areas where patients do not have electricity or running water.? The compounding effects of the physician shortage areas and the maternal desserts were topics of conversation.? The increasing number of mothers who cross the border to have their babies in US hospitals was something I never even thought about.?

A common question I asked is “what motivates you to do what you do”?? These meaningful conversations touched my heart in ways I cannot explain.? ?A medical assistant shared with me that he was motivated to become an MA after losing a parent during the pandemic.? ?The hospital he worked at was operating out of trailers and mobile care units.? He explained to me the failure of a government program during the pandemic that offered free Uber rides for patients to go for their vaccines.? He laughed as he told me “A lot of good that did- there isn’t an Uber within 150 miles of us.”

I loved hearing the stories about the photos displayed in offices. Family portraits and action shots of kids playing soccer, basketball and even chess.? Trophies from races won and challenges overcome.? In my mind each person I encountered deserved a trophy for the heartfelt work they do. ?After spending 45 minutes with a COO, getting to know him, and listening to the issues that mattered to him, he asked me, “Aren’t you going to give me your sales pitch?” He was surprised at my answer, “No, I am just here to buy some Girl Scout cookies from your daughter” as I pointed to the cute poster on his office door of a precious little girl holding a sign that said “It’s Cookie Time”.? I replied, “I’d like 2 boxes of Caramel deLites and 2 Thin Mints please!"

I was welcomed into a hospital by the service dogs that offer patient support.? Being a dog lover, it melted my heart and made me miss Hank and Rosie, the service dogs we have at our LocumTenens office in Georgia.? Some hospitals were new and shiny with state of the art cafeterias. ***A little side note- I have a fondness for hospital cafeterias. I spent a good part of my childhood in a hospital cafeteria.? My Dad died when I was 10. My Mom was a nurse and as a single Mom of 3 kids, she often worked double shifts.?? Sometimes I walked to the hospital to have dinner with her and do my homework after school.? I vividly remember the smell of my favorite orange Jello with marshmallows.? Many holiday meals were shared at the hospital cafeteria because holiday pay was “too good to pass up,” according to my Mom.

Each hospital has unique needs but universally, they all need providers to help with work-life balance for their staff, increase access to patient care and to cover while a permanent provider is secured. At LT, we do more than just place clinicians in openings on a schedule.? We custom create unique cost saving strategies that can involve telemedicine, APP’s, education to maximize reimbursement and an easy to use workforce management platform. I have never felt better about what I do and the company I work for. We do make a difference.? The LT mission is to improve healthcare by providing patients with access to quality medical care through innovative staffing models and ultimately improving the lives of everyone we touch.? We do this every single day. We help provide goodness through the incredible, dedicated clinicians we place.?

Driving over 2,000 miles and visiting 23 hospitals, I am grateful for the lessons I have learned, the memories made and the relationships I have strengthened.? Incredible insight I could not gain sitting at my desk in Alpharetta Georgia. ?It is my ability to do meaningful work that makes a difference. ?Thank you, Shane Jackson, for motivating me to do more of what sets my soul on fire and gives me energy.? I am so grateful for the goodness, compassion, and joy I have experienced.