The Hospital(ity) Experience

I recently had a health scare. I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. Let me start from the beginning. I went on vacation and caught a cold. After a few days, I felt very crappy and couldn't breathe. So, I went to urgent care, as I couldn't get an appointment with my primary care doctor. After about 15 minutes, the person assessing me stated she thought I had pneumonia, but there was no way to know for sure, so I needed to go to the emergency room. She politely told me not to worry, that they would forward my info and enter me in the queue, so my wait would not be that long. I thanked her and left buoyed by the notion that my visit would be quicker than usual. I get to emergency and nothing. No info, no "in the queue", not a thing related to me from the urgent care. 

As someone in hospitality, the first thing that came to mind is that we're taught to underpromise and over deliver. That was not my experience. I waited hours to give info, to be triaged, and to have ex-rays. I finally get escorted back to the emergency area. It was organized chaos. This did not reassure me that I would receive good care. I judged much too quickly. Like a waitress at a great restaurant, my assigned nurse Elizabeth approached me. She told me her name, quickly read my chart and proceeded to tell me what the next steps were. Everything she said happened as stated. Elizabeth was exceptional. The type of professional that deserves praise and a tip. I almost forgot the previous 6 hours. When she was leaving for the day, yes, I had been there that long, I was taken to my room. When I was greeted by my nurse for the evening, I immediately missed her. It was several days of dread. 

What it helped me realize is that as a customer, you often end up underwhelmed these days by places you rightfully expected better from. This whole ordeal was a reminder to me to always keep my game up to par. In health, and service. While "hospital" and "hospitality" share a common root, "hospes", meaning host, guest, or stranger in Latin, after my little experience, I wish their modern meanings weren't so far apart.