Never Let Your Patients Hear You Complain

I’ve always thought it was poor form to let patients hear you complain. Here’s a story to support that idea.

A friend recently shared with me her experience visiting the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. She said that the department was very busy and patients were lined up waiting for beds to become available so they could be admitted. She too, was waiting to be admitted.

During her wait time she was attended to by multiple nursing staff members. She said that her care was okay, but the attitude of the nurses was not as professional as she thought it should be. She said several of them were “complainers.” They were complaining to her about their long hours, staff shortages and some even complained about things going on in their personal lives. This was not what she wanted to hear as she was waiting to be admitted and for test results to see if she needed surgery. She said she wondered if they were giving her their full attention and if her care was suffering. And aside from that, she really didn’t care or want to hear about their problems.

When patients hear healthcare workers complain, it’s bad for business and it’s unprofessional, to be sure. Your workplace problems are not the patient’s problems. And what seem to be harmless enough comments may come back to bite you. To say your short-staffed or complain about administration can suggest to a patient that your organization is poorly run. And it may also lead to them thinking their care was sub-standard, especially if there is a bad outcome. That’s not what you want your patients to walk away with. It can also be the formula for litigation.

Your problems are not the patient’s problems. You should focus on the patient and giving them the best possible care, not on what’s going on in your life.

When at work, keep in mind that you are a reflection of your organization and you should be doing everything you can to help enhance their reputation.

Not complaining about work should apply to your social media platforms as well. Social media is a public venue and what you say there goes out to the world.

If you have complaints about work, take those complaints to your manger or supervisor and see what can be done to resolve the issues. That’s the professional way to do things!