Thoracic Team at UW Health University Hospital
May 2023
Thoracic Team
at UW Health University Hospital
UW Health - University Hospital
Madison
,
WI
United States
B4/3 Thoracic Staff
My dad spent last weekend in the Thoracic Unit (B4/3) of UW Hospital, and for much of the time I was able to be with him. I just want to extend a hearty thanks to all the hospital staff—and there are so many of you—who gave him such wonderful care. Let me just highlight a few of the things that I noticed.
Competence – Whatever you were trained to do, you did it well. Dad’s room was a revolving door of doctors, nurses, therapists, and a slew of technicians and support staff. It is heartening to see people do their job with competence.
Cheerfulness – I know you know this, but patients and families often have heavy and anxious hearts. Don’t underestimate the power of your cheerful and kind words.
Listening ear – There were two kinds of listening that I appreciated. The first was that our doctors were deliberate about learning what were our concerns and questions, and then were careful to address them. Being heard did much to relieve my dad’s anxiety. The second kind of listening was just sheer kindness. My dad loves an audience, and the nurses were so good to spend extra minutes with us just listening to his stories, comments, and jokes. The doctors also spent far more time with us than I could have hoped, much of it was listening and then responding.
Humility – It was fascinating to watch the doctors (both cardiology and hematology) attempt to zero in on what the problem was—mostly by determining what it wasn’t. They were careful not to make assumptions, and speak outside their expertise, or with unwarranted certainty. This often came out as “we don’t really know yet.” After I realized we weren’t going to get any quick answers, I settled in for the weekend and waited for them to roll out their thoughts based on the latest round of tests.
No drama – A special thanks to the staff who graciously handled the wallet drama. Way to keep you cool (Dad is sorry about the oversight!)
Food – Was it our imagination or was the food even good?! Dad and I were so inspired that we went home and made baked sweet potatoes “just like the hospital.” My dad’s appetite had been dwindling over the last month, but with all the hearty hot meals he had during his stay, it was much increased. This was a great reminder of the simple truth that by eating less, he had less margin to weather his health issues. Likewise, the more he ate, the better he felt.
I will end my short summary with a specific thanks to nurses Heather, Laura, and Marnie who spent a lot of time with us, and also to Cate and Josefina. I wish I could name the doctors individually, but they weren’t written on our dry-erase board, so there’s no chance of me remembering.
Competence – Whatever you were trained to do, you did it well. Dad’s room was a revolving door of doctors, nurses, therapists, and a slew of technicians and support staff. It is heartening to see people do their job with competence.
Cheerfulness – I know you know this, but patients and families often have heavy and anxious hearts. Don’t underestimate the power of your cheerful and kind words.
Listening ear – There were two kinds of listening that I appreciated. The first was that our doctors were deliberate about learning what were our concerns and questions, and then were careful to address them. Being heard did much to relieve my dad’s anxiety. The second kind of listening was just sheer kindness. My dad loves an audience, and the nurses were so good to spend extra minutes with us just listening to his stories, comments, and jokes. The doctors also spent far more time with us than I could have hoped, much of it was listening and then responding.
Humility – It was fascinating to watch the doctors (both cardiology and hematology) attempt to zero in on what the problem was—mostly by determining what it wasn’t. They were careful not to make assumptions, and speak outside their expertise, or with unwarranted certainty. This often came out as “we don’t really know yet.” After I realized we weren’t going to get any quick answers, I settled in for the weekend and waited for them to roll out their thoughts based on the latest round of tests.
No drama – A special thanks to the staff who graciously handled the wallet drama. Way to keep you cool (Dad is sorry about the oversight!)
Food – Was it our imagination or was the food even good?! Dad and I were so inspired that we went home and made baked sweet potatoes “just like the hospital.” My dad’s appetite had been dwindling over the last month, but with all the hearty hot meals he had during his stay, it was much increased. This was a great reminder of the simple truth that by eating less, he had less margin to weather his health issues. Likewise, the more he ate, the better he felt.
I will end my short summary with a specific thanks to nurses Heather, Laura, and Marnie who spent a lot of time with us, and also to Cate and Josefina. I wish I could name the doctors individually, but they weren’t written on our dry-erase board, so there’s no chance of me remembering.