by Jeff McKune

Early in my IT career, I specialized in a particular series of personal computers. One interesting feature of these systems was a self-diagnostic capability that would draw a picture of the internal boards in the computer, highlighting a defective board. It was pretty cool to watch, and I couldn't wait for my first customer demonstration. In the demo, I showed the customer how easy it was to access the boards by removing the one-piece cover. I then loosened one of the boards to simulate a "failure", put the cover back on, and hit the power switch to start the self-diagnosis process. But, nothing happened - the screen remained black. Unfortunately, it was the customer who saw the problem and spoke first: "You might want to check your connections. Looks like the power cord is not plugged in."

It would not take much to get so caught up in the administrative concerns associated with the delivery of healthcare, that we forget what connected us to healthcare in the first place. Sometimes it is a good idea to make sure we "check our connections" to remind us of our purpose.

There are a couple of things that I try to do on a regular basis to keep me connected to my team and more importantly to our patients. We handle many pediatric dental patients each week. Frequently they arrive afraid, wondering about the people in funny looking clothes and what the procedure will be like. I enjoy sitting down with these little ones and reading them a story, or playing a guessing game to take their mind off things. Making a difference to kids means a lot to me, and helping others is one of the reasons I connected with healthcare a few years ago.

I also enjoy dressing out in scrubs and helping my team. Being a former IT guy with no clinical training beyond my BLS, I cannot provide direct patient care. But I can help my team clean and make beds between patients, wheel a patient outside to their waiting family, or just help the housekeeper empty the trash. I have found that this powerfully connects me to my team like nothing else.

What do you do to stay connected to your purpose and direction in healthcare? I would be interested in hearing how you "check your connections."