Hospital Survey

I was in the hospital to visit someone having a procedure performed. While I was there, they were hauled off for the operation. It was supposed to be only one to two hours, so I hung out in the room waiting. I laid in the bed and surfed through the TV channels — something I don’t often get to do. My wait ended up being four hours, and during that time I had a few visitors.

One of the visitors was a young guy, probably a college student, carrying a clipboard. He explained that he was going around the rooms taking a survey of the hospital service.

“Well,” I said, “I’m not the patient. Sorry.” Note: I was fully dressed, even with tennis shoes on, and lying on top of the covers, not under them. I also had no wrist band on my arm, that all patients wear.

“Oh,” he replied. He looked a little knocked off balance.

I smiled and said, “I can answer your survey if it relates to sitting in bed and watching the television.”

He gathered himself and looked at his clipboard. “Thank you. How would you rate the nursing staff’s attention?”

“I don’t know,” I answered with a humored smile.

“Oh, OK. How would you rate . . .” He asked a couple more questions before it seemed to get through to him that I wasn’t the patient, and I couldn’t answer his questions. I chuckled every time I had to say, “I don’t know.”

When the concept seemed to sink in, I repeated, “I’m not the patient here. I’m waiting for the patient to return from surgery.”

“Oh, yeah, OK,” he said with a look of understanding finally crossing his face. “Well, thank you.” And then he left.

I turned the volume back up on the TV and continued clicking through the channels.

He looked like a nice kid, but he was really nervous and relying on his clipboard routine to get him through his duties.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com