The Difference In A Few Minutes
The Power of Listening: How Small Moments of Connection Transform Healthcare
Working in health care, I've learned that some of the most meaningful moments are not necessarily the dramatic ones.
I've always been good at connecting with people.
Somehow, in a very short amount of time, patients will tell me their life stories.
I'm often surprised by it. How did we get from talking about your procedure to hearing about your marriage, divorce, your children, your career, or something you've carried with you for years?
But over time, I've realized there is something important in those conversations.
In health care, we're often focused on the task in front of us: the procedure, the recovery, the medication, the vital signs, charting notes, and the discharge instructions. All of these matter. But lying in that bed is still a person, and sometimes the few minutes we spend listening to them or asking them questions can reveal something a chart never will.
What may feel like a small opportunity to connect can become something much bigger. Maybe it's noticing something that otherwise would have been missed. Maybe it's easing someone's fear. Maybe it's simply giving a person the feeling that, for those minutes, somebody truly saw them and listened.
I've come to believe that making a significant difference doesn't always require doing something significant.
Sometimes it begins with something very small.
- Being curious.
- Listening.
- Caring.
- And giving someone enough space to tell you their story.
Perhaps the moments we consider small are only small because we don't always get to see the difference they make.
