Hospitals are interesting buildings. Much like hotels, guests check in and check out all the time. It’s a round the clock operation with massive amounts of information being carried, conveyed, and couriered constantly. They are home to the most joyous and most solemn occasions and so the personnel who man these facilities could take a lesson from hospitality professionals with a little cross training. After all, the word hospitality is indeed rooted in the word hospital.
Our experience at the hospital was somewhat uncommon. Following my wife’s c-section, she encountered some unusual complications and infections which had her back in for a longer stay than usual. We felt like some of this could have been avoided however, if her medical issues were treated during her initial stay. But the maternity floor, while home to some very caring nursing professionals, is generally a well-floor. And so when people are confronted with situations that go beyond basic care, to me it seems it exceeds the capacity of the medical expertise of these nurses. In much the same way there is a different expectation from a kindergarten teacher as there would be a teacher of high school calculus, nurses who tend to well moms are not altogether prepared for when a patient needs to be on heavy IV antibiotics, constant pain medication, anti-nausea medicine, and deal with a bout of tests including a cat-scan and abdomen fluid drain. But while my wife’s conditions post c-section was not the norm, I was disappointed the team on the maternity floor could not correct her situation before it worsened, before they sent her home under the auspices she simply had “gas” and before two days later we found ourselves in emergency room.