At the age of 20 a medical condition required me to spend a lot of time in the hospital and clinic settings. During that time I met a lot of wonderful people that provided me with love and support. I knew at that time I wanted to go into healthcare to give back to someone else the support and compassion that I and my family received.

Establishing the provider to patient relationship with those in our care is very rewarding. It can be a challenge in the immediate care setting to establish a rapport with a patient and/or family whom you have just met and are requiring some form of medical care. However, that relationship can build trust in helping to identify and develop a treatment plan to address the patient’s medical and psychosocial issues.

My part in providing exceptional care is to actively listen to the patient to help identify their needs during their visit. The patients and families need to know that their needs are being heard and that they do not feel that they are being rushed through a visit.