Staff's Statements about Excellence in Medicine

Excellence in medicine is a mindset that influences the way I act in the medical field. It is the manner in which I see the role I have at Portland Dermatology Clinic. If I see my role as being valuable or as being excellent I will do everything by that standard. I also treat those around me with excellence; my doctor, co-workers, and patients. It is a difficult standard to maintain at all times. No one is perfect. I think with flexibility and hard work, excellence can be obtainable and maintained.



I feel that excellence in medicine is when the interdisciplinary health care team works together collaboratively to provide up-to- date, quality healthcare to patients in an environment that is safe and efficient. I also feel that health care providers must be knowledgeable and want to continue to learn about their specialty. To have excellence in medicine, patients must trust their health care providers and health care providers must be caring and sensitive to patients needs. Health care providers must approach patients in a holistic manner, having patient's physical and psychological health in mind.



Some thoughts on excellence:
In medicine, excellence starts with the physician and works its way down through all levels in the clinic. It is given that the physician starts with both a broad knowledge base in the specialty which is practiced. Several things contribute to this knowledge base: outstanding education, training and experience. Education plus experience in the field equals competence when patients are successfully treated.

Beyond these basics, there are many intangibles. They are the human qualities which give the "flavor to the stew." You can have all the elements in the mix right but without those special psychological factors, it may be a blah, or worse, unpleasant experience for the patient. These are the traits which I think make for excellent patient care.

Empathy: That most human of qualities ("For Mercy has a human heart, Pity a human face" William Blake), empathy brings one individual closer to another immediately. You put yourself in the other's place to feel what it is like to be them for a moment. That having been done, it is then necessary to emotionally remove oneself from the situation, in order to be objective and not absorb the patient's feelings. This is a delicate balance. The psychological trick is to allow the patient to perceive your true empathy and concern, even while distancing yourself from them as you go along.

Listening: The fine art of listening is often a rarity due to the distracting cacophony of modern life. This tends to make us want to "tune out" from time to time. But genuine listening skills allow communication. To simply listen without judging allows a patient to open up and let us know exactly how it feels to be them. People value it enormously if we do.

Taking patient seriously: Everyone responds well to respect. Treat everyone the same.

Patience: It's easy to extol the virtue of patience but hard to practice it! But we get lots of opportunities to do so every day. If we don't develop it, we get another chance, every moment.

Taking control: In spite of all the above qualities, there comes a point in patient care where it's necessary to be firm and in charge. Whether it's letting them know inappropriate language or behavior will not be tolerated, or interrupting a rambling discourse about symptoms in order to stay on time, staff must have the upper hand. Respect goes both ways, and patients must have it for us and our expertise or they should not be coming here to treat.

Ask for feedback: It's a good idea to ask if their questions or concerns are being answered as you go along. It helps keep us on track.

Professionalism: Leaving personal problems at home and giving the patient our best respectful, expert care equals a professional approach.

I think all these qualities are in abundance in our Clinic. It is what sets us apart from others.



What I think Excellence means to the clinic...
Excellence to the clinic means good quality service. They want to see friendly, curteous and helpful people throughout the clinic. Patience and understanding is a big part of Excellence to the clinic as well. PDC has a really good reputation and that's because it has always offered excellent customer service.



Excellence: Offering a service that is consistently good, caring, and in the best interest of all involved parties. It is not perfection but the pursuit of establishing, providing and maintaining an environment, service or product that enables the doctors, staff, and patients to engage in a mutually beneficial relationship.



Excellence in medicine means more than just proficiency in knowing how to treat an individual's physical condition. The quality of a medical facility also involves paying attention to the humanity aspect of care. Each person who walks into the clinic needs to feel welcomed, nurtured, supported, and empowered.

A group of workers can only provide such excellent care when they too feel compassion and understanding from each other and their leaders (administrator, manager). An excellent clinic means a strong team comprised of committed members each understanding the worth of the other. An excellent clinic does not mean perfection; it means allowing room for mistakes and yet continually striving to gently push each member to perform to the best of his/her abilities consistently.

Excellence in the medical field to me means keeping the "care" in healthcare. Excellence means providing informative, compassionate care. Excellence means respecting the patient and the patient's time. Excellence means going "above and beyond" what's standard. Excellence means raising the bar to "Olympic level" and being dedicated and committed to achieving that level. That's what excellence in the medical field means to me.