I have been thinking about this a lot these days.

I didn't become a nurse until I was almost 40 years old and had many jobs over the years where "the customer was always right!" While this was annoying at times it kept people polite and in "service" mode.

In the area of nursing where I work our patients are reffered to as consumers not patients. I think if we thought of our patients as customers we would be more mindful of how we do our jobs. Of course even people with insurance have very little choice as they are told which doctors they can use and which hospitals they can go to, even which medications they are allowed to take. Most of us who have fought with insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid would walk out if we were treated the same way in a restaurant.

We are given fewer actual choices in our healthcare and the so-called reform gives us even fewer choices yet. We deal with people at the most vulnerable moments of their lives. We need to keep the compassion in nursing!!!!

Anyone else feel as I do?

Peace and Namaste

Hppy