I’m writing today’s post not only for anyone and everyone who works in a hospital, but also for every Recruiter, Interviewer and Hiring Manager out there in the Recruitosphere. Let this be a reminder to us all.

Over the course of the past couple of days I have experienced - - first hand - - the sorry state that our Health/Medical Industry is in. Not good. The debate and criticism is nothing new and it’s been in the national spotlight a lot lately in both the political arena and the media arena.

Thank God that things didn’t turn out to be as serious as they first seemed, but my family and I are still absolutely amazed by the level of incompetence as well as the complete lack of compassion and common courtesy that we’ve experienced from these so-called medical professionals (or those otherwise entrusted with our well-being during a medical emergency).

Kinda sounds like the types of things we sometimes hear from candidates in regards to our industry and profession doesn’t it? That really got me thinking about the similarities between my recent experience and that of a candidate who is pursuing a career opportunity.

Besides, what else was I supposed to do as I sat there with my wife in the Emergency Room for an additional 3.5 hours waiting for the results of a urine sample that normally takes an hour at the most?

Contrary to popular opinion, perhaps in this case it’s not like apples to oranges, but like annoyance to annoyance instead. Maybe there are more similarities between these two experiences then we realize.

My criticisms of what’s wrong with our nation’s health system has been documented before. I guess in some small way I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had these past two days because it reminded me that I need to ALWAYS put myself in the candidate’s shoes as well as the client’s.

Here are some of my observations…

Communication stinks despite the fact that we live in a world where there are more ways to communicate than ever before. I am convinced that when a doctor or nurse tells you “I’ll look into that for you right away” they mean what they say, but failed to mention the part about them having to tie your question/request to a pigeon whose job is to deliver that message to the person you need to speak to. They also leave out the part about that pigeon being the ONLY BIRD IN THE ENTIRE HOSPITAL so it’s logical to assume that it might take our feathered friend quite a long time to deliver your message when so many patients are already on his to-do list. Oh yeah, and he has to travel the ENTIRE HOSPITAL on a reconnaissance mission to find YOUR SPECIFIC DOCTOR out of all the rest. Why does it take so long to get an honest answer? Sadly, I’m sure there are many working professionals who ask the same question when working with us and going through a interviewing/hiring process. There’s no excuse for a lack of communication in today’s world whether it’s a medical issue or an employment one.

Is it too much to ask for better customer service? One thing I’ll never understand is how so many seemingly inconsiderate people work in hospitals. At first, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and figured it has to be one of the most emotionally charged and draining professions. Plus, it makes sense that many doctors would emotionally detach themselves from their patients so that they could do their job effectively. That seems like a cop out to me. Medical professionals would be better to understand that this is one of the very few times in my life that I have ever (and will ever) visit an Emergency Room. The experience may be routine for you, but it’s frighteningly new for me and my family. There are so many questions and concerns racing through our heads so please, when we ask you a simple question, don’t look at us like we have horns coming out of our heads or speak to us in a condescending or annoyed tone. I’d imagine this is a similar experience for most people who are forced to begin a job search. Perhaps they’ve been with the same company for 10+ years, had a stable and rewarding position and now they were laid off and have to somehow find a way to make ends meet for them and their family of five. We need to treat candidates with the same kind of respect (respect for their situation) and genuine concern and consideration. It’s amazing what a caring attitude can accomplish!

These are just two of many observations of the possible similarities, but I would venture to guess that these are the two most common complaints on both sides.

We would be wise to address these issues immediately. If you’re not doing so already, do yourself a favor and ask the candidates you work with to give you an honest assessment of their experience working with you.

Whether positive or negative the information you obtain will be priceless (as long as you don’t ignore it).