I slid out from behind the steering wheel and slammed the car door shut. The fall afternoon sunshine was so beautiful, I should have been out enjoying a walk on my country road. But a day off from my job at the hospital was often spent running errands. Once I completed my job list, I swung by the hospital to attend a meeting at the 7 North Unit where I worked. While on duty when unit meetings are being held, I was often too busy to attend.

I walked into the lounge where the meeting was being held, followed by two nurses who also had the day off. Our Unit Manager nurse slowly worked her way through the meeting agenda; a new doctor’s standing orders, changes in how to send certain lab samples, patient safety issues, and an update on computer-based training requirements. Her last topic: the results of recent patient-care surveys. Our patients were saying the care they received from us was good. According to administration, that meant we were falling down on the job! Afterall, why weren’t our patients saying we gave ‘very good’, or ‘excellent’ care on the hospital survey?

As an employee at the hospital, I was always aware that if a patient had a nurse or nursing assistant who was rude or gave poor care, that patient would see the entire hospital as being a bad place. Each employee represents the place where they work. A bad employee is like a weak link: a breaking point. The patients surveyed regarding their stay at my hospital didn’t say they thought our care was subpar. But according to the survey managers, our patients damned us with faint praise. Administration reacted to the survey report as if they had been given a mouthful of unsweetened, lukewarm oatmeal.