CHANGE – ISSUE NO. 27

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving. I am sure many of you, like me, see change as you meet with family and friends. That change could have been as simple as a nephew growing 2 inches and gaining 20 pounds or as harsh as hearing about a classmate from High School who passed away. Change is with us always, whether we like it or not. Last week we featured some stories that dealt with change. Such as a hospital in West Bloomfield, Michigan that was changing the environment of what a hospital should or could be and the change that is going on with the reprocessing of scopes. Also, two weeks ago AAMI met in Washington D.C. and we know changes of some type will result from those meetings. We all know that things will always change. We understand that, many times, we do not have a choice about the change, but, we do have a choice when it comes to how we react to or handle that change. We can let the change manage us or we can manage the change. We do have a choice. Working in healthcare, we all know that change is just "part of the job". New products, new procedures, new "bugs", we all work in a very dynamic changing environment. One thing I have learned when it comes to change is the more I involve the people affected by the change and communicate to them properly, the better the change is accepted. Change is not easy, but if we work together as a team it can be easier. Hopefully some of these stories will help you deal (and give you ideas on how to handle change) with the change taking place in your work place. With good planning, commitment and communication you will be able to make the change necessary.