SENSE OF DIRECTION – ISSUE NO. 28

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?" "That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat. "I don't much care where-" said Alice. "Then it doesn't matter which way you go," said the Cat. A passage from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Some of the articles last week dealt with mistakes and understanding what needs to be done. I think this quote reflects many of those articles. For the medical professional, we get our direction from the manufacturer of the item. They provide us with the direction we need to clean, sterilize and use the item. Without that guidance we are lost, have no direction and many times staff have to "do the best they can" with little or no direction. So it is important for medical professionals to obtain "the proper sense of direction" and knowledge needed to perform the work the correct way. This can be done by the manufacturer coming to the department and giving in-services. Other forms are the meetings we attend outside of work. Because of advancement in technology we can obtain the information "over the internet" in the form of "webinars". Lastly, and just as important, is being certified in our chosen profession. Regardless of the way you get your information, we need it to provide quality care. We work in a dynamic environment, as also noted by some of the articles this past week, change is always taking place. Let us not be like Alice when it comes to our job; let us make sure our staff and ourselves have what is needed so we can go in the right direction and do our best each and every time.