Providing the Best Care Possible

By Lindsey Renner

I would like to say from the bottom of my heart how much it meant to me to receive the Ed Yoder Memorial Scholarship from the AHRA Education Foundation. Ed was my mentor. He was a phenomenal person with the kindest heart that I’ve ever met, and I’m so grateful that I had the privilege of working for him. Even when going through his treatments, no matter how he was feeling, he was always concerned about his employees, always had a smile on his face, a kind word to offer, and an encouraging hug when you needed it the most. I am proud to have worked for him, and I will never forget him, or how he cared for us at our facility.

The scholarship provided funds for me to attend the Fall Virtual Conference. It was a first for me, and it was quite enjoyable. I was especially happy that I could watch the presentations whenever I had the time. The presentations that impacted me the most were the ones focused on patient care, customer service, and the benefits of happy employees. It was so valuable to be able to listen to many different people in management at different hospitals all over the country express their views on these topics.

Our patients deserve to get the best service and treatment that we can offer. Going the extra mile to make a patient more comfortable, such as offering a warm blanket, can really make a difference for that patient. Checking in on them if they are waiting for something lets them know that they haven’t been forgotten about them. We don’t know what is going on in that patient’s life, how they feel, or how much pain they are in. We also should extend our excellent level of care to our patients’ families. I was in the hospital with my mom this past August, and I was so terrified that I was going to lose her. I sat alone in her room, crying and confused, and not a single person came to check on me, asked me if I needed anything, or even just offered a hug as they looked at me while walking past the window. It deeply bothered me as a healthcare student, and it strengthened my resolve to always go the extra mile to show my patients and their families that I care, because I wouldn’t want anyone else to feel like how I did.

Being in a facility that has happy employees will show the minute you walk in the front door. If your employees are happy, it will trickle down to how patients, families, and other staff members are treated. Turnover rate is lower because no one wants to leave a facility that they are happy at. After being treated at Lexington Medical Center once, I knew I wanted to remain at that facility because of the ease of my medical records being accessible to the satellite offices, the friendly staff, and the overall experience of my treatments and surgeries. It was such a wonderful experience that I ended up working there!

Working hard doesn’t have to be a chore when you’re doing something you enjoy and are passionate about. When we drive toward our passion, it navigates the way for us. You have to have a heart in healthcare, and you have to want to care for others. You make sure your work is done, and you can go home satisfied and sleep at night knowing you provided the best care you could for the patients that you encountered that day. You’re satisfied knowing that you did your best to help your coworkers perform their jobs and that they can rely on you for help if they need it. That’s the kind of life I want to have working as a radiologic technologist.

Lindsey Renner is a radiography student at Midlands Technical College in West Columbia, SC. She can be reached at lrenner86@gmail.com.