From restaurant manager to OR nurse, a guy who gets it

Registered nurse Paul McGourty. Photo source: Boston Globe

"It's all about making the customer feel welcome and special."

That's a quote from Paul McGourty comparing his two careers — first as a marketing manager for Au Bon Pain restaurants to his new career as a registered nurse in the OR at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Milton, Mass.

McGourty was profiled by The Boston Globe ("Live and learn: Relating to People," October 6, 2013) in a series about people who have transformed their lives through education and training.

But McGourty has transformed more than just his own life — he is among the new generation of health care workers who "gets it" when it comes to building a better patient experience.

Too many organizations think patient experience is about raising HCAHPS scores or offering hotel- and spa-like amenities. 

It's not. 

It's about building a trusting and communicative environment where caregivers, patients and their families are actively involved in creating and executing care plans.

Because feeling "welcome and special" is just the start. Feeling "activated and heard" is where the real magic happens.