Check out the latest results of the Gallup Poll on Honesty/Ethics in Professions. This is the 2012 survey, which shows Nurses and Pharmacists on top. This is not unusual–these two professions have been near the top for many years. Nonetheless, given that we are business driven by pharmacy and nursing, it is nice to know that people in the world value what we do and trust our ability to help them. And for all you car salespeople out there, keep your chin up.
I heard a very interesting radio piece some time ago on NPR. It was an excerpt of “This I Believe”, which asks prominent members of society (politicians, artists, business men and women…) to comment on their founding truths about life and how to live it. This particular essay was submitted by Warren Christopher, who was U.S. Secretary of State from 1993 to 1997. As President Carter’s Deputy Secretary of State, he helped normalize relations with China, win ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, and gain release of the American hostages in Iran among other things. Pretty heady stuff, to be sure.
His essay was trust, and how important it is among people and nations. Here is an excert from that piece:
One night recently, I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour. A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed. As we passed each other, I caught the other driver’s eye for only a second.
I wondered whether he might be thinking, as I was, how dependent we were on each other at that moment. I was relying on him not to fall asleep, not to be distracted by a cell phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life suddenly to an end. And though we had never spoken a word to one another, he relied upon me in just the same way.
Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works. At some level, we all depend upon one another. Sometimes that dependence requires us simply to refrain from doing something like crossing over the double yellow line. And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively, with allies or even with strangers.
I find this interesting because today’s world seems to be losing trust, particulary in light of recent tragic events in Connecticut. Every time one of these senseless acts of violence occurs, it puts us on edge and further erodes our faith in one another. We are all on heightened alert, and tend to look at each other with caution and suspicion. Can my children go to school safely? The mall? A movie theater? Who are you and what is in that black bag you are carrying?
These questions are beyond the scope of this particular post, but I believe that we can turn this around, and can affect positive change in the world by the work that we do. All of us, in whatever capacity, can do the little things that help bring people together simply by treating people with kindness and respect. It is also good to know that in the work that we do at Infusion Solutions, we combine the two most trusted professions together under one roof–nursing and pharmacy.
Quality healthcare of any kind does require a great deal of trust between the patient and the provider. The patient needs to know that the provider is qualified to make the right decisions, and the provider needs to know that the patient is being forthright and will abide by his or her recommendations and follow through with the course of therapy. No where is that more evident than in the world of home infusion, where under our direct supervision, patients are actively engaged in the administration of their own medications and play an integral role in the success of the treatment. When done properly this is a true alliance between provider and patient, and when both sides trust that they have each other’s best interests in mind, good things happen. Patients heal and recover, and move into a better state of health.
So here’s to trust and better health!