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Working at “The Country Club” (Hospital, That Is)
Long ago in a land far away, I worked at a hospital that ran like clockwork. We had almost no job turnover and we produced excellent patient outcomes. I don’t know the name of the architect who planned our hospital, but its design was integral to its functionality. From a distance, its tall “X-shaped” towers glowed white in the sun. A cool, modern feature, you might think. But on the inside, it made all the difference.
Picture a large “X-shaped” floorplan creating four, equal wings, each containing pods of fifteen patient rooms, every one with an outside window and a view of the nearby, evergreen-covered hills. Each patient pod was identical in shape and function, making it easy for staff to float between units. On the third floor of this magical hospital, the A and C pods were directly opposite each other, providing a constant view of the action; similarly, the B and D pods. If you happened to see an elderly patient wandering out of the pod across the way, you could call the opposite nursing station and give them a heads up. Better yet, you could walk fifteen steps, take the patient by the arm, and gently escort them home.
The center of the large “X” was contained alcoves that held shared equipment, various lifts and other assistive devices, as well as a bank of elevators and two, shared, staff break rooms. Each floor of the…
