Advice(Ask)

 

Just Ask

Here’s something I’ve learned over the years, and it’s advice I still follow myself.

When you have one of those calls that sticks with you — the ones that make you replay it in your head or wonder if there was something else you should’ve done — ask.

I’ll walk up to the doctor or a nurse who took over my patient, someone I trust and respect, and I’ll ask them straight up: "What could I have done better? Was there anything else I could have done?"

That’s it. No excuses. No defending myself. Just asking.

I’ve been doing this job for almost 25 years, and I still do it. Not because I think I’m bad at what I do, but because I want to be better at it. This job doesn’t leave much room for ego, and it definitely doesn’t reward people who think they already know everything.

Sometimes the answer is, "You did exactly what you should have done."
Sometimes it’s,  "Here's something you might try next time."

Either way, you walk away a little sharper.

The calls that bother you are usually the ones worth learning from. Asking the question doesn’t mean you failed — it means you care enough to get it right the next time.

The best providers aren’t afraid to ask — and they never stop learning.