During a conversation with a friend of mine recently (he is in the medical industry too) I pointed out that our clients had a couple of things in common.
For one thing they are consultant surgeons.
And that means they are all supremely qualified. They are right at the top of the game. They have to be because the patient’s life is sometimes – literally – in their hands.
Then my friend made a really interesting point.
He said as a surgeon (he IS one) both he and other consultants are VERY used to asking for a second opinion from another consultant surgeon.
Yet he could not understand why therefore when it came to running their private medical practice AS A BUSINESS, there seemed to be a reluctance to go out and seek the opinion of an expert in running a private medical practice as a business.
Maybe its because after all the years of training, our clients are so highly trained and skilled they are almost hardwired to perform in a certain way. What is curious is that other professionals i.e. non medical have a similar tendency.
They too are reluctant to ask for expert help.
And there is nothing more dangerous than someone who thinks he knows but in reality doesn’t.
Worse still when he does not realise what he knows is wrong or inappropriate.
THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW!
Silly example: my partner and I were having dinner with my friend and his wife recently. My partner (Lord knows why) enquired why ladies were required to remove nail polish or nail gel if they were having a surgical episode? In her opinion it was unnecessary. Because, according to my friend, the theatre staff attach monitors to the patient’s fingers to monitor her and nail gel causes problems with the connection. He knew what he knew but my partner didn’t know what she didn’t know.
pete@medicalhealthcaremanagement.co.uk
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