Palmetto Health Named Top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare

I believe Palmetto Health made Modern Healthcare magazine’s list of the 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare is because of its compassion, dignity and excellence. I experienced this not only from being an employee, but also being a patient in need of care. Palmetto Health’s Vision to be remembered by each patient as providing the care and compassion we want for our families and ourselves were demonstrated to me while I was a patient.

Compassion: In the past year I have had at least five in patient stays with Palmetto Health, but one really stands out. I had gone into pre-term labor in June of 2009 and lost a baby. It was a very devastating and emotionally draining time for our family. Well a year later we were back in the hospital due to preterm labor again. There was a wonderful nurse by the name of Peggy who cared for me during my loss in 2009. She had only been my nurse for two days because it was time for her to take days off. I never forgot about Peggy, she cared for me as though I was her daughter. In 2010 I went into preterm labor again, and I was blessed to have Peggy as my nurse. I remembered her, but I wasn’t sure if she remembered me. She not only took care of me, but she also took good care of my husband while we waited to see what was going to happen. When it was time for me to go to labor delivery she started crying and I said to her “I don’t know if you remember me but last year we lost a baby and you were my nurse”. She said, “I know that’s why I’m crying, because I do remember you.” It brought tears to my eyes to know that Peggy who sees many people on a daily basis remembered me. Not only did she help me physically, but also spiritually. It made me feel like she was there in my sadness and now she was sharing my joy.

Dignity: Losing a baby is heart breaking no matter how far along you are. When we lost our baby girl in 2009 I was 19 weeks pregnant. In medical terms if lose a baby before 24 weeks your loss is considered a miscarriage. In mothers terms you have lost a child. I can say that Palmetto Health is very well prepared to bring as much comfort and dignity as possible when dealing with such a loss. The nurses didn’t make me feel like our baby was a statistic. They allowed us time to spend with her, they took pictures, provided us with a hospital certificate and footprints. Every so often I get information in the mail to remind me that Palmetto Health is here for me and my family and to call if a need arises. It’s because of the nurses at Palmetto Health that we were able to acknowledge our daughter and for that I am grateful!

Excellence: At the end of the day everything boils down to excellence. Palmetto Health is not only an excellent employer, but also an excellent provider of care. I am blessed to be able to have the best of both worlds; I’m not only cared for as an employee, but also as a patient. Palmetto Health has proven itself to be a well rounded facility. As an employee I am motivated to give world class customer service which I also received as a patient.

These are the reasons why I feel that Palmetto Health has made the list three years in a row.