Dignity Health | hello Healthy | Spring 2018

HelloHealthy | Spring 2018 5 having an advocate is directly correlated with a positive outcome.” The docent program aims to transform the patient’s experience by taking into account their medical history, preferences, and concerns. Before a person is admitted to the hospital, a docent contacts them to gather both clinical and personal data. The docent shares this information with doctors and nurses to ensure understanding of the patient’s needs during the hospital stay. All the extras Once a patient is admitted, they will be paired with a docent. Memorial Hospital has three full-time docents on site, tending to the needs of about 30 patients per day. The docents offer support in any way necessary, such as answering questions, getting a cup of coffee, or lending an empathetic ear. “Oftentimes the clinical staff has so much on their plates that they simply don’t have time to sit down and hold someone’s hand and offer that additional time to address the nonclinical needs,” says Corrente. “All those extras—that is what patients really remember.” An understanding partnership Docents go through several weeks of training, including workshops and role play, before ever meeting a patient. They also live in the communities they serve, so they have a good understanding of patients. The docents are nonclinical employees, but they work hand in hand with medical staff to deliver a satisfying customer service experience. “If you’re a clinician, this is all the stuff you would love to have more time to do, but you don’t, because you are busy saving lives,” says Corrente. “Now clinicians have a partner in meeting the patients’ needs. We’re a team, and we’re all just working to make the patient experiences as positive as possible.” The goal of a docent is to turn what could be a very stressful, confusing time into a smooth, positive experience for patients and families. Docents make all the difference! For patients at Dignity Health – Memorial Hospital, the new docent service already seems to be making a big impact. New mom Gabby Ramos says having a docent during her hospital stay made all the difference. “I never expected to be in the hospital that long,” Ramos says. “My nurses were great, but it was amazing to have someone else who was there for me, making sure I had everything I needed.” Making the waiting less lonely Ramos was admitted to Memorial Hospital’s maternity unit after her water broke when she was just 26 weeks pregnant. The 20-year-old ended up being confined to her hospital bed for more than three weeks while awaiting the birth of her son. That’s when she was paired with Docent Esmeralda Zuniga, who Ramos says made the days feel far less lonely. “I was able to call or text her whenever I needed anything,” Ramos says. “She brought me ChapStick, hand sanitizer, face wash. And one day I told her I’d been craving chocolate, and she actually brought me my favorite kind. I didn’t even have to tell her.” Being there for each patient “If you just stop and listen to them, that’s the most important thing,” says Zuniga. “This is why I do this job. It’s all about the connection I have with the patient.” Zuniga says she deeply values the relationships she forms and enjoys helping patients in their journeys from start to finish. “For me, it’s sad to say goodbye knowing I will probably never see them again, but I take comfort knowing that for this short time I was there for that person.” As for Ramos, she and her son are both happy, healthy, and back at home. But she says she will never forget her kind and helpful docent, Esme. “I hope the program stays around for other moms, so that they can have their own Esme,” she says. Lisa Corrente, regional manager (left), and our three docents