Last Updated Oct 2012
Humor? Yeah, right! It’s cute, it’s entertaining, but it’s just not practical. Heck, it does not even match the image of the therapy professionals.
There are a lot of folks in healthcare who have confused the term “professional” with “solemn.” But you can deliver highly professional and competent care and still use humor.
When I speak to hospital managers and administrators their response is, “But if we allow people to have fun, we won’t get anything done.” Again, that’s because they’re thinking of fun in terms of goofy and wacky. I’m not opposed to acting goofy and wacky when the time and place is right. But humor is about mindset and perspective and it does improve patient care.
Plato once said, “Life must be lived as play.” In healthcare, it’s important to take our job as a therapist seriously and ourselves lightly. Play can be a wonderful tool in building relationships with our patients and coworkers. That’s why we think The Service Prescription needs to include things like humor, fun, and yes—even play.
In a recent conversation with Patch Adams, he emphasized, “We are born masters of play. Our lives are swamps of play—but somewhere that swamp dries up.”
According to Patch, who is a master of introducing play into the clinical setting, “It can be simple. Put a few toys in your pockets. Play starts with a twinkle in your eye, a smile on your face and the willingness to greet.”
When I was working in the hospital setting, I used to wear playful buttons on my labcoat, with silly quotes like, “Stop me before I become my mother!” or, “What’s wrong? Is it my hair?” Some were festive. A few were silly. All were fun. And I never ceased to be amazed at the impact such a tiny gesture could make. Patients would laugh and show their guests; family members would pull me out of the hallway to make sure their loved one would get a quick chuckle. Co-workers and therapy assistants would check me out for a quick respite. The willingness to smile, be playful, and connect with others definitely helps the medicine go down!
Patch says play can come into every aspect of what we do as therapy professionals. “People ask if it’s hard, and I tell them what’s hard is not playing. Play is like music and art. You don’t have to be any good to enjoy it. The joy is in the practice.”
I’ve spent the last couple of decades studying humor and I’ve come to the conclusion that for most adults, humor comes from pain and discomfort. We’re not laughing about having a great hair day or a sexy figure or more money than we can possibly spend. We’re laughing about the things that drive us crazy. As therapy professionals, there are a lot of things that drive us crazy.
About the Author: T. Scott Gross is the author of 13 fun-to-read books, including The Service Perscription: Healthcare the Way It was Meant to Be!, which is based in part on Scott's first book and most requested keynote, Positively Outrageous Service! The Service Prescription, co-authored with NurseTogether contributor Karyn Buxman RN MSN and Greg Ayers DMD, offers step-by-step guidelines for building healthcare practices that deliver in true POS style. Visit www.tscottgross.com