This morning, I am going to do something I’ve never done before. Actually, I’m not doing anything. I’ll be watching something.
photo courtesy of Central Carolina ENT (but after today, I’ll have my own)
This (very official) medical procedure is called a Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing. Or, FEES, as we in the business call it.
We in the business – yeah, right. I’ve never been medically trained in any sort of way and, well, I tend to get a little faint when in the presence of, well, anything medical. Although, I’ve gotten pretty good with band-aids and cough syrup. Are you thinking This should be interesting? Me too.
I’m not going to be focusing on the procedure (but who can ignore a person next to you with a tube up their nose and eating a snack) as much as the person administering the procedure. I’ll be focusing on their – you guessed it – level of professionalism. I’ll be looking for things like: Does the therapist appear professional? (White lab coat, anyone?) Does the therapist introduce herself to everyone? Is the therapist conversational with the patient? Is the therapist interactive with the employees at the facility? Can the therapist clearly convey her intentions and any requests she may have of the patient or staff? You know…just the basic body and literal language that lets others know you are large and in-charge.
I don’t want the therapist to feel like I’m breathing down her neck and dissecting her every move. I hope she’ll feel encouraged to get my feedback. ‘Course, I’ll have to put away my smelling salts in order to appear my most professional.
