There are a lot of different ways in which one might answer the question: “what is the role of security in healthcare? Some might say it is to protect persons and property. Some might say it is to stop workplace violence. Others might say it is to provide good customer service. One might even say it is to help people feel safe. All of these statements are true. They each describe an aspect of our responsibility as healthcare security professionals. I however, tend to think none of these statements accurately describe the full weight of our responsibility.
Healthcare security professionals work in asymmetrical and chaotic environments. The healthcare facility of today is not the same as the facility of a year ago. Now, more than ever, we face rapid change to the paradigms that once governed our operations faithfully. When we look out over the landscape of our industry we see a thousand different external pressures and a thousand more internal pressures all working to push and pull us in every possible direction. This is true for us as leaders, but even more so for those that practice our profession on the frontline.
We feel these rapid changes due to new laws and the ever-changing regulatory requirements that govern our organizations. We feel these changes due to the onset of the pandemic. We feel the instability in our society and the ongoing stress that all of our customers (internal and external) bring into our organizations. We feel the realities of workplace violence in our facilities and the hurt we and our clinical partners endure. We feel the loss that is prevalent due to nature of the human drama as it plays out scene after scene in our hospitals. We see and feel all of this and more every shift and every day as we work in healthcare.
Of course, we are not the only ones who see and feel all of this chaos. So do our customers, internal and external. Often, they are the ones who have called us to come and assist them – to help as they work to endure. That is where we leave our mark, that is where we improve the lives of those we touch. We have the unique responsibility of being the smile in the midst of the whirlwind. We come to your aid, we provide calm and reassurance, often at the darkest moment for those we serve. This is a unique and incredible calling, and it is a legacy we leave to those who fill our roles after we depart. We help when no one else can. We bring calm to the storm.
Do you feel the chaos of healthcare in your daily work? How do you work to live up to the weight of our role in healthcare? Join the conversation in the comments below. Don’t forget to like, follow and share to support the Proactive Security Blog.
