The Empathic Concierge: Why Personal Connections Matter

Robin Parry, Concierge, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Meg Rider, Guest Relations and Volunteer Services Manager, Magee Rehabilitation Hospital

The concierge program at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital, developed in 2006 by a nursing assistant supervisor to provide non-clinical services for the patients and their families, has grown to be an integral part of our service-delivery to the entire Magee community. The concierge program is ever evolving and expanding in new ways to support patients and their family members utilizing our “Can Do” service delivery model. What drives this expansion is also a deep sense of empathy and compassion. Without these core values, the program is simply a job description of errands and tasks, which when performed well is a helpful addition to any hospital, but when it is done empathy and compassion, can be the beautiful force that ties together all elements of patient healing to provide a caring road to recovery. Attendees of this session will understand the “Can Do” service delivery model, how making personal connections and communicating with empathy and showing compassion for every patient and family is the top priority of the team, and anticipating the needs of a patient or family member and making a patient’s day are daily goals. Attendees will also leave with an understanding of how to increase their level of empathy and compassion in their own work. The concierge program is funded by donations to Magee’s foundation, and attendees will leave with ideas on how to fund raise for their own program and how to educate staff on the core concepts in their own settings.