“Patient states he would…..”
“I have a patient…”
“I’ll bet your patients exo leg….”
“I have a couple of patients wearing them …”
How do I put this nicely…..
FYI: many amputees consider the term “patient” when used by prosthetic
providers to be condescending and patronizing.
To refer to the end user as a patient doesn’t reflect the true nature of
the prosthetist/amputee relationship which is, in actuality, a business
based client/provider relationship and not a patient/caregiver
relationship.
I need prosthetics so I hire a prosthetist to manufacture these prosthetics
for me. I then pay the prosthetist a CONSIDERABLE sum of money for that
product. That makes our relationship business/financial. I hire you, you
become my “manufacturer” and I become your “Client” or customer.
The services provided by the professional prosthetist can be likened to
that of a mechanic or other trades person as in actual fact you are hired
to provide me with a custom fabricated prosthetic. If I did not have that
prosthetic, my medical condition would not change, so if we take the term
literally, we are not patients and you are not medical providers.
Some of you may think there is no difference between patient and client,
that it is just a term, but I can assure you there is a huge difference.
It’s an indication of the attitude of the prosthetist. It is also an
indication of future earnings.
There are prosthetists that provide the level of service that is expected.
They are the ones who get a ton of referrals because of the level of
service they provide. They’re the ones whose names are passed around the
amp community as in “you have to call this guy/gal/office, I got great
service and I love my arm/leg”. And it all boils down to how valuable you
consider the amputee, your clients, to be.
I value my clients. They pay my bills. If I had no clients, I would have
no money. Simple as that. So in order to pay my bills, my clients are the
most important thing in my business and they are treated that way. The
same can be said for prosthetists. There are so many of you out there that
we can pick and choose who will or will not get our business and by
default, our money.
Just letting you know.
