
The doctor recommended getting dental surgery to ensure four-year-old Callen’s emotional well-being, rather than capping each tooth individually. Maureen had already had previous positive experiences with Misericordia Health Centre so she was pleased when the dental surgery was scheduled to be at MHC.
A personalized experience.
On May 31, 2010, Callen was brought to the health centre for her surgery. She occupied herself in the waiting room with toy trucks. After a nurse took Callen’s temperature, she was brought to a room and the doctor gave her a mask. “The mask smelled like bubblegum!” Callen remembers excitedly.
She had brought with her a book, Franklin Goes to the Hospital, and she showed it to the anaesthetist. “I was really impressed with how the anaesthetist took the time to let Callen talk about the characters in the book and showed her what procedures she’d be going through that were similar to the book… this was a professional who must have been very busy but she took the time to show sincere interest,” Maureen said. “It’s all these little touches that make Misericordia so special.”
The surgery itself went very smoothly, and afterward Maureen and Callen spent an hour sitting in a big armchair. The nurses gave Callen a Popsicle and they put a princess sticker on her bandage. Mother and daughter were never rushed by anyone at the health centre, but instead were checked up on every 15 minutes by the same doctors and nurses that Callen had already met.
Because of how the doctors and nurses handled it, nothing made her nervous. Everything was timed perfectly,” says Maureen of their trip to the health centre. “I felt complete confidence in the people taking care of my daughter, from the first interaction to the last goodbye as we walked down the hall.”
Callen viewed the positive experience as something of a field trip. Rather than being fearful or anxious of health centres and hospitals, she now associates them with a pleasant atmosphere and people who show caring, respect and trust. These are the qualities shared in everyone working at Misericordia