"I care about the patient's emotions, but I don't let it get in the way with work. I had a patient who lost his wife he has been married to for 50 years. I can at least hug the patient, and I told him to think about the good memories he has had with her."

"Everyone has an emotional moment, especially in health care. I consider myself kind-hearted but driven to complete my task. I have the ability to put my emotions on the back burner so I can complete a job. An example, unfortunately, lidocaine was injected intrathecally. I realized immediately, put the patient in reverse Trendelenburg position, called anesthesia, and transferred care. Once care was transferred, I was upset, but was able to calm down and finish the work day."

"I always make sure I compartmentalize my emotions because I feel that is part of being professional. The patients are coming in to be helped and I can’t do my best if I am distracted by other issues. Of course, I am only human so I do make sure that I talk to people close to me to let some of the pressure be relieved and allow me to continue to be present at work."

"We tend to carry the emotional weight of our clients through their narrative or countertransference. We sometimes struggle with emotional things in our personal life. My emotions have never interfered with productivity because I find outlets to control them such as taking a break for deep breathing or meditation and consulting with my peers and supervisor."

"That’s a great question and when looking back on my time in the restaurant business I would say no. I am not denying that I am an emotional person. But in a professional environment, I always try to remain calm and collected. Regardless if someone is offensive, rude, or angry, I always try to be the bigger person. I understand that in healthcare the experiences can be similar because both deal in customer service, and knowing how I uphold myself in the restaurant business I think I can easily apply that same work ethic to Kaiser.."

"I have had days where I go to work while dealing with stressful things outside of work, and on those days I look at work like it is my escape from that type of stress and I'm just there to do my job and take my mind off of those things that may inhibit my ability to work. Even if more things pile in the way I'm feeling at work, I don't let my emotions get the best of me and make sure I'm fully focused on the task at hand."

"We all experience different emotions throughout the workday, but this has never impacted my productivity, because I pay attention to how I'm feeling, and remain calm. Recently one of my sons called me at work, to let me know that he had been involved in a serious car accident, but that no one was hurt. I was very shaken by this, but after talking to him for a couple of minutes we devised a plan for his brother to drive him home. I took several deep breaths, calmed down, and was able to focus on work for the rest of the afternoon."