It started off as a review appointment at the Orthopaedic Clinic of a public hospital for my father on the 8th of February at 3PM.
But by the time the session was over, I decided to apply for a job there.
Now, you may think that I was awed by the service provided by the nurses or motivated by the hospital’s efforts in enhancing healthcare to push me to send in my resume quickly, but it was neither.
On the contrary, I was compelled to apply for a position at this hospital because of its weaknesses, which in my opinion (and this is my opinion only) are the lapses in service standards and communication skills of their staff. And while I could just send in a feedback form and wait for a few days before receiving a standard corporate reply that has been sitting in the organisation’s mailbox draft all along, I thought to myself, “Why not make a job opportunity out of it?”
Long story short, the appointment dragged on for a couple of hours, and during my wait there, I witnessed a series of events that I believe the hospital could have handled better.
Then again, you might be thinking, “Why are you doing this, Alex? Why not just give your feedback and let the hospital do its job? What makes you think your advice or opinion carries weight?”
Well, before being a Communication major, I studied Hotel and Hospitality Management, which required me to go through various modules and practicals that revolved around the service aspect of the Hospitality industry.
Being a Communication major has also, without doubt, made me a more effective communicator with valuable communication skills. Both the hospitality and communications field are areas that are of interest to me – which is why I studied them in the first place.
So, when I see a situation whereby certain standards in a particular field are not met, I feel compelled to speak up about it, especially since these are areas that I am passionate about.
The reason why I decided to approach this issue in an unorthodox way, which was to apply for a job through a feedback channel was because – why not?
American entrepreneur Marc Ostrofsky once said, “Opportunities present themselves every day – to everyone. You just have to be alert and ready to act”.
I saw my window of opportunity at that moment, while the series of events were unfolding in front of me – I am 25 years old, graduating from university soon, and have yet to find a full time job. Maybe a feedback and some advice from an educated standpoint is what I needed to get myself a job.
Thus, to a certain extent, my advice and opinion does carry weight, not necessarily from a place of experience, but from a place of education, innovation and a tiny bit of wit.
Below, you will find a screen grab of the entire email that was sent to the hospital (note: it is very lengthy!)
I have chosen to leave out the name of the organisation because my intention was never to shame or publicly deface the reputation of the hospital.
My sole purpose for doing what I have done is because the subject matter at hand is close to my heart and because I fear for the uncertainty of my future (i.e. being jobless).
While I await the hospital’s reply with regards to my feedback and my job application, I do not have any expectations on the outcome. If things pan out in my favour, then all is good.
But if things do not pan out, well, at least I gave it a shot right?
This article was written by Alex Kua WenJie.
Featured Image Credit: The Middle Ground
