Episode 10 – How Can I Help? Adventures in Hospital Concierge Care
Have you ever wondered who might be calming your pet’s nerves after they are behind closed doors? That’s a pretty important role, and just one of the many things Partner’s Hospital Concierge does during her shift. Listen to Maria Kean, our Frederick Hospital Concierge, talk about what her day entails. From keeping the hospital clean to helping calm your pet’s nerves, she does it all.
What You’ll Learn?
- What a day in the life of a Partner Hospital Concierge looks like.
- What the most rewarding part of Maria’s job is.
- An experience that has stuck with Maria and made the biggest impression on her career.
- The impact Maria wants to leave on the veterinary profession.
Before you listen in, get to know a little more about Maria in this quick Q&A:
What was your first job? Retail
What makes you laugh the most? Animal babies navigating their way
What’s one thing that can instantly make your day better? Turning someone’s day from a bad day to a good day. It gives me purpose and feels amazing!
Who do you admire most in the world (past or present)? Mother Teresa—she lived a life so different from the masses. Every day was driven by her purpose to serve others (poorest of the poor). She lived her entire life with simplicity, never passed judgment or complained.
What’s your spirit animal and why? The Elephant—because they are strong.
[Music]
Narrator:
Welcome back to “Did You Know,” a podcast by Partner Veterinary. In this series, we explore all things veterinary medicine and all things Partner. In each episode, we answer some of the most common questions that we are asked, from HR to emergencies and everything in between. If it happens at Partner, we’ll cover it.
One of Partner’s core values is “Reimagine.” We strive to find new ways of helping clients and pets while creating an environment where our team members can thrive. With this in mind, we have some very unique roles in our company that you wouldn’t find anywhere else. For example, did you know that Partner has a hospital concierge? In this episode, we hear from Maria Keen, a hospital concierge from our Frederick Hospital. Maria will explain what her role is all about and why it is so important.
Maria Keen:
“Hi, my name is Maria Keen and I’m the hospital concierge with Partner Veterinary. I became involved in the veterinary profession due to a lifelong love affair with animals. My earliest recollections as a child was having dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and everything in between. In addition to the joys they brought me, I also saw a need to care for them and help them live their best lives. So it was a natural course of action for me that I would hold a profession that involved animals in my life. So here I am.”
Jen Mellace:
“That’s fantastic! And why did you choose Partner?”
Maria Keen:
“I chose Partner because of their vision to reimagine the veterinary profession. I was drawn into their desire to have a team of individuals who collaborated, supported, and appreciated each other, all the while administering extraordinary care for their patients.”
Jen Mellace:
“Can you walk me through a day in your role as hospital concierge?”
Maria Keen:
“Sure! A day in my role as a hospital concierge is never boring or mundane or routine, and that’s what I love the most about it. It’s really based upon the needs of the hospital that day. So goes something like this: I arrive for my shift and I head straight over to the ER to see what needs to be done. ER dictates how I start my shift basically. It may be to clean off exam tables, floors, add fresh bedding to suites for patients, taking the patients out to potty, helping out restraining animals that might need to be restrained. I also stock any items that might be running low or needs replenished so it’s ready and available for the next patient. There are times when I may need to be an extra set of hands or eyes for the veterinarians, techs, and assistance with the patients. I may be asked to sit with a patient, for instance, that is on a seizure watch because a stat just came in and all the staff are with the pet, doing their best to help them. Or I may go in to help restrain a dog to have an X-ray or a cat to have a catheter placed, or help give a dog a bath. My days here are never boring and never the same, and I have found where I belong here at Partner’s Hospital concierge. I absolutely love it!”
Jen Mellace:
“You really get a lot of hands-on with the animals then, don’t you?”
Maria Keen:
“Yes, I do, and that’s what I also love about it. I’m just kind of gauging where they need me most, so some days are more involved with the patients than others, and that’s okay.”
Jen Mellace:
“Do you have a lot of contact with the patients’ owners as well, or are you mostly just focused on the animals themselves?”
Maria Keen:
“I do. I do float around the hospital, making sure all the rooms are neat and tidy and replenished. And sometimes if I see a patient’s parent out in the waiting room and they look a little worried or distressed, which is often the case here, I go over and say hello to them. ‘Can I get you a bottle of water? Do you need anything I can do for you?’ And just the reassurance that I acknowledge them and that they’re there really helps make them feel better because most of us with pets have been on the other side too. So we know what that’s like. So it’s just being acknowledged and knowing that we’re here and we’re going to keep an eye on them and their pets.”
Jen Mellace:
“Yeah, that’s… I imagine that’s very comforting for people to have someone like you and our other team members floating around doing that. What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?”
Maria Keen:
“I would say the most rewarding part of my job is being a source of comfort to a scared dog or cat that is in their suite waiting to be seen by the doctor. Even just soft words spoken with compassion, love, and kindness oftentimes will settle them down because it can be a little crazy in the ER, and I just want to comfort them and help them feel a little bit better. And it makes me feel better to see them settle down a little bit.”
Jen Mellace:
“What experience or experiences stick with you the most during or have made the biggest impression on you in your career so far?”
Maria Keen:
“I would have to say it was here at Partner, and I was doing my routine. I always consider myself kind of like a shark, just swimming around, floating around to see what needs my attention. And I was floating around the front of the ER where the emergency doors are, and the front desk had ran into the back to communicate with the staff about a patient. And all of a sudden the doors flung open and I heard this woman screaming, ‘Help! Help! My dog’s oxygen tank stopped working! I need help!’ And all of a sudden I became that tech assistant, ran over to the door, got the gurney, went out to the car, helped her get her dog in on the gurney, and I wheeled the dog back to the ER. And that really made an impression because I really felt like I made a difference that day with the team and staff, just being there for them, and they were so happy to see that. So it really was a powerful moment for me. I really felt I was important.”
Jen Mellace:
“Yeah, well certainly you are important with all that you do, but yeah, you were definitely in the right place at the right time and made a difference for that pet and pet owner. So I imagine that would stick with you.”
Maria Keen:
“Yes, it really did.”
Jen Mellace:
“What impact do you want to leave on the veterinary profession?”
Maria Keen:
“The impact that I want to leave on the veterinary profession is to never ever forget that all of us are in the veterinary profession to help the animals and that’s why we exist.”
Jen Mellace:
“I think that’s a very important impact to leave. I think that would be a good one as well. There’s so much that goes on in this profession, and I think having that in the front of our minds is a good thing to have. Maria, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us today.”
Maria Keen:
“Thank you, Jen, it’s a pleasure.”
Narrator:
Thank you for listening to “Did You Know.” Is there something about Partner that you want to know? Email us at letstalkpartnervsc.com. Who knows? We might turn your question into an entire episode! And you can now find us wherever you listen to all of your other favorite podcasts. Subscribe now!
[Music]