Monday, April 6, 2009

Handling Holidays in the Practice

Whether it is Passover/Easter or Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa there can always be a problem with different staff celebrations. Many staff at this time of the year wants to celebrate by brining in their special Easter dishes. The problem is that other staff might be offended or at least unable to participate due to religious or food restrictions. That Easter ham or Hot Cross buns might not be a hit to the Jewish employee. On the other hand, the Gefilte fish might offend the vegetarian in the practice. Why not use the holiday season to celebrate the differences and include everyone? This is a great chance to learn about others traditions.

Many practices celebrate a multitude of holidays and celebrations and even include bringing in treats to celebrate the different holidays, but respect others wishes and dietary restrictions. Try to come up with ideas to incorporate as many different holidays and celebrations as possible and learn about them as you do so. This can be an individual thing where you take it upon yourself to learn about others or can be a team effort across the practice. Try to learn something new about others everyday. By learning and having a better understanding of others you learn to respect their beliefs and ideas. You may not agree with them, but you can still respect them.


http://www.physicianspractice.com/index/fuseaction/articles.details/articleID/1249.htm

1 comment:

Ginny Crandall said...

I agree with you completely. Every holiday, you need to be aware of other people and make sure that no one get offended. However, I do believe that the idea should not be to restrict, but to give more. My medical practice management consultants aren't Christian, but they will bring in their latkes the same day I bring in my Christmas cake. We all eat and enjoy together!