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Christopher Dottin is responsible for knowing where patients are going, but he also makes it a point to know where they are coming from. Dottin, an escort in Central Transport Services, realizes when silence is comforting and when chatter is welcome.
“It’s important to smile, be friendly, interact with patients and treat them like a family member would want to be treated,” Dottin said. “As long as you smile, everything goes smoothly.”
Raul Rodriguez, supervisor in CTS, said Dottin has set an example for the other escorts throughout his five years at BWH.
“This is the type of job where the patient dictates how things go,” Rodriguez said. “Some patients are upbeat and some are down, but an escort can talk to them and bring that little smile to their faces and let them know they care. Chris always does that.”
For Dottin, providing quality customer service goes hand in hand with ensuring patient safety. He always checks patients’ charts against their wristband and his assignment to be sure he’s taking the right patient to the right location. After the move, he always removes his gloves, cleans his hands and disinfects the equipment.
In order to ensure that the patient is comfortably moved to or from the stretcher or wheelchair, he consults with the nurses caring for the patient. “I always get the nurses involved in moving patients because they know what hurts on the patient,” he said.
Dottin transports anywhere from 20 to 30 patients per his 8.5-hour shift, which is part of CTS’s 24-hour operation. Mostly, he brings patients from the cardiovascular recovery room to the Tower, but he also transports patients to and from MRI, XRay and CT scans.
Dottin, who recently earned an accounting degree from Quincy College, has met patients from as far away as Ireland and Australia in his travels at BWH. One patient even talked with Dottin about pursuing his dreams of police work.
“I met a former cop who helped me learn a lot about the job,” he said. “You never know who you’re going to meet.”
Editor’s Note:Profiles of Excellence is a new feature that will run in BWH Bulletin the third Friday of each month to highlight BWHers who do their jobs exceptionally well and contribute to patient care, education and research. Know someone we should highlight? E-mail bwhbulletin@partners.org and tell us why.