Chief of Staff Rounds

After I became the Chief of Staff of a large hospital, I met with its President and invited him to join me on morning administrative rounds every two weeks. Our first rounds took us to the intensive care unit where the chief nurse recognized and welcomed me. Then she turned to the Hospital President and said that visitors were not allowed in the ICU unless they were known members of a patient's family. When I quickly introduced them, and she realized that he was her boss, she was mortified; he did not smile.

A few weeks later we met again for our rounds and walked to the psychiatry inpatient unit. This time, the chief nurse recognized the President. Her welcome was the announcement that this was the first time he had visited the unit in over two years and she had been wondering when he would show up to see what was going on. She wasn't smiling and neither was he.

He never accepted my invitation to make rounds again.