This picture was taken from the Internet and is used for illustration purposes.

I am ordained in The United Methodist Church. Our denomination’s slogan is “Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors, the People of The United Methodist Church”. Two of the patient care areas I visit daily are CVU and ICU. The door in the image above is very similar to the doors in those two units. Whether the doors are open or closed I never know for sure what I will encounter as I enter the room and engage with the patient and/or visitors in the room.

Sometimes when a room is full of a lot of infusion pumps and other equipment which I can see prior to my entry, I expect the patient will desire a shorter length visit. When there is not as much medical equipment in the room I expect that the patient will have the energy and desire for a longer visit. While this is a good rule of thumb it is not true 100% of the time.

There can be a lot more going on inside the patient’s mind than what the quantity of medical equipment in the room can indicate. When patients are fearful they often find comfort in the ministry of presence even though there may not be continual conversation while I am there. My experiences have taught me that I can estimate probabilities by what I observe before I enter a room, but I need to be watchful for any signs given that point me toward the patient’s needs whether they are what I expect or not.