Respect the hidden heroes

The Collins Dictionary defines a hierarchy as:

‘A system of organising people into different ranks or levels of importance, for example, in society or a company.’

Often, within a hospital, the medical consultants are seen as the most important people. However, I know that a hospital would be at a standstill without the hidden heroes who are often looked down upon or seen as ‘less’.

I have written previously about how some staff nurses can view student nurses as being ‘lower’ than them because we are not qualified. Then, on a few of my recent placements, I have seen that there are other people who are perceived as even ‘lower’ than me.

During my time at university, I was heavily involved in discussing hierarchies and how they can be detrimental to patient care. I had a whole unit on interprofessional working. By learning this, we understood the importance of the other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), not only those in the medical field but also those outside this area. But I don't think we discussed the importance of the ‘hidden’ members of this team; they often see things, hear things and spot things we don't have time to.