Beth Mordaunt’s official title may be guest services specialist, but her presence at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital on the University of Michigan’s campus means a lot to patients and visitors.
On the surface, Mordaunt simply works on the 8th floor of the hospital making sure people have the proper badges, their health screened — if necessary — and making sure they arrive in the proper places. But the job — which requires long hours daily — extends to making sure patients and visitors are comfortable while on the floor.
Mordaunt’s job mixes hospital safety and providing support for patients, during some of the most critical times in their lives. Given her background in social services, she’s exactly the right fit for her job.
“The job actually provides me the ability to connect with people,” Mordaunt said. “That’s always been something that was dearest to my heart. It’s extremely important because a part of our job is security and safety, but another piece is customer service.”
Mordaunt is generally the first person that people see on the floor before heading to the neonatal intensive care unit and the child psychology area. The floor is also home to the adult overflow area where many cancer patients are housed, and Michigan Game Day, the indoor playground for children in the hospital.
That makes Mordaunt’s warm, inviting face even more important as the first person most people see during some of the most stressful times in their lives. Some patients are there for weeks, while others for as long as six months, and sometimes even longer, Mordaunt said.
Mordaunt joined the university in 2019 after she was laid off due to the funding that supported her position in her previous field as a social worker ran out. But she said it’s her experience as a social worker that allows her to have the empathy that’s needed to connect and become supportive with people as they are going through difficult and stressful times in their lives, which makes her position with guest services a good fit for her.
“Some of what I enjoyed the most over my career is connecting with people, providing information, problem solving and supporting people during a crisis,” said Mordaunt. “My position here offers me that opportunity to connect with patients and their families and support them during a difficult time. In addition, I enjoy networking and building relationships with staff outside my team, and it has afforded me the ability to build trust and help foster a greater feeling of safety in the workplace.”
Her experience in social work helps Mordaunt to understand that something as simple as just knowing who a person or family member is goes a long way to making them comfortable.
“Being here and bringing my previous background in social work, I don’t have to solve any problems in the same way I did previously working with sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, I can really just support people during a difficult time in their lives,” said Mordaunt, whose department has doubled in size since her arrival.
“I’m that friendly face that they see when they’re getting off of the elevator. So I get to know families that (are) here for extended stays in the hospital, many of whom return quite often for treatments. I get to recognize them, and can quickly send them on their way to visit. It makes things a little more comfortable for them. Just building those connections with the families helps build trust and improve patient satisfaction.”
With those difficulties, Mordaunt said she simply is trying to make a patient’s day better.
“You can see the wear and tear and drain on them,” Mordaunt said. “So if I can do anything to help make their day a little bit better and easier by smiling, or just listening, that’s great. Building those connections with families is nice.”