Not the arm, the back or the shoulder but the HEAD.
A little background: the head of our division is a 67-year old man who is well respected in his field. He's very kind and approachable and he seems pretty dedicated to making sure the patients get the best care. Whenever they call for something, he goes out of his way to make sure they get it in a timely manner.
BUT, he pats the patients on the head after talking to them and sometimes when he is just saying hello. It's a paternalistic and condescending gesture and I think he does it to show......??? I don't know, but I do not believe he is being malicious. Still I cringe when he does that and I've seen the looks they've given him when he does it. Our population is primarily poor and minority, he cannot be that clueless as to how bad that is but apparently so. It would be easier to speak up if he were mean or rude but this? I don't know what to do, I just had to vent.
