U.S. Medical Practice in the Hospital and Hospice: Caring for People
Len: Welcome to A Willing Heart. This is Len Lacroix, and I'm here tonight with my guest, Dr. Andrew Stenhouse. And we've been discussing his life as a doctor.
And we've been discussing on our last program his life in the United States, starting with the private practice that he had in Texas for thirty years. And we're going to pick it up with another part of his life, here in the U.S., tonight. So, Andrew, I want to welcome you back to the program.
Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you, Len. And this is a wonderful section that's going to be coming up, and I want to thank you for the opportunity of doing this. And I would like to just go through these to show what the Lord will do with anybody whose heart is totally and completely given over to Him in what they're doing.
Len: Amen! So, Andrew, there was a period in time when you were the medical director for a veterans’ hospital in Texas. Can you tell us about that, please?
Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, the interesting thing about that was that I love the veterans, because of the fact of what the American veterans did, coming to Britain and risking their lives in order to save Britain during World War II. And what they would do, also—they would throw me candy from the cars and tanks and so on, that were going down the road. And so I felt I had a lot of debt to repay.
The interesting thing about that was that the VA (Veterans Administration) tended to have a bad reputation as a care facility or a hospital. And I decided that that was not going to happen in our hospital. So I made sure that the veterans were cared for, that the staff was cared for, and that we would be known as a hospital that cared. And what happened was we became the most improved VA hospital in the nation.
Len: Wow!
Dr. Stenhouse: And the second thing that happened was that we were in the top five of all of the hospitals in the United States. And that was something of an extreme honor.
And we went over to the California area where they were giving away the awards. And the other doctors that were on the top five said to me, “Stenhouse, how did you get into this rarefied atmosphere here?”
And I said, “It's a matter of caring for your patients and for your staff.” And they couldn't understand that.
They said, “What is caring?”
And I said, “You don't know what caring is?” And they said, “No.”
And I said, “It's not just using the techniques that are available for getting good results. It’s a matter of taking care of people—both the patients, both the staff—and you'll get a good result.”
Len: That's so true. And I think that you're right about the reputation that the VA hospitals have, here in the country. And I’m sure that the caring is something that's probably missing in many of them, but you brought that. And how the Lord turned that all around—it's just amazing—to end up resulting in an award for the hospital.
Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, yes. It was a big award.
Len: So, before we conclude, I wanted to ask if you could talk to us a little bit about some important work that you did, Andrew, working in the hospice.
Dr. Stenhouse: Yes, I would love to do this because my heart goes out to each patient that we have. And when they're coming in the hospice area, they're near the end of their life. And I love to talk with them and see them and talk to them about their eternal welfare with the Lord and if they have a relationship with the Lord Jesus.
And in this particular situation I had this evening was this gentleman said to me, “Well I don't know how to go about this.”
I said, “Well you know there's a door; and when you open a door you have to go through it to get through to the other side,” and then I did a little banging on the desk that was there. [Makes knocking sound] Like that. And I told him, I said, “Now you have to open the door yourself, because the Lord is knocking on your door right now. And the thing you have to do is to open the door to the Lord and to invite Him in and to thank Him for the work He did on the cross for you and for me and for everybody that has been born.”
And the next morning I got up early and went in to see him in the hospice area, and he had a big smile on his face. And I said, “Are you keeping the door wide open?”
And he smiled at me and said, “Yes, very wide open.” And that night he passed into eternity.
Len: Wow, that's amazing! Got him just in time.
Dr. Stenhouse: But that's all it takes…
Len: Yes.
Dr. Stenhouse: …is just to have someone that you could talk to just at the right time.
Len: Yeah. We need to let people know, at any point in their life, but especially at that end point of their life, that they need to repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and they shall be saved.
Dr. Stenhouse: That's exactly correct.
Len: And one of the things that I really like is how you shared that whenever you would see a patient, your heart went out to them. And I think that's not necessarily a characteristic or a trait that all doctors have, necessarily. Because they may have the skills and the knowledge, but they may not have that compassion.
Dr. Stenhouse: Yeah.
Len: And the Lord—when He called you to be a doctor, He not only gave you the ability to do the technical aspects of that profession but also to have the heart for the patients.
Dr. Stenhouse: That's exactly right. Every patient that I saw, I think I had that feeling for.
Len: Is there anything else you want to share about the hospice work? We're almost out of time here.
Dr. Stenhouse: No, I think that's all I've got. I could probably dig up lots of things, but those are the things that I felt I needed to share, that the Lord had put on my heart.
Len: Yeah. Well, Andrew, that's going to conclude our program for tonight, as we end our time together. And I want to thank you very much for sharing all these wonderful experiences that you've shared about your time as medical director and your hospice work. So thanks very much for being with us tonight!
Dr. Stenhouse: Oh, it's been wonderful! And I just would like to mention that it wasn't me. All I did was be obedient, Len. And I really feel that if somebody is obedient to the Lord and does what He asks them to do, then He'll fill all the details in, and they won't have to worry at all.
Len: Amen!
Dr. Stenhouse: But the thing about being called to live as a doctor is something that I never even thought of when I was young, but it's one thing I would never have missed in a million years.
Len: Hallelujah! Well we appreciate that. And thank you for all those years of service to the Lord and your calling as a doctor. And we'll look forward to our next program together when we meet next time.
Dr. Stenhouse: Okay, Len, I do too! And blessings to all those that are listening.
Len: Amen. Have a good night!
Dr. Stenhouse: Thank you! Good night, Len!