Something needs to be said regarding pro bono work in healthcare: Please consider offering patient/family members a stipend or donation to their foundation when government or hospital organizations are asking for their assistance on multiple projects. I have 10 meetings next week and only one offered a donation for our scholarships. We will do this for free but most of us have a mission that we're working toward that depends on support. Most of us did not receive any compensation from the harm caused and have started improvement projects from scratch. Thank you.
I responded:
You, and others, are being too generous. You and other notable patient advocates are now viewed as "trophies" when you are invited to help in this manner. It is perfectly reasonable to start to ration your time--at least in part--by insisting that hospitals, associations, and other institutions make contributions to your patient safety/education organizations. Trust me, those hospitals and other places always have money to pay for consultants--and you offer greater value than lots of those consultants!