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Abstract
Mayo Clinic is well known worldwide for medical expertise. It is also well known for being one of the most admired service organizations in the world (Berry & Seltman, 2008). The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of service for the parents of school or college-aged patients at Mayo Clinic. The central research question for the study was: What is the meaning of service at Mayo Clinic? It is recognizing the habits, customs, attention to details, and traditions that have made Mayo Clinic an organization of distinction. Specific research questions included: 1) What themes and meanings accounted for the interpretation of service? 2) What themes facilitated an understanding of service through the lived experiences of parents of school and college-aged patients at Mayo Clinic? 3) What was the overall essence of the experience for these parents? Twenty-two, semi-structured interviews were conducted representing children who were patients at Mayo Clinic. Four domains were identified: How we were treated, How they made us feel, What they gave us, and How they accomplished it.
