Melissa Eugene
North Bureau Chief
More than 200,000 healthcare workers resigned from their positions last year, according to healthcaredive.com. Words such as burnout, exhaustion, and stress became the words to describe working conditions in the health care field, forcing mainly on hospitals in America. The title “Hospital Greed Is Destroying Our Nurses. Here’s Why,” has over 2.2 million views on YouTube by the New York Times. Watching this video was heartbreaking because it wasn’t just about how rude patients can be towards the people that are actively doing everything they can to help them. Even saying the word “help them” doesn’t describe the work healthcare workers do.
These professionals have that spent over 4 to 15 years in school to learn everything they possibly can, down to memorizing all 206 bones in the human body, including how they function and where they are located. Yes, these professionals don’t just help, they save lives every day. In the video, it isn’t just about the physical and emotional mistreatment from patients, the main the concern is how some hospitals don’t provide any kind of support towards their workers, it’s more of how much money they can save rather than how many resources can be provided to their workers to help them.
The health care field in America has become less about helping others in need and more about how to profit from those in need. “There’s not a shortage of nurses, there’s just a shortage of nurses willing to work under those conditions” was a quote that was said in the video. The truth is, there are millions of stories out there about how horrible and cheap companies can be to save as much money as they can while still looking good on the outside more than the inside.
I will be a healthcare worker one day as an ultrasound tech and hearing these stories didn’t scare me because I know what I am willing to work under and you should too. You always have the power to say no to treatment you no longer accept or treatment you know just isn’t good enough for you. There will always be another nurse, doctor, or tech to take your position, but there will never be another you. First, in no way should the story above discourage you from pursuing a career in the healthcare field. I believe that it’s great to hear others out, but don’t ever make someone else’s story your own, go out there and experience it yourself and see if it’s for you. Second, the health care field isn’t something you should do for the money, no matter what position you’re going in, your decision could help someone or save a life. Make sure you are in it for the right reasons because in the end I believe over time if you aren’t working in a role you are passion about or love, you’ll end up bitter, and no one wants a rude nurse, just like no one wants a rude customer or client. Third, look at the benefits for the hospital or clinic of your choosing, remember you get to decide where you want to spend 1–20 years of your life working. Ask questions especially about how the company will support you and what resources they have to help you in a time of need. Fourth, you don’t have to stay. Again. if you are working in a hospital where you feel your lowest every time you leave and every time you come, you can leave and start again somewhere else.
Treat your mental health how you would treat a patient. Fifth, treat yourself. Working in the hospital is not going to always be sunshine and rainbows, there will come a day when you find out the nice lady you just treated passed away. Always remember that you did everything you could, starting from the moment you met her, how nice and willing you were to make sure she gets the best treatment. Know that you made her smile and made her worries go away for even just a second. Know that you made a difference. Spend time with loved ones, buy your favorite food, go on a walk and maybe after that you can spend the rest of the day in bed doing nothing. Sixth, know that you can always change if you are 2 semesters down or 6 years in the healthcare field, if you feel, and I mean a consistent feeling that this isn’t the path for you anymore, you can change. Yes, you can drop all your classes if you want to, through there may be a fee from doing that, but you can quit your job on a random Tuesday if you want to, you can change careers and develop a new passion and dream if you want to. Overall, never stay with a feeling where you feel stuck or like it’s too hard, you always have the power to do what’s best for you.
eugem33@mail.broward.edu
