Working in the healthcare industry and its effects on a young person
Hi everyone!
This is Chrispy99 and I wanted to write a post from my perspective working in the healthcare industry at a young age and the effects it has on me, my thoughts, and my perspective on life.
Here is a little background about myself. I currently work in an inpatient setting and am currently in my mid-20s. I work 3 nights a week while still having to work a weekend shift once a week. I do not want to dive into details regarding the organization or the populations I work with but I’m sure some of you will already have some perspective as you read on. Moving on.
As I sit here typing this out, I reflect on the various personalities, stories, and experiences I have met through this profession. I am not as passionate as many of my other co-workers when it comes to this job and I came into this profession mainly because it was a family trade. I was promised that this profession would provide career opportunity, financial security, and flexibility compared to traditional professions. I know I have the capacity to do the job correctly and safely but working in this profession, there are many unforeseen drawbacks. As I have stated before, I only work 3 nights every week but the nights I do get off have a different effect compared to most people. One of the biggest drawbacks (as I see) in regards to this is the inability to maintain a social life with people who work outside the profession. As a requirement, we have to work weekend shifts once a week so many people tend to opt for one or two all weekend shifts in order to complete those requirements. The way I see it, I would rather have a consistent one weekend shift every week versus using an entire weekend to gain another full weekend. The train of thought is that many of my friends and my significant other work standard business hours Monday through Friday. Weekends are their free time and often they are tired coming off of work to really go out and do anything. So working Friday nights are okay with me because they are still tired from the day. Many of us end up opting to developing new friends that follow similar schedules as us due to convenience but losing friendships that have lasted over a decade can be difficult for some. These issues will eventually stem further when I settle down with a family but I will tackle that on when I get there. However, with my significant other, I have definitely noticed a strain with our relationship.
We currently live separately and with our families due to financial difficulties as well as other reasons. We only get to see each other once a week even though our commute between each other is less than 2 miles. She would often get home from work exhausted during the week and spend at least one weekend day with her family. Looking at that, we are only left with 1 day where we are able to see each other and spend time together. I know that technology, webcams, and mics are options to communicate but I can definitely say that a relationship can develop deeper connections between two people when they can feel their presence in front of them rather than through a screen (That’s a whole different topic). This is a phase that is sure to pass and we both are aware of this current hurdle we are facing but I think it would be important for people similarly in my situation to review this point when working with their careers and their social lives.
Moving away from social issues, I noticed another trend or pattern as I continue to work through my career. Since I work primarily with older people, many of them reflect on their lives and the many experiences they were able to have during their younger days at this age. In turn, it has made me reflect on my life and what I have experienced so far and frankly, it’s not a lot. I primarily focused most of my years on getting to this profession with schooling and constant studying. I have very little experience outside of school and I still to this day am in school (for a Master’s degree). I feel like that I have ended up at the finish line of life without ever actually experiencing it when patients discuss about their lives. Furthermore, healthcare workers have knowledge are fully aware of the potential time limit for women to have children (increased risk of birth defects at or after the age of 35 for women) and as a person who does wish to have a family down the road, I feel very pressured to complete as many things on my own personal list (own a house, live on my own, and travel mainly) before settling down with a wife, kids, and a house. Knowing that having a family will limit your options for yourself for at least 18 years is somewhat of a scary thought for someone who has yet to experience living on their own. It almost feels somewhat like a millennial rant (I want to finish now so I can do what I want) but I do feel like there is some validity behind this pressure.
Obviously, all these issues I am having are temporary and over time things will change but I would love to have any conversations in the comments below on your perspectives or any discussions on any of these topics or expanding further into other related subjects.
Thank you for taking time to read my blog and have a wonderful day!
Great post man! I was a surgical tech for 7 years before deciding to got to law school. My wife and I, who were just beginning to date at the time, had to deal with much of the struggle you're currently experiencing. It's a challenge and it's rough, no getting around that but I can say that it led to a stronger bond for us. I hope you enjoy the same! Also, not to downplay the challenge of raising children, but it might be good to consider the additional fun they bring along with them. I used to have the same concerns as you do in regards to travel particularly, but the more time I spend around children the more I appreciate the joy they bring to most activities. Of course there are exceptions, thanks to poor parenting predominately, but that's where your careful consideration and self education come in. Tackle those worries my friend, start making plans with the full knowledge that they won't work perfectly and talk to your significant other about them. Just some friendly advice from an asshole who thinks he knows a thing or two ;)
Hahaha! Thank you for the advice. I definitely know that plans can always change and that communication is definitely key in our relationship. I think our relationship works so well because of that communication and that we both are in alignment with our goals of traveling first and then eventually settling down. Also, thanks for checking out my post!
I've always wondered what it would be like if I had stuck to my original plan to pursue a medical career instead of a tech one. It's cool to see a glimpse of it through someone else's eyes.
Hahaha. I find it a bit funny. Learning later in life, I found out I am a big techie and I wonder to myself sometimes what it would be if I didn't go through with the healthcare field and chose something in the computer science or IT realm.
I can relate. I just made a post about why I quit being an RN. Ethical as well as feeling like it's just a waste of time. I read a crazy study that showed hospitals might actually kill more people than save overall because of infection rates (MRSA, VRE, pneumonia) etc. that they patient would otherwise not acquire.
Yeah. I've had many instances where I wanted to quit but I just keep trying to find little things to keep me going. It is a difficult field to work in and it is very important to take care of yourself because we naturally try to take care of others before ourselves and risk burning out faster compared to other jobs. I'm a bit curious. If I may ask, what did you transition to and how was that experience like?