A POTPOURRI on THE TREATMENT FLOOR

If you read the last post I wrote on working in the the real world of health care, you may wonder why anyone would. For any answers to that, ask around. See what other clinician's say.

I love being an O.T. even though the world of Health Care is ah, unhealthy. I have a master's degree in Pastoral Care and Counseling and have done Health Care Chaplaincy at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC along with certificates and long term education, too numerous to go into now. That said, I am still going to keep learning and I know that every time I step onto a clinical floor, I will be prepared to be observed.

In our clinical practice we should be aware that someone may be watching what we do. That is good. There are rewards that seem to come out of no where. Last week, a patient beckoned me to come to her. She was not my patient. This is what she said.  "I just want to tell you that I saw you working with a patient and the way you did just made it work for her. That takes a certain type of person and I have to say no one else here has that ability." I thanked her. I made note later that it was a very generous gesture for her as a patient to let me know she observed and felt something good. This is important because I really believe that treatment we give others can have a healthy impact on  other patients in the room. They may be in pain and worried. It is important for us to not have a phony guise of being a therapist, but a genuine interest of who is in front of us. This has happened to me before and my mental note is to say thank you and to tell the patient that it is a very generous thing to give that kind of feedback when you have your own health  issues. I have to thank all my teachers who kept me focused on patient centered care.

I said potpourri and here is a tid bit to gnaw on.  It is a given that our oldest population is discriminated against. Many of you will be working in nursing homes. Remember that bias, conscious, unconscious, latent, overt and abuse and neglect exists. The admonition here is don't be part of it! Do not devalue another human because they are old, frail, in ill health and dying or too difficult. Because in our health system, indeed in our world culture at this time, youth is cherished. On the treatment floor, you will come face to face with your own mortality. The face of an old woman or man may scare you into behaving in odd ways that are shameful. I have seen it. Do not partake.

IN THE REAL WORLD OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS

IN THE REAL WORLD OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS

I will leave the first blog entry and return to that esoteric stream later. As a COTA

(certified occupational therapy assistant), I have logged countless clinical hours. Some 

therapists suggested we need a way to get information to others. They mentioned a

blog and I rolled my eyes Heavenward. Health care is in a fractured state, there is a lot 

of misinformation out there. Here goes.  All sincere and honest help is accepted in this 

endeavor. By the way, this applies to Physical Therapy Assistants too.

Fallacy #1. Don’t believe there are limitless jobs for you. Federal employment 

predictive statistics are usually five years behind actual facts.

#2. Not all people are suited to work in health care. It is a messy business with GASP! 

Sick people. This may seem obvious but not everyone can be a bus driver either. So if 

you go for just a gig, please stay home. Patients need care. Not robots.

#3. The salary is good. Partially true. But in the NYC area you will barely keep your 

head above water. Hourly wages have not increased in about 10 years.

Okay so you have graduated.  Congratulations. Did you pass your licensure? A wise 

word or two here. Don’t wait. Do it ASAP after graduation. I know it is tempting to 

start earning right away and those hungry out sourcing groups like fresh grads to 

exploit.

Did I say exploit? Yes. Be very careful who you work for. Do research. There are 

some unsavory and unscrupulous agencies and out sourcing groups. You should learn 

the difference between outsourcing and employment agencies and how they work 

either together or separately. Again research. More on that later.

In the field, the issue that comes up again and again is that newer grads are accepting 

extremely low wages. Did you really go to school and spend upwards of 50 grand to 

work for minimum wage? If you start out low don’t expect out sourcers to increase 

your wage. It goes in their pockets as middle men and women. If you start to work 

without licensure they will say they will increase your wages after you get it. Hmmm. 

Don’t bet on that. These issues are important for new immigrants who come here.They 

are also very vulnerable to exploitation which can know no bounds.

Do look for reliable agencies who have been doing this for a long time. Twenty years 

is a good number. Experienced placement professionals are extremely important. I 

have found that they follow employment laws, tax laws, and provide good humane 

services to therapists and facilities.

FAST AND SLOW STREAMS

                                           FAST AND SLOW STREAMS                              

Sometimes it is hard to know when to enter the stream. It is only after I am in it that I 

can say how, when, why and where I did. The decision could be fast or slow akin to

Daniel Kahneman’s research and wisdom on how we think or not which include two

systems which I choose to understand as two streams. Impetuous, labored or both. 

The Jewel Mirror of Samadhi is a very old text which has different translations and 

many streams. Yet it flows through centuries. It reminds us that a hairs breadth 

deviation and it is missed. What is missed? Life, the right choice?  Is this a sudden 

or gradual realization? Is it both? It is not merely physical. These are the costs in the 

emotional bank account that include a certain kind of cognitive ease and comfort we 

can exist in.