The retraining of workers....

[peeonme]

I was at the hospital yesterday to see my wife, she is making progress.
A new nurse was on the floor and it was his first day at this hospital so he was working under the watch of another nurse.
He let me know that he had been a nurse for a number of years and he was working under this other nurse because he was new at this hospital.

This nurse looked to be in his late 40's, I asked him how long he had been a registered nurse and he said about 7 years. So, I asked him what he did before becoming a nurse, he said that he had ran a lathe at a large company (that I am familiar with) but the work went over seas.

I am glad for him that he was able to start over, but, I have to ask myself about going from manufacturing to medicine or patient care, for him it was a financial move (he admitted to that), so then the question lingers in my mind about passion for ones occupation.

To me caring for the sick is not just a job, I would hope that one would feel a calling.

Should it be a financial move?

 

[NotHardUp1]

Most of the people I have met in the medical profession were there for the money, not the least of which are the doctors and especially the surgeons. There have been exceptions, but few. When I sit for an exam, the term "caregiver" never comes to mind.

And the institutions like clinics and hospitals, God save us all from their bureaucracies and dead-eyed process servers.

My years in the teaching profession equally disabused me of romantic notions about all teachers being there out of some noble calling. Hardly.

Your nurse seems a credit to his profession. He was open and honest about his history, apparently. Who was the company he worked for as a machinist?

 

[peeonme]

@ hardup1, it was American Axle.

 

[peeonme]

Most of the people I have met in the medical profession were there for the money, not the least of which are the doctors and especially the surgeons. There have been exceptions, but few. When I sit for an exam, the term "caregiver" never comes to mind.

And the institutions like clinics and hospitals, God save us all from their bureaucracies and dead-eyed process servers.

My years in the teaching profession equally disabused me of romantic notions about all teachers being there out of some noble calling. Hardly.

Your nurse seems a credit to his profession. He was open and honest about his history, apparently. Who was the company he worked for as a machinist?

The hospital that my wife is in is "closer" to Detroit than the one that we had use before, by about 10 miles. It is old, tired looking.
The elevators are beat up, the furniture is worn.

90% of the staff seem to really care, most smile and greet people, they seem happy in their work to borrow a line from the chairman.
The Doctors seem on their game, they know my wife's case history when they come in to see her.

What really has impressed me is that they communicate with me. I have yet to have one act like I am bothering them.

The hospital that she had been in before is huge, new and indifferent.

How odd to get good care from an old beat up crowded place and indifferent care from a state of the art facility.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I'm glad to hear your care is good. There is still a difference between professionalism and a calling. I'm not saying your folks aren't, but you haven't described any behavior that extends beyond professional respect and responsibility.

 

[MakeDigitalLove]

There are people that do it just for money but there are people who do it for the money and actually care about the job they are doing. And if they are doing it just for the money but still doing an excellent job I really don't have a problem with that.

My older brother started at a hospital a year after high school, he is still there today and that was over 10 years ago. I would never peg him for someone to work at a hospital but when he first started his hours were massively screwed up, knowing him if he didn't like the job or what he was doing I'd imagine he would have been done at the beginning.

I mean I like my job and the environment but I don't know if I'd do it without being paid at all. I do care that things are in order and get done.

I would assume that there are certain professions that people do actually care about what they are doing to some capacity. I know people do it but I personally wouldn't be able to stay at a job that pays good but I was miserable because I didn't like the work or care about it.

 

[FPNY]

I know a guy who was an IT genius and worked for one of the big firms, he is in his late 50's decided to quit and go to medical school. he's now a doctor, he didn't do it for money, he did it to help people. the money is nice but these people work their asses off for long hours. it's not all glamour....

 

[peeonme]

I know a guy who was an IT genius and worked for one of the big firms, he is in his late 50's decided to quit and go to medical school. he's now a doctor, he didn't do it for money, he did it to help people. the money is nice but these people work their asses off for long hours. it's not all glamour....

To do this at 50 he had to have had a passion and desire to help people.
What I see a lot of in Michigan are people who had done menial labor to skilled jobs being pushed towards work in the medical industry (it should be a medical service).

Some but not all, especially nurses assistance show signs of resenting what they are doing. I think that one has to at least be a people person of sorts to work with the disabled or sick.

I don't think that all doctors do it for the money, I have been told that unless one becomes a specialist that the money is not that good relative to the financial investment made to become a primary care type of doctor.