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| CARE FOR THE CAREGIVER |
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by Trey Logan CNMT MHA - June 25, 2010
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Whispers of the Hippocratic Oath and “do no harm” are rarely addressed in the day to day world of bustling patient care. What I do hear is “anything for the patient” and “the patient comes first”. That model did nothing for my marriage. Excuse me, failed marriage.
The model that a patient is a customer or stakeholder is a bit shortsighted I should think. The customer is always right is not an idea that physicians espouse too often when their medical prowess is being challenged by a patient. The banner “power to the patient” is a plodding revolution, one that receives little front door fanfare. An empowered patient population comes with caveats. Another piece to the power struggle puzzle between third party payers, public assistance, the rising uninsured…..oh and providers too.
Its not groundbreaking news that there are many parties who require satisfaction in order for the modern healthcare wheel to turn. It can be, however, a difficult task to get everyone pushing in the same direction. If you’re in the trenches providing care, chances are your voice might not be as loud as someone with a few acronyms after their name. With all these players on the stage it's no doubt troublesome to learn that, as a hard working, skilled, dedicated employee, you may be last in line for the microphone. Who then, is taking care of the caregiver?
Passing the buck nor passing the hat will offer much help. Taking care of yourself is probably the only prescription that will merit any results. Ironically, the healing arts will not offer you much in the way of a handout when it comes to balancing your life. Rest assured the person next to you is probably working just as hard. If you collapse at work, I’m sure your colleagues will rush you to the ER for assistance, if need be.
There is little doubt that the future in medicine is preventative maintenance…..and gene therapy. 50 years ago physicians would ask “are you eating well?” and the response was “yeah Doc, steak and potatoes every night.” The reward for an unkempt body? A coronary bypass. So I rather like seeing incentive programs for employees to quit smoking or lose weight. I realize this is preaching to the choir, but let's face it; we have a front row seat to ill will of physical negligence. It would be a shame to waste such a valuable lesson. Besides, the choir needs saving too.
I'm fond of saying that reality isn’t always obvious. It may sound common sense to suggest you take care of your self, but how often does that translate to a lifestyle change? Taking a back seat to the patient is one thing. Taking a back seat to your self is another. I’d much rather be in the drivers seat and I don’t know anyone who thinks leading by example is a bad idea. Take a serious look at your work environment and your own health. It's not too far fetched to consider that you might end up being patient instead of employee. Let's hope that day doesn’t come for a long time.
Trey has had a long career as a medical technologist, and currently works at Summersville Memorial Hospital in West Virginia as the Chief Nuclear Medicine Technologist.He is a highly published executive manager with Masters in Health Administration. Some of Trey’s articles have appeared in Radiologic Technologist Image, Advance for Administrators in Radiology, The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology and several other highly regarded publications.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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