Work....*Le Sigh*

Working in healthcare is always a risk, but it seems to be especially scary right now. Maybe it's not everywhere or in every discipline, but in my field, it's a little nerve-racking. Between culture change and the economy, we're all watching our back extra closely. People expect an "instant fix" for all of their health issues, and orthopaedic patients want to be up walking independently at 100% independence right after their knee and hip replacements. It's so frustrating when we're doing our very best, and we get patients and families saying things like, "Don't worry, I'm watching every move they make," or, "...., so you better watch out!" Families seem to be more focused on their wants and expectations, as opposed to the best interest of the patient. A lot of times families don't realize it, but they are actually impeding the healing process. If I could go back, I would choose a different career path. I realize that I'm young and still could, but I'm hoping that Nathan will get into graduate school and after he's finished I can go part-time and not deal with quite as much crap. He wants me to quit working altogether, but I can't see myself as a stay-at-home-mom. I think I'd go crazy. There I go rambling again.
Anyway, it's especially worrisome when we get patients who are lawyers (or parents of lawyers), nurses (or parents of a nurse), or physicians. It's so much easier to work with friendly, understanding families who trust our judgment. I think I, personally, generally seem to be more willing to bend over backwards for those families who are trusting and are willing to work as a team with us, not against us, as well. I would never intentionally be one of "those" (aka- dreaded) family members, but I hope and pray that I'm never unintentionally one of them, either.

I had intended to write this post earlier this week after a long, irritating day at work when my blood was boiling. I could seriously feel my heart racing, my blood pressure rising, and my stomach turning; this post would've been a LONG one. Now, I've had time to cool down; I still wanted to post, but it's much shorter and much less angry- sounding that it would've been several days ago.

We have a family reunion this afternoon. Every year we all (or almost all) take something we've made or a family heirloom (or nicely-framed picture, etc) and auction it off to someone else in the family. That money goes into an account to put toward the following year's reunion and to donate to family members in times of need. Last year we donated a good chunk of money to my mom's cousin who's battling liver cancer in order to help pay medical bills. It's a really neat thing, and I'm glad someone thought of the idea. I will do a post about my craft project later today or tomorrow. I'm proud of it, minus a few minor flaws. Oh well, they give it character!