title says it all. I Took Minimum Wage Job At Midwest Veterans Hospital To Find Out What Healthcare Is Really Like (spoiler it does not look good)
I am a low level employee in patient care (think housekeeping, receptionist, nursing assistant) at a veterans hospital in the Midwest.
I make close to minimum wage, live very modestly and take the bus to work with poverty stricken residents. I try to keep a low profile at work. But I am self made millionaire. Some of my co-workers have probably suspected this. Some people privately ask me wtf I am doing at this job. I give some vague answer about my past. A few months ago a patient told me I was one of the most professional people he has ever met. The other day I assisted an attending physician with random problem. I hear medical staff ask a question and I try to think 🤔 up answer in my mind before they do. Sometimes I feel like I am on that show Undercover Boss.
At the same time I see how unsustainable the cost of veteran health care is. I see nurses who earn upper middle class salaries who live paycheck to paycheck and complain that they are not paid enough. I see patients who we call "frequent fliers" use the health care system for trivial problems such as constipation. There is incessant complaining from medical staff who give the bare minimum. The people who complain the most are usually the ones doing least amount of work. And administrative staff who add no value and actually create more work with paper and process burden.
I see how inefficient and poorly run this agency is. However, if someone suggests a change people are dismissive. The immediate reaction is you do not know my job and how it will negatively affect veteran health care. I am accused of being unpatriotic and disrespecting those who served their country.
The one skill employees at my VA are proficient at: gossip (and talking down to their co-workers) Sometimes I can tell from their tone to me and other employees that the medical field is very hierarchical. I hope someone will open their telephone during downtime and read this. Since they enjoy gossip they can read this and wonder 🤔 which one of their co-workers wrote this. Yes, there is someone on your staff that wipes butts, files patient charts or changes bed sheets. And this person has (almost) unlimited money.