Helping them to heal?
Why should you put that responsibility on yourselves, when a majority of the patients DO NOT want the help?? I am a Technologist in a cath lab & I see alot of the patients getting larger, eating more unhealthy, not exercising & non compliant! No matter what their Drs. tell them, they are NOT listening & it's one excuse after another. And we are beating our heads against the wall coming up with new technology, quicker & more efficient ways to serve them and for what? I've encountered more patients who do not want to be helped & we just don't seem to get it! We need to start focusing on WHY people don't want the help even though they clog our emergency rooms. They leave & don't follow instructions & either return a bigger mess or are ignorant of what they were told, & claim "no one told them that!" I've been in healthcare for over 30 years as a Cardiac Cath Technologist & sad to say, I have become unsympathetic in recent months. It has become very frustrating when I do everything possible to keep myself healthy only to arrive to an emergency call after speeding like a maniac & you see an obese patient laying on the cart who smokes, leads a sedentary lifestyle, undiagnosed HTN, high cholesterol & can't understand why he/she is having this chest pressure just after eating their chili dog while watching TV? Mind you, they are under 60 yrs of age!! These are not all individuals in the low socioeconomic bracket either. Who is listening to the public service announcements? Who is listening & what are they listening to? You can't reach out to people who aren't there! I've been beating my head against the wall trying to figure out HOW we can reach them to no avail. I'm coming to the realization that they do not like themselves & we are not seeing that. We are not seeing the big picture. I know your reaction to what I'm going to say but it is something to think about. I was watching Dr. Oz & he had a Psychiatrist on his show along with an MD, a Dietician & 4 very obese ladies. They talked about their challenges with lifestyle but it was very revealing when the Psychiatrist then spoke, & asked his first question to these ladies. "Why do you not like yourselves, who made you feel so inferior, invisible, unloved?? THEY all started crying--he hit a nerve! In summary 3 out of the 4 said they would follow up with him, with their Doctors, change their lifestyle habits--it's all you could ask for!
So if you want to heal people you first have to get into their heads & then & only then can you "cure" them completely!! Then I would approach my job with a sympathetic heart & literally run to work, knowing I was going to be helping someone who helped themselves, instead of with an attitude of "I killed myself to get here, for this?"

Sue
I think most of us have been at the same place once or twice in our lives. Mine was when I was working at the U of L ER in 1990, the other was when I came to Glasgow, Ky a year later and walked into a sea of young patients with zippers on their chest and ballooned vessels that wouldn't stay open both from smoking and prior to stent utilization. By the tone of your post,it is apparent that you care deeply about those in need. I encourage you to not let that deep concern for your fellow man be your undoing with regard to your career choice. For over a decade now, this forum has been a meeting place for questions, answers,and comments but also a venue for health care providers to speak their peace and to vent. It's therapy. To reinforce a helpful philosophy, I would suggest that you make a quick study of the Al-Anon philosophy. Our family physician was a recovering alcoholic throughout my childhood. We adored him even as he was struggling. When he became sober plus a few years more, he invited me to go with him to "a meeting". It was one of the best things I ever did, attending both the AA and an Al-anon meeting. I learned tremendously from the strength of those who stare out the window every afternoon wondering if their spouse will come home sober of not. It taught me to "do what you can, when you can", to let the rest go to your "higher power" and to never give up hope while not allowing the wait for change defeat you. When you feel yourself sinking into your perception of defeat in the fight for change in the slovenly, the de-motivated, the apathetic, the ignorant, and in our current health care climate, the self-serving, the greedy and the devious-just remember the "Do what I can, when I can" philosophy. Then, remember all the gratitude that is really there on a daily basis, though insulated and hidden from sight by the negativity generated by the ungrateful. I applaud your enthusiasm and I identify with your frustration, but a few years down the road, you will look back and feel great about what you did for your fellow man, whether they appreciated it or not; you will feel good about yourself. Stay the course for it seems you are doing much good in this world.