If you’re like me, you majored in the health sciences because you like to be up-and-about as you help different kinds of people. You don’t want every single day to be the same. You want to do a variety of things and you want to see the concrete impact of the work that you do. So you consider it a great privilege to be a healthcare worker (HCW).
The pandemic hasn’t changed your love for your patients and for your profession. But as months go by, the circumstances in which you find yourself are becoming more dreadful. Exposure to COVID-19, the lack of hazard pay, and delayed salaries are just a few of your problems. So you wonder, is it still worth it to be a HCW?
Well, I have bad news and good news.
Count the Cost
First, the bad news: aside from the fact that we will most likely never have zero COVID transmission, there’s a great possibility that authoritarian measures, bioterrorism, and other terror attacks will become more prevalent. Our response to this pandemic has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that many of us easily give up our civil liberties to have a false sense of security. This has signalled to tyrants that they can frighten us into accepting mandates that result in human rights violations which will impact public health. Moreover, China has been developing biological weapons in the past 20 years and is continuing to do so. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is even partnering with Pakistan to build up biowarfare capabilities. The CCP is also legitimizing the Taliban in Afghanistan, where previous terrorist attacks were launched. So it’s not far-fetched to think that those biological weapons will be unleashed upon the international community. The fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban might also revive global jihadism. Not only will caring for terror attack victims fall on the shoulders of HCWs and overwhelm health systems, but HCWs themselves might become the casualties.
Yes, we are bound to see darker days. But here’s the good news: technological innovations are creating new opportunities for people to diversify their skills or specialize within their industries. And for some, new technologies will allow them to completely switch to different
fields. Are you one of those HCWs who can realistically make a career change, especially in light of the challenges ahead? Answer the five questions below to find out!
#1 Do you have a job offer or a profitable business in a different industry? Don’t quit your healthcare job if you don’t have another viable option!
#2 Will that job offer or business in another industry help you survive financially without compromising people’s well-being, including yours? The prospective source of livelihood has to help you and your family live comfortably without stressing anyone of you out too much. But make sure that the new job or business will not violate your values or harm anyone.
#3 Do you like that new job or business enough to stay in it for a long time? Public health emergencies can have serious financial repercussions. It will be difficult to earn a decent living during economic downturns if you will constantly change jobs or businesses because you don’t know what you want.
#4 Are your skills a good match for that new job or business even if it’s in another industry? If you suck at your new work, you might get fired or your clients might leave you.
#5 Do you fear the current pandemic and the other crises that are awaiting HCWs so much that you'll gladly switch careers if that opportunity comes? Don’t feel guilty if you have legitimate needs that your current profession no longer fulfills. Remember that your health science degree is a tool. You can use it either to provide healthcare or to venture into another career wherein you can serve others without compromising your welfare.
The Results!
If you answered “YES” to most of the questions above, it MIGHT be time for you to quit your healthcare profession. Seek further counseling and do more research so you can be more certain of your next move.
If most of your answers are “NO” and you need to continue working as a HCW, try to dabble with fun projects on the side. You might be able to monetize them to augment your income from clinical practice. You can also consider applying to another health facility or for another position within healthcare that may be more suitable for you.
Finally, remember this old adage if you think you should stay on as a HCW: “The stars shine the brightest when the night is at its darkest.” If you’re offering health services out of love and you still have a God-given mission to fulfill in healthcare, then the Lord will meet all of your needs so you may excel in this vocation. He can use these crises to bring the best out of you. Who knows, you might become a global health security expert! .
(Photo by Ehimetalor Unuabona)
Great write up Annie! I will forward it to my friends who are in the health profession.