If you’re a regular reader, then you’ll have seen a recent piece on how healthcare has changed. If you haven’t, feel free to check it out here http://www.dailyreleased.com/. Today, we’re sticking to the topic of healthcare and shifting the focus to hospitals. More specifically, we’re going to dive in and see what life is like for hospital staff. How tough is their job? I did some research and asked around to find out the answer to this question. What I found was that hospital workers tend to have four primary concerns:
Faulty Equipment
Hospitals will rely on various bits of equipment, every day. They use it for all sorts of things, ranging from trivial stuff to life saving. Behind the desks at reception, the workers will need to have computers and other communication equipment. This is how they’re able to book people in for appointments and keep track of the hospital records. If something goes wrong with their equipment, the whole hospital can be thrown into jeopardy. People can’t check into the hospital; there’s no way of seeing who’s left the place. Everything is a mess, and it can be a serious issue. Hospital receptionists are constantly concerned that their equipment could break at any second. So, they have to think about ways to deal with the issue, should it happen. One thing they do is store all the appointments on the cloud. This means they can access the information from a different device. If their computer works, they can get another one in as a backup and use that, or temporarily use their phone. It’s not ideal, but it’s a way to counter this big concern.
But, it’s not just receptionists that worry about faulty equipment. All other hospital workers are concerned that things may break too. As I mentioned, they rely on so much equipment each and every day. Surgeons need various things to help them conduct procedures. Stuff like mini cameras and monitors to assist them visually. If these things break, then they’re in big trouble. Similarly, doctors will use various bits of equipment throughout the day. Some of these things are well known like x-ray machines and defibrillators. Others aren’t as well known, like the infusion pumps seen here https://www.ciamedical.com/. However, they’re just as important, if not more so. They’re one of the things doctors and nurses will use at all times during the day. If they break, then it means their patients can suffer. As a result, hospitals must use exceptional laboratory kitting services and keep a large amount of extra equipment on hand. They must order in enough to stock the hospital, and have some as a backup in case things break. It leads to huge procurement costs, but it’s unavoidable. There’s such a reliance on various bits of equipment; it’s a huge concern when things break.
Patients Health
Naturally, a primary concern for hospital workers is the health of their patients. After all, the main reason people go to hospitals is to try and get better. They put themselves into the caring hands of doctors and nurses, hoping their ailments will be cured. Every doctor will have numerous patients that they must tend to and see throughout the day. If you’ve ever had to care for a sick person, you know that it’s a huge responsibility. Now, imagine having to care for multiple people, all day, every day. The stress levels are astronomical. Doctors are constantly having to look at different files and diagnose different problems. They have to try and remember certain patients and see how they’re doing. Most of all, they’ve got to ensure that they’re providing top class care to help improve the health of their patients. It’s a colossal concern, and they have to bear the weight of responsibility on their shoulders every day.
And, let’s not forget that nurses have to deal with this too. They also have multiple patients that they must take care of. In fact, nurses end up seeing more patients that doctors do. They have to work themselves to the ground every day trying to provide a good level of care. The shifts they work are horrendous, but they do it because they care for the health of the patients in the hospital. Nurses don’t get paid as much as doctors and don’t get anywhere near as much respect. But, they do a lot of hard work and help to save lives too. Some of you may be a bit confused as to why I’m talking about them separately. You might think they’re the same thing, just different names. But, they aren’t, there are some differences, as you can see here http://www.kevinmd.com/.
Patients Safety
Another major concern for hospital workers is the safety of the patients in the building. They’ve obliged to make sure that every patient is safe and out of harm’s way. So, each day is spent ensuring that the hospital is safe, and there are no hazards around. In a hospital, there are many things that could be potentially dangerous. Remember all that equipment I mentioned? It can be a safety hazard to the patients if things go wrong. Electrical stuff could catch fire, and that’s the last thing you need in a hospital. Imagine trying to evacuate a packed hospital with so many sick people? It’s an almost impossible task. So, hospitals are full of health and safety precautions to help prevent bad things from happening. They have fire extinguishers and sprinklers on every floor, in every room. Access to fire hydrant services should also be taken into consideration.
Workers also have to make sure that patients are safe when they’re receiving treatment. Everything that doctors do to patients is with their health and safety in mind. Surgeons need to be 100% sure that their patient is safe when they’re conducting a procedure. If they can’t be certain that safety is guaranteed, it puts the person at risk. Even simple things need to be thought about a lot. Something like taking a blood sample seems routine, but can be unsafe if done wrong. If you work in a hospital, then you have to be thinking about patient safety.
Time
As the saying goes, time is of the essence. This is never more true than when you’re working in a hospital. Every day goes by in a blur; there’s so much stuff to do, and so little time to do it. All of the staff are constantly worried about getting things done in time. It’s fair to say that time management is something that all people have to worry about in any job. Whether you work in a hospital or retail store, you worry about running out of time and making sure things are done. However, there is one big difference that makes it even more important to hospital workers. If you don’t get things done on time in most other areas of work, the main problem will be lateness. Stuff won’t be done on time; your boss might be annoyed. In a hospital, failure to complete tasks quickly could be damaging to someone’s life. If you can’t work quickly, it could be fatal. You need to be able to think on your feet and do things fast. Things can happen in an instant; hospital workers have to be ready to adapt. It’s a big concern for them because they aren’t just worrying about getting one thing done on time. They have lots of patients to see and lots of things to do. They might have to treat someone in one room, then go to another patient for a consultation. Everything moves so quickly, it can be hard to keep up.
Also, hospital workers are concerned with time because of the shifts they work. A typical hospital shift can be extremely sporadic and disjointed. You might work for loads of hours straight, have a brief rest, then continue working. Or, you might work the night shift and have to sleep during the day. Hospital workers are often asked to be on-call too, which means they could be called to work at any time. So, they have to manage their free time well too. They can’t go and do certain things if they’re on-call. They must stay close to the hospital, so it’s easy to get to work when needed. Time management is a massive concern for hospital workers; it consumes their lives. Whether they’re concerned about getting work done or shift patterns, there’s always something to worry about.
In conclusion, you can see that working in a hospital is not easy at all. Even though the healthcare industry has changed, there are lots of concerns that present themselves daily. Everything I mentioned is experienced by hospital staff throughout the year. This line of work is very difficult and perhaps deserves, even more, respect than it already gets. There’s one thing that all of these concerns has in common; they require you to be responsible. People that work in hospitals will carry so much responsibility around on their shoulders. Life can be tough, but it’s a very rewarding job. With all this responsibility comes the knowledge that you’re helping people and saving lives.
