Mr. Offerman. I cannot thank you enough for this “donkey thought”. I, and yes my partner who is the nurse, greatly appreciate the thoughts. You have no idea how much this is going to help us. And thanks to everyone else for the great and helpful comments as well. Thank you again and have a great day!
Hey Tristan (and partner of Tristan) --- I think I replied to your question in Nick's previous post. Your question, and Nick's response, resonate with me in a profound way. Our brains stop developing at 25 years old (supposedly --- it's probably a snapple fact that I just keep repeating as truth). If we aren't even "adults" till then, how the HECK are we expected to decide what we want to "be" when we grow up, then pursue it, and stick to it.... Yikes!
With that said, for those who've chosen or are considering a path in Healthcare or the care of other human earthlings, here's the only advice I can think to give:
During times of war, people still join the armed forces. They feel "called" to serve, and they do so bravely and willingly. I have never served in the military, and I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but this feels like a silent war in Healthcare. That's the scariest kind, because the victims die silent, unremarkable, lonesome deaths. Deaths of spirit or of the physical human body. Could also be "career suicide" --- not the kind like an investor who makes a risky bet. I mean "career suicide" like, "F**k this, I'm out" and they leave the profession indefinitely. Flipping the tables as they go. Smashing the printer in a field. Etc.
And while those who signed up before the "war", or during it, may not have known this was coming. Some have stuck around and are needing some tending before we can power forward. Tending to their wounded spirits. I can't even get into the nuances of which levels of care need what now (I'm writing about it trying to distill my thoughts into a more palatable tincture). It's a wicked, sticky problem. Wicked problems don't have quick or easy solutions.
For now, I believe it takes sharing our stories, and collaborating with those who seem to be in our "tribe". Not unionizing, not creating a cult, not joining a religious afilliation or whatever. Just... figuring out who understands the problem (or is trying to), helping them understand the bigger and smaller picture, and then figuring out the action items AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. This is not a problem that the US government can fix --- they're too busy trying to punish a bunch of misbehaving adults with no concern for the lives of other humans.
The state government --- well, I don't know --- maybe they have some answers?
But even more local --- is where I feel called to serve as we make our way out of the pandemic. I found my calling in Home Health in 2019 (after I was laid off from a sinking dumpster fire of a ship). I LOVE home health. Now I get to teach it (what a blessing). And I feel like I have an opportunity to affect change, AND give people the tools to keep doing the job well (and care for themselves at the same time).
So my advice was long, but it is to find something in your community to reconnect you to your passion, purpose, and calling. Even if it's in an entirely new direction or profession. It could be nursing --- we're in demand right now. BIG TIME. And we know the value of our time and expertise. What tools do you bring to the table? Do they need to be sharpened a bit before you get to work?
I'd love to keep this conversation going --- I just don't know the best place for it. I started a subreddit recently r/HCWalliance (healthcare workers alliance) for nurses, therapists, aides, techs, whomever... to just... have a place to land. Maybe that's a start? I'm making this up as I go.
I also post on Substack --- it's my place to just... dump my thoughts and concerns into the complaint pile of the internet. And hope something inspires someone to join the "fight".
And so on...
I think we're all feeling lost right now. Music, online content from kind folks like Nick Offerman and Jeff Tweedy, connecting with friends and colleagues who are friends, etc.
We're going to get there... but we need to listen to our heart song as we go. Is it a song, or is it an alarm? Is something not right? Can I do anything about it? Can someone else? Do they know? And so it goes.
I really wish you well, and hope you and your partner are taking care of each other through this storm. It will pass. IT WILL pass. It's just taking its sweet time. It will pass. And on the other side, we will be tending to the garden, the wounded, the sick, the downtrodden. And they will be ready to care for us, too. <3 <3 <3 We've got this!!
Tristan. A family member felt the same after finishing school and spending time as young nurse at BG. Took a couple years off By working in medical software sales (back to hospitals). If interacting w people is the thing, have learned there is always a need in med device companies for former nurses (AAOS comes to mind; a friend once said the best orthopedic doctors are carpenters first. There is a similar large trade group for nurses). BTW. After about 10-15 years of doing that, she’s back in nursing. Albeit a different area. As your friend has discovered there aren’t signs telling you where to go. As Nick suggests, sometimes you just need to go around to a different door in the same building.
Being an uneducated, blue-collar worker, I probably don't have anything to contribute to this except to say that this is good, solid advice. If I were to add anything to it--and I don't really, because my opinion comes from 45 years of blue collar labour up here in Canada--I'd say that at 25, if had I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd sit back and look at what I wanted out of life. Is it money, wealth and riches? Is it fame? (I don't have any of those, but I get by.) What about satisfaction? It doesn't take much to get satisfaction out of life, it's finding what's satisfying that's difficult. Work can be part of the equation, but certainly is not the answer. Personal fulfilment is the key to a happy life. Sure, five years of education is a lot to throw away, but who says you have to throw it away? Doctors Without Borders would probably need nursing staff as much as they would doctors; the Red Cross? There's a lot of disaster and catastrophe in the world--and if you're trying to get away from it you can become a tradesperson--but if you went into nursing to help people, you don't have to limit yourself to one area of practice when there's a world of suffering looking for the love and compassion a nurse has to offer. In ten years from now, you'll be in a different mind-set. Sitting at the end of my working career I have to ask myself what am I going to do now? I've finally come to that part of my life where I realize I don't have a lot of time left, but so what. I can do anything I want, be anything I want...and so can you.
Understandable what that friend is going through...... "back in the day" I traded the brick and mortar nursing for being an EMT but did eventually leave the field for a career 180 degrees away. What I have wanted to do over recent personal medical issues is write a 101 on how to deal with post operative recovery.... doctors never tell you how hard it will be BEFOREHAND... and all advice from someone who understands it would be terrific so the patient and family is ready. I also did not know that a field called RT... not PT or PT... but RT... would develop; I would have pursued that had it been around back then. Just thoughts from Da Donk and a couple others for her to consider.....
Love seeing some of Nick's ascent to stardom, on these posts! I've never been one to follow the stars except the ones in the sky, but being a part of Donkey Thoughts has been a real pleasure...
Many thanks for sharing a window into your inner thoughts.
I enjoyed reading all the good advice from Nick and other Muleteers.Hope for mankind is evident here. As an empathetic person, it is particularly traumatic when first getting into healthcare. I'm sure being indoctrinated into nursing during a global pandemic, with nursing shortages created horrific healthcare work environment. The current state of impersonal antiquated electronic medical records has moved healthcare providers further from face to face connection patient care.
I was a PT for may years and those factors drove me away from that career path. Now I'm on to a more entrepreneurial venture with a greenwood festival, and have to live closer to the bone than ever, but feel like I've found my groove. I read somewhere that it takes nearly a lifetime of experiences before someone can know what their true passion is, and that 57 was the magic year. It was true for me.
In any case, anyone who has been a nurse during the pandemic is a real hero. I know some young nurses who have been traveling around the country making bank being PRN (as needed) nurses in places like LA. They set up a camper, or a Toyota Sienna and had tons of adventures rock climbing and free time to explore the vastness of this amazing country we live in... The young are more free to be more mobile since they aren't yet tied down with kids or a mortgage...
No experience with nursing but I went through undergraduate and law school only to decide afterward that I really didn't want to be a traditional attorney. Luckily there are lots of jobs where you can use your degree without being in court all day; I'd assume the same (maybe to a lesser extent) is true for nursing. In my career now I work in research administration, and am on the administrative side of clinical trial work often, and work with quite a lot of nurses whom I would call "patient adjacent" because they are advocating for patients and moving the ball toward getting them treatment but don't see them in the traditional sense a nurse would. They all seem to love what they do, and so I'm sure there are careers out there for one with a nursing degree but no interest in the day to day grind, stress and burnout that comes with a traditional nursing career. My only advice would be to sit down with someone in the career services office at your school and discuss; I'm sure they've heard stories like yours before and hopefully can offer some perspective.
I like what you said about "patient adjacent". I think a bigger problem (bigger than any one of us on the frontline, administration, or education can tackle separately) is that frontline/bedside/direct-patient care nursing or healthcare is fundamentally broken. Too much work, too much documentation, too much time required... And TOO FEW RESOURCES. Human time spent with patients is a commodity, but it's not billable to insurance, so it gets.... you know... the thing that happens in Healthcare when something doesn't MAKE money... it gets... Uh... neglected? Reduced? Set aside? Forgotten?
So while someone else takes that problem and solves it overnight, we need passionate nurses and healthcare workers to speak up about what it's LIKE at the bedside.
One example is Theresa Brown RN's book "Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient". She saved me a LOT of explaining, as she beautifully weaves together the experiences of nurses at the bedside, and the experiences of patients receiving that care. Phenomenal. Magical! AND she has a Substack!! theresabrown.substack.com
Keep the conversation going, even if it means listening and elevating the voices of the frontline.
Great advice. I worked over 40 years in the medical field so I know a thing or two about what Tristan is saying. There is a high burnout rate in Doctors and nurses and the recent Covid experience soured many medical workers. But I have to agree with what Nicks mom said that there is much satisfaction and joy to experience.
Agreed - I've been in nursing for 13 years: starting during the "great recession", leading into the pandemic, and where I find myself today: lost, but patiently shining a light on the path forward. Some days I'm less patient --- because the problems feel tremendously urgent. We all have skin in the game --- either working in Healthcare, current consumers, or future patients... so, if we ALL in the US have skin in the Healthcare game, then I think more than just Healthcare Workers need to pick up and hone their tools to fix this sinking ship. We're going to get there! We are. <3
Can you read and listen to the 3 audio clips in George Saunders Aug. 4th Substack post: "Office Hours - On Goofing Around in Adjacent Areas..." and then spin a yarn from whatever emerges in your heart and mind? I'd love to hear you two in conversation, especially about the concept behind his word 'Freakification.' ~ Diana from SoCal
Awww. I thought you were going to tell us about a new woodworking joint I hadn't seen yet.
I do recall that live ER episode. Didn't realize you were in it. Cool. Having said that, as much as I liked the TV series ER, it always left me feeling depressed after most episodes.
A friend of mine went into nursing school “because that’s where the girls are”. It was perhaps not the most altruistic reasoning, but after serving in hospitals and ICU’s and taking on supervisory roles, he now has a comfortable, nine to five well-paying career as a nurse in a colonoscopy clinic and is a happily married doting father. You just never know how things might turn out.
Mr. Offerman. I cannot thank you enough for this “donkey thought”. I, and yes my partner who is the nurse, greatly appreciate the thoughts. You have no idea how much this is going to help us. And thanks to everyone else for the great and helpful comments as well. Thank you again and have a great day!
Hey Tristan (and partner of Tristan) --- I think I replied to your question in Nick's previous post. Your question, and Nick's response, resonate with me in a profound way. Our brains stop developing at 25 years old (supposedly --- it's probably a snapple fact that I just keep repeating as truth). If we aren't even "adults" till then, how the HECK are we expected to decide what we want to "be" when we grow up, then pursue it, and stick to it.... Yikes!
With that said, for those who've chosen or are considering a path in Healthcare or the care of other human earthlings, here's the only advice I can think to give:
During times of war, people still join the armed forces. They feel "called" to serve, and they do so bravely and willingly. I have never served in the military, and I know this is like comparing apples and oranges, but this feels like a silent war in Healthcare. That's the scariest kind, because the victims die silent, unremarkable, lonesome deaths. Deaths of spirit or of the physical human body. Could also be "career suicide" --- not the kind like an investor who makes a risky bet. I mean "career suicide" like, "F**k this, I'm out" and they leave the profession indefinitely. Flipping the tables as they go. Smashing the printer in a field. Etc.
And while those who signed up before the "war", or during it, may not have known this was coming. Some have stuck around and are needing some tending before we can power forward. Tending to their wounded spirits. I can't even get into the nuances of which levels of care need what now (I'm writing about it trying to distill my thoughts into a more palatable tincture). It's a wicked, sticky problem. Wicked problems don't have quick or easy solutions.
For now, I believe it takes sharing our stories, and collaborating with those who seem to be in our "tribe". Not unionizing, not creating a cult, not joining a religious afilliation or whatever. Just... figuring out who understands the problem (or is trying to), helping them understand the bigger and smaller picture, and then figuring out the action items AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL. This is not a problem that the US government can fix --- they're too busy trying to punish a bunch of misbehaving adults with no concern for the lives of other humans.
The state government --- well, I don't know --- maybe they have some answers?
But even more local --- is where I feel called to serve as we make our way out of the pandemic. I found my calling in Home Health in 2019 (after I was laid off from a sinking dumpster fire of a ship). I LOVE home health. Now I get to teach it (what a blessing). And I feel like I have an opportunity to affect change, AND give people the tools to keep doing the job well (and care for themselves at the same time).
So my advice was long, but it is to find something in your community to reconnect you to your passion, purpose, and calling. Even if it's in an entirely new direction or profession. It could be nursing --- we're in demand right now. BIG TIME. And we know the value of our time and expertise. What tools do you bring to the table? Do they need to be sharpened a bit before you get to work?
I'd love to keep this conversation going --- I just don't know the best place for it. I started a subreddit recently r/HCWalliance (healthcare workers alliance) for nurses, therapists, aides, techs, whomever... to just... have a place to land. Maybe that's a start? I'm making this up as I go.
I also post on Substack --- it's my place to just... dump my thoughts and concerns into the complaint pile of the internet. And hope something inspires someone to join the "fight".
And so on...
I think we're all feeling lost right now. Music, online content from kind folks like Nick Offerman and Jeff Tweedy, connecting with friends and colleagues who are friends, etc.
We're going to get there... but we need to listen to our heart song as we go. Is it a song, or is it an alarm? Is something not right? Can I do anything about it? Can someone else? Do they know? And so it goes.
I really wish you well, and hope you and your partner are taking care of each other through this storm. It will pass. IT WILL pass. It's just taking its sweet time. It will pass. And on the other side, we will be tending to the garden, the wounded, the sick, the downtrodden. And they will be ready to care for us, too. <3 <3 <3 We've got this!!
Jessie Hammersmith, RN
Lombard, IL
Tristan. A family member felt the same after finishing school and spending time as young nurse at BG. Took a couple years off By working in medical software sales (back to hospitals). If interacting w people is the thing, have learned there is always a need in med device companies for former nurses (AAOS comes to mind; a friend once said the best orthopedic doctors are carpenters first. There is a similar large trade group for nurses). BTW. After about 10-15 years of doing that, she’s back in nursing. Albeit a different area. As your friend has discovered there aren’t signs telling you where to go. As Nick suggests, sometimes you just need to go around to a different door in the same building.
Being an uneducated, blue-collar worker, I probably don't have anything to contribute to this except to say that this is good, solid advice. If I were to add anything to it--and I don't really, because my opinion comes from 45 years of blue collar labour up here in Canada--I'd say that at 25, if had I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd sit back and look at what I wanted out of life. Is it money, wealth and riches? Is it fame? (I don't have any of those, but I get by.) What about satisfaction? It doesn't take much to get satisfaction out of life, it's finding what's satisfying that's difficult. Work can be part of the equation, but certainly is not the answer. Personal fulfilment is the key to a happy life. Sure, five years of education is a lot to throw away, but who says you have to throw it away? Doctors Without Borders would probably need nursing staff as much as they would doctors; the Red Cross? There's a lot of disaster and catastrophe in the world--and if you're trying to get away from it you can become a tradesperson--but if you went into nursing to help people, you don't have to limit yourself to one area of practice when there's a world of suffering looking for the love and compassion a nurse has to offer. In ten years from now, you'll be in a different mind-set. Sitting at the end of my working career I have to ask myself what am I going to do now? I've finally come to that part of my life where I realize I don't have a lot of time left, but so what. I can do anything I want, be anything I want...and so can you.
Understandable what that friend is going through...... "back in the day" I traded the brick and mortar nursing for being an EMT but did eventually leave the field for a career 180 degrees away. What I have wanted to do over recent personal medical issues is write a 101 on how to deal with post operative recovery.... doctors never tell you how hard it will be BEFOREHAND... and all advice from someone who understands it would be terrific so the patient and family is ready. I also did not know that a field called RT... not PT or PT... but RT... would develop; I would have pursued that had it been around back then. Just thoughts from Da Donk and a couple others for her to consider.....
I LOVE this! I have a similar idea for home health care, in addition to home health case management. See a need, fill a need!
Yes..... if I knew then what I learned and understand now, it would have been a more restful and hassle-free recovery. 'See a need, fill a need!'
Mr. Offerman, what a decent and kind human being you are. It does a body good to read such kind (dare I say sage?) advice!
Also, the very best of luck and fortitude to the young person trying to find their way. 🍀
There is goodness out there. Never doubt that.
Love seeing some of Nick's ascent to stardom, on these posts! I've never been one to follow the stars except the ones in the sky, but being a part of Donkey Thoughts has been a real pleasure...
Many thanks for sharing a window into your inner thoughts.
I enjoyed reading all the good advice from Nick and other Muleteers.Hope for mankind is evident here. As an empathetic person, it is particularly traumatic when first getting into healthcare. I'm sure being indoctrinated into nursing during a global pandemic, with nursing shortages created horrific healthcare work environment. The current state of impersonal antiquated electronic medical records has moved healthcare providers further from face to face connection patient care.
I was a PT for may years and those factors drove me away from that career path. Now I'm on to a more entrepreneurial venture with a greenwood festival, and have to live closer to the bone than ever, but feel like I've found my groove. I read somewhere that it takes nearly a lifetime of experiences before someone can know what their true passion is, and that 57 was the magic year. It was true for me.
In any case, anyone who has been a nurse during the pandemic is a real hero. I know some young nurses who have been traveling around the country making bank being PRN (as needed) nurses in places like LA. They set up a camper, or a Toyota Sienna and had tons of adventures rock climbing and free time to explore the vastness of this amazing country we live in... The young are more free to be more mobile since they aren't yet tied down with kids or a mortgage...
Best wishes on your journey.
Cara
So well thought out and eloquently stated. Great job.
No experience with nursing but I went through undergraduate and law school only to decide afterward that I really didn't want to be a traditional attorney. Luckily there are lots of jobs where you can use your degree without being in court all day; I'd assume the same (maybe to a lesser extent) is true for nursing. In my career now I work in research administration, and am on the administrative side of clinical trial work often, and work with quite a lot of nurses whom I would call "patient adjacent" because they are advocating for patients and moving the ball toward getting them treatment but don't see them in the traditional sense a nurse would. They all seem to love what they do, and so I'm sure there are careers out there for one with a nursing degree but no interest in the day to day grind, stress and burnout that comes with a traditional nursing career. My only advice would be to sit down with someone in the career services office at your school and discuss; I'm sure they've heard stories like yours before and hopefully can offer some perspective.
I like what you said about "patient adjacent". I think a bigger problem (bigger than any one of us on the frontline, administration, or education can tackle separately) is that frontline/bedside/direct-patient care nursing or healthcare is fundamentally broken. Too much work, too much documentation, too much time required... And TOO FEW RESOURCES. Human time spent with patients is a commodity, but it's not billable to insurance, so it gets.... you know... the thing that happens in Healthcare when something doesn't MAKE money... it gets... Uh... neglected? Reduced? Set aside? Forgotten?
So while someone else takes that problem and solves it overnight, we need passionate nurses and healthcare workers to speak up about what it's LIKE at the bedside.
One example is Theresa Brown RN's book "Healing: When a Nurse Becomes a Patient". She saved me a LOT of explaining, as she beautifully weaves together the experiences of nurses at the bedside, and the experiences of patients receiving that care. Phenomenal. Magical! AND she has a Substack!! theresabrown.substack.com
Keep the conversation going, even if it means listening and elevating the voices of the frontline.
Geez Nick, that’s some really good, heart felt advice.
Great advice. I worked over 40 years in the medical field so I know a thing or two about what Tristan is saying. There is a high burnout rate in Doctors and nurses and the recent Covid experience soured many medical workers. But I have to agree with what Nicks mom said that there is much satisfaction and joy to experience.
Agreed - I've been in nursing for 13 years: starting during the "great recession", leading into the pandemic, and where I find myself today: lost, but patiently shining a light on the path forward. Some days I'm less patient --- because the problems feel tremendously urgent. We all have skin in the game --- either working in Healthcare, current consumers, or future patients... so, if we ALL in the US have skin in the Healthcare game, then I think more than just Healthcare Workers need to pick up and hone their tools to fix this sinking ship. We're going to get there! We are. <3
Can you read and listen to the 3 audio clips in George Saunders Aug. 4th Substack post: "Office Hours - On Goofing Around in Adjacent Areas..." and then spin a yarn from whatever emerges in your heart and mind? I'd love to hear you two in conversation, especially about the concept behind his word 'Freakification.' ~ Diana from SoCal
Awww. I thought you were going to tell us about a new woodworking joint I hadn't seen yet.
I do recall that live ER episode. Didn't realize you were in it. Cool. Having said that, as much as I liked the TV series ER, it always left me feeling depressed after most episodes.
A friend of mine went into nursing school “because that’s where the girls are”. It was perhaps not the most altruistic reasoning, but after serving in hospitals and ICU’s and taking on supervisory roles, he now has a comfortable, nine to five well-paying career as a nurse in a colonoscopy clinic and is a happily married doting father. You just never know how things might turn out.