I am a physical therapist working in the outpatient setting of a hospital. Because of the pandemic, we had to limit the number of patients that we see as outpatients from a fully packed schedule of 8-12 patients in a day to seeing only 2-4 patients, twice in a week. This means that we were given less chances to work as outpatient and more chances to work in the inpatient setting in the hospital and work alternately with the other inpatient physical therapist staff. As an inpatient physical therapist, we assist in the discharge planning as well as improve mobility with patients who are deconditioned whether due to their medical condition or they have general deconditioning as a result of inactivity while they were at the hospital.
Because we were working only 2-3 days in a week, we also had a few opportunities to be 'deployed' to support the hospital in other ways. We specifically were tasked to do temperature screens for people who were coming in to our hospital or in other hospitals in the same health system.
I do appreciate the intent of the administrator to continue to give us work and still serve a purpose in the hospital. I did enjoy some time to read profession -related articles in downtimes.
However, if I'm not working as a clinician, I miss working as a clinician.
So after having the opportunity to work as support staff in the hospital in the past week and having worked in the past 2 days as a clinician i.e. as an inpatient physical therapist, I've come to realize that I really truly enjoy my profession.
Don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed my profession but this time, I had something to compare it to. I realized that I will trade any less demanding job to my current profession.And I am just so grateful that I am in this field, where I truly feel that "I belong." I am good at my job but I can persevere to learn more and be even better. Helping my patients to get back on their feet is so rewarding. It truly gives me pure joy.
Steve Jobs said, "And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
So in these uncertain times, if you still have a job, I do hope that it is giving you joy in the midst of this pandemic.
Enjoy today.