Welcome back to my weekend reflections, where I dive into the highs and lows of my workweek!
This weekend was challenging, filled with families yelling, patients reluctant to leave, and agencies competing for hospice services. It had been a while since I’d dealt with that level of difficulty from a family member.
The fog in the morning was insane. I literally could not see the bridges, trees, or roads, anything beyond the five feet in front of me. It was scary, especially since it lasted all three days of my morning commute. I’m so used to driving 80 miles per hour, and I had to scale it back to around 50.
High: I restocked most of my resource folders, finished all required quarterly meetings, and had my quarterly check-in with my manager. I’m grateful for a strong working relationship with my manager here, as it makes all the difference. I especially needed to restock fetal demies folders since we had several this weekend.
Low: I have had some really nasty patients and family; the one I encountered this weekend would make it in my top five. The family did not understand that the patient had been medically cleared, had a safe discharge, and that transportation was arranged. All I did was provide a courtesy phone call to the children because the patient asked me to do so. Three hours later, my ears were ringing, management and patient relations were involved, and I went home thinking this world is one big fire. People have lost the decency of engaging in respectful conversations. It always amazes me when individuals think that we are working against them instead of with them. I always tell patients help me help you, ” because if you’re not going to be honest with me, let alone be ugly, then how am I supposed to help you with whatever barriers you are facing?
There is a reason for such a high burnout rate in social work, let alone healthcare providers and patients, and families not being kind, understanding, and respectful is part of the overarching problem in the field.