As a RN of almost 30 years, now permanently disabled and more patient than nurse, it's important to have perspective when watching. Yes, our healthcare system is broken in this country. Yes, access to services, staff-patient ratios, mounds of bureaucratic red tape with insurances are almost insurmountable ongoing challenges everywhere... is it an overall realistic picture of our healthcare system in this country? Not really, but that's not the show's intent either. It is look inside one particular hospital in New York City, giving us a glimpse, -literally snapshots in eight episodes- of a variety of emergency cases featuring patients, families and staff perspectives- also recognizing the societal issues of homelessness, gun violence, drug abuse, mental illness, the impact of COVID, access to healthcare for all- and how these issues impact the care health professionals offer as well as the barriers to care these issues cause.
I especially appreciate that. It also gives a glimpse into the camaraderie and teamwork necessary to coordinate good patient care. The doctors and nurses featured are extraordinary in their human Ness, their vulnerability, their willingness to share the challenges they face without the overarching "God-complexes" or big egos we (as professionals) are so accustomed to seeing particularly in these highly specialized areas, like neurosurgery, pediatric surgery, transplant surgery, Etc. Rest assured, they chose truly the cream of the crop to interview and follow for these eight episodes. Again, we are getting a glimpse, and of course their best sides are forward, but one gets the feeling watching this that it's a pretty authentic representation of who these particular physicians and nurses are, and not merely "playing good people" for the journalistic effect.
It is refreshing to see doctors connect with patients and family in such a kind and meaningful way. It is why I went into healthcare many years ago, was to connect to patients, to make a difference, to help and maybe even heal if I was lucky, and to be part of a team that focused on individual centered care. Recognizing each person as a holistic entity, no different from ourselves, these physicians, nurses, EMTs seem to exhibit all of those wonderful qualities in their dedication and loyalty to their code of ethics and upholding a high level of professionalism.
There are still plenty of physicians, nurses, and staff around the country who are equally as good and dedicated. But we can only go by our own experience unless, of course, we see a documentary like this to gain a different perspective
Unfortunately, no, as someone in the healthcare system as a patient almost daily the last six years since a major car accident changed my life, it has been a shocking and devastating realization as a patient just how many healthcare professionals are burned out, exhausted, overwhelmed with work requirements, and insurance bureaucracy that they are disconnected from what brought them to medicine in the first place. I know what it's like to be dismissed, disrespected, not heard, ignored, untreated, mistreated, by all the healthcare systems, I have been involved with in one way or another since the accident in 2018. But I have also had some amazing doctors, nurses, medical assists, nursing assistants, therapists who in many ways helped to save my life. But it wasn't the majority as we wish it would be.... And I'm not sure how we get back to that. This documentary gave me great hope and reminded me of why my passion is still in healthcare, even though I can no longer physically do the work.
It is still exciting for me to see things. I never got to see, such as brain, surgery, pediatric surgery, and the workings of transplantation. It was emotional for me to watch the stories of those with glioblastoma, as I lost a very dear friend to Gio a couple years ago in his 40s. The same excitement and tears as I watched the C-sections and nervous parents going through childbirth, as I started my career in nursing many years ago as an OB nurse. This show touched on, so many interesting and fascinating aspects of emergency/ surgical healthcare- I was especially touched by the emergency situation with the surgeon. As someone who is now disabled, and unable to return to nursing, a career, I loved, I felt in the pit of my gut, the intense impending doom which he expressed never being able to do what he loved again. One of the main themes of the show, incredibly incredibly fragile life truly is. And it takes a team of people working together to hold on that tiny, fragile thread of hope that life will continue, and health may be restored to the best of their ability, and that of the individual. It also speaks to the importance of having community around you when there is suffering, whether you are staff or patient. We need community, we need connection. We also need to recognize the struggle of those who do not have community who may be without a home, family, Friends, who are struggling and ways to find a place and a purpose in this world. It is so important to recognize the veil is almost invisible between us as healthcare professionals and our patients. This show clearly gives us an example of just how transparent that veil is that we can go from robust, healthy, working, dedicated professionals to suddenly broken, suffering, patients on a table in an instant. And so often we as professionals, take that for granted, I can tell you as someone who can no longer do what I love to do for so long, there is such an intense, deep, pervasive grief and loss. Over this alone..
The show makes me so proud to still be a nurse, even though I can no longer work in my profession. It reminds me of so many moments in my career, where I felt connected, useful, helpful, driven, and respected it reminds me of the joy of being part of a team, also the frustration of being part of a team and trying to do all we can do within the confines of corporate healthcare, which was constantly difficult to navigate. I am reminded of the excellent leaders I worked with, who had just the right combination of compassion, empathy, vulnerability Listening skills, creativity, as well as intensely upholding, professional, ethics and values, bridging, the gap, representing the employees to corporate entities as an advocate, while also guiding and nurturing us to be better as professionals and to grow.
I can't say enough about this show, and I truly hope there is another season. As a patient who has gotten so jaded over the last several years and disheartened by my own experience in the very broken system, it's programs like these that remind me of the miracles- Truly the miracles of the human body, the human resolve, human resiliency and the God-given talents and hearts of compassion that still resides in professionals and staff in every hospital in every corner of this great nation. There are healthcare professionals who go above and beyond every day. There are healthcare professionals, who continue to "fight the good fight" amongst all of the incredibly stressful challenges, they must face- aside from a nationwide traumatic pandemic in which we were not prepared, but we continue to fight and do the best we could do.
My one suggestion as someone who record and researched the impact of secondary trauma, caregiver, burn out, and the increasing rates of suicide, among healthcare professionals, to dedicate a period of time in a show where you focus on just that. As always most of these shows mention these issues briefly, but we never really get a full picture of the impact. It's always a few sentences about how we just "need to compartmentalize and get through it", when the truth of the matter is is, that's partially why we got here with nursing shortages, other shortages, because people are leaving the profession. Burnout is real, secondary trauma is real, moral injury is Raul, PTSD is very real, we need to talk about it. We need to shine a light on it a very bright light, we need to stop "compartmentalizing" and talk about the really hard painful stuff that we are exposed to and see day after day, even what we go through as employees in corporate healthcare is traumatic. I like the scene very much where they decompress after losing a patient, but there needs to be so much more of this on a regular basis, as part of the responsibility of a corporate employer to listen to employees and nurture them through these issues by providing services, resources, and making mental healthcare part and parcel of the package. They offer to every employee, beyond just an outside therapy resource. It needs to be part of the culture everywhere they need to have specialized staff -trauma informed staff - to connect with employees, work with employees, check in with employees, and find ways to decompress, discuss, reflect, and to work through the trauma bite-size pieces to hopefully avoid total shut down and breakdown of the human psyche to where someone leaves the profession. There is healthy compartmentalization, but often we adopt unhealthy compartmentalization, which means we just stuff it, and never deal with it, which then has accumulating effects. We carry on a daily basis hour after our shift after shift, also impacts our body, so we need to do what we encourage patients to do, take our own advice, which is hardest for us, and take care of ourselves, body mind and soul. And corporate healthcare needs to take an active part in that as well. To take care of their employees Beyond just salary and insurance.
Thank you too all who were involved in creating this amazing documentary series, I hope very much a second season will be done. It has been so helpful and uplifting to me in so many ways, right now over the holidays it means so much for me to watch this, and to feel some hope again. I'm very sad. I've watched all eight episodes. I may rewatch them again. :)
Good healthcare still DOES EXIST . 💙
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