Surviving to Thriving

Self-Care Deficit?

Each of these plants was thriving until I clipped them from my garden. Each served a purpose, and without my intervention would have continued growing through the end of the season. Some might have produced seeds for next years crop. Others might have darkened, then dropped their leaves in preparation for winter. Regardless of what might have been, I snatched them up and brought them indoors.

Nature thrives when left to its own devices.

I thrive in nature. The magic of conjuring plants from dirt, and watching seeds become beautiful flowers and fragrant leaves. A hiding place for the tiniest bugs, and a snack for wandering critters. I feel grounded when I stand witness to the power of our planet and its ability to sustain itself without human intervention. When I harvest from my garden, I try to be mindful to only take what I “need”.

“Need” has taken on new meaning for me. I don’t need to have pretty cuttings in my house. I want them. But it feels like a need.

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Healthcare, Capital H, feels like a necessity. Easy access to affordable care seems like a “need”. But somehow, it keeps being treated like a “want”. A privilege. It also feels like a privilege to Thrive in Healthcare. Those who can afford it pay extra to see whichever doctor they prefer, the simplicity of driving any distance to get there, the ease of missing work (or not having to work at all) to make time for appointments, needing care and having the means to pay for whatever was necessary, easy, and comfortable… these are privileges in Modern American Healthcare.

A nurse working in a hospital might have to miss work to see a doctor. That nurse might be able to take unplanned paid time off, but that missed time might also leave their unit short-staffed. Often, Healthcare Workers are making a choice between care of self, and care of others. This is surviving.

A physical therapist working in a clinic might be able to get an appointment on a Saturday when they’re not working, but that PT might also have to drive 30 or 60 minutes to get there. Hopefully they have reliable transportation and can afford gas to get there. If they have dependents, they’ll also need to rely on others to provide care while they seek care for themselves. Self or others? This is surviving.

A pharmacist might have a preferred doctor who works for another health system. That pharmacist could still see their “out-of-network” provider, if they’re willing and able to pay extra to do so. They are bound by the rules of their employers health insurance plan, for which they pay high premiums every paycheck (twice a month). They’re required to mix their own health needs with their place of business. This is surviving.

Many who work in Healthcare have the “privilege” of receiving “benefits” from their employer. Benefits like retirement savings, health insurance and wellness benefits, and tuition reimbursement. These shiny perks sound wonderful, and in the past they might have been. The perks of working in Healthcare — the benefit of caring for people, and being cared for in return — are crumbling. Glossed over with a shiny veneer. But underneath the thick lacquer of touch-up paint are a bunch of hardworking people surviving.

From Surviving to Thriving

It’s time for Healthcare to move from surviving to THRIVING.

Thriving looks different in every area, and for every person. In nature, a thriving potato looks much different than a thriving marigold.

A marigold in bloom appears to be thriving, and with a little knowhow, so does a marigold gone to seed.

A bumblebee thriving on marigold and lavender blooms sounds different than a sparrow thriving on a cicada.

A peperomia might be surviving for years, till it finally gets enough light and water. Then it spreads in all directions, basking in the glow of thriving.

What I’m getting at is…

It’s time to consider where Modern American Healthcare is heading. Companies that value thriving seek input from the frontline workers. Not just seek it: they use input from HCW to take swift action to move from surviving to thriving. Referral bonuses, sign-on bonuses, longevity incentives, pay raises, increased staffing ratios, decreased productivity thresholds, more wellness and self-care offerings, and more support and time to tend to the needs of self.

Nurses and HCW who are not thriving are taking action, like those in Minnesota who are on strike for better pay and staffing. Those who think unions are the answer are considering if this is the path they must take. There’s been a quiet storm building since before the pandemic, and it will either gain momentum or it’s already loud enough to sound the alarm.

Time will tell.

I’m not here to boil the ocean. The staffing problems in Minnesota are not my experience as a nurse (at least not now). But if I felt that staffing and pay were a problem, I would absolutely speak up. Right now, I don’t have all the words for what I’d like to see Modern American Healthcare grow into. Would a viking funeral help? Let it rise like a phoenix from the ashes? Mix it into the compost? I don’t think so…

Instead, I’d like to see my actions as planting good seeds, and shining a light. A nourishing light. I get to do that in my work as a nurse and an educator. I also get to shine a light in my community. If there’s a problem, I know I have a voice to use and ears that will listen. So right now, I feel called to nourish the spirits of those around me. To help others hone their tools and continue providing care to those in need. Caring for the carers, and reminding them to care for themselves. Yes, yourself and myself.

Because I don’t know what else to do. Do you?

Love,

Jessie