Just a note from the front lines here about what's on the horizon - expect 2022 to be the year that even if somehow Covid crests, you're going to wait longer to be seen/get care for anything non-emergent due to the same staffing reductions you're seeing at restaurants, etc. And just to be clear, this is NOT because of a huge outflow of anti-vaxxers in health care (very few of those - as is always the case - will actually follow through, it's all posturing and talk for the most part. Maybe 4-5%, still important but not 20).
However.....
I attended a leadership development course as a supervisor Thursday before last, and we were given the results of the company's research into employment future. It's NOT promising. Their own research of the entire company (not just my hospital) shows that within six months a full 30% of the health care work force (again for the company, not necessarily US wide) will leave their jobs, 40% of whom have no job lined up - and virtually none of this having anything to do with the vaccine.
At the same time, I ordered supplies again on Monday and AGAIN got an entire list of items that were immediately placed on "backorder." The list getting longer in and of itself is not surprising, it's usually maybe one week for now. However, multiple tests including albumin and (get ready) creatinine (which along with BUN is how they measure your kidney function) are not available until March 1, 2022. Same with High Sensitivity Troponins - which is the newly installed method that will do away with the diagnosis of "unstable angina" according to the inventors of the test.
On top of that, our supply consumption is going up quicker than I can measure it. We actually ran out of one reagent last week that assists with Electrolyte testing. I had to overnight it from Delaware to make sure we didn't run out the next day because you can't even have a lab without checking sodium, potassium, chloride.
I've begun waking up every night with multiple anxiety attacks over the job, probably because I actually do care about doing a good one. I've begun forgetting things, too - now granted, part of that is probably being 52 years old now, but you can probably suspect that really freaks someone like me out even more so than the average person.
And on top of that there is apparently a "lazy gap" or something developing proving what I've always suspected, that it doesn't REALLY (in most cases) make much difference whether one is the management or the labor - that's not what makes people good or bad in their handling of stuff. There ARE well-run companies who demonstrate their concern about employees, and there ARE very good employees - and the opposite is also true. We've gotten to the point several folks who are working are doing far less than their best - knowingly and willingly - not fatigue, just "you're not gonna fire me because you don't have anyone to replace me" mentality. I've gone behind folks as is my job and found they did something poorly or not at all, and the look on their face tells me they could care less if I have more work to do because of them.
All this to say that I doubt my hospital is the only one with these issues. One 75 miles up the road is in such dire straits they're offering a $20K sign-on bonus for a one-year contract because they had so many employees working 60-hour weeks. We got so bad that I had to leave the Iron Bowl right as we began the tying drive to work a 12-hour night shift. (I'm willing to do my part, but good Lord). Most hospital lab jobs offered right now are offering bonsues that START at $3K and go upwards to $30K (Texarkana).
All this to intersperse both my personal drama and the public drama playing out before us in one narrative and to tell you - don't be shocked if your appointments take longer for anything requiring a hospital or lab sendouts to one. (I cannot comment on private offices, I don't know).
My LOA begins Wednesday, which I will spend with my son on his 23rd birthday.
I've already set up appointments for the eye doctor and a full-fledged physical for everything wrong with me in mid-January (they had nothing left this year, which stinks for my deductible). I will also be abandoning (for that time anyway) social media, not defriending anyone but simply not posting for the period (both FB and Twitter). I'll take my annual sojourn to Duluth for Christmas (son going with me this year, too). And trying to find the value in small things, too.
Just be ready for health care to be worse for awhile is what I guess I'm saying.
We're three months from the 4th shot. I'm sort of torn between trying to speed it up a bit and waiting to see if they have an Omicron-specific addition by March. They don't seem to be really sure as to what appropriate wait intervals are...
