Discussion any of you guys healthcare workers?

[letdown]

i am going to med school in august so i am curious if anyone on here are doctors, nurses, etc. tbh i applied to med school believing there was no way i would get in. and i got into multiple. so now i have no clue about my future because i thought there wouldnt be any chance.

do you find it hard to speak up about struggles because youre worried of career consequences? are you ever tempted to steal meds/prescribe yourself stuff to ctb with? can it be hard to see suicidal patients or treat suicide attempts?

lmk your experience i would love to hear it

 

[miyabi]

Not a healthcare worker but deal with suicides and suicidal individuals directly alongside HCPs. Most do not affect me because we have a lot of frequent flyers that regularly abuse the service for attention (different to a genuine cry for help). By nature these make up the most of the encounters because of the sheer volume of abuse of the system they generate (think Pareto Principle). When I say abusing the process for attention, this typically means patients intending to be psychiatrically committed so they can post about it on social media as a badge of honour. Every hospital in their local area will know them by face and name because they've probably presented multiple times in the past month claiming suicidal and assaulting HCPs when a psych rightfully calls bullshit. Obviously, the genuinely suicidal are either ashamed/afraid to be honest and try to avoid psychiatric internment, or are open and co-operative with the intention of receiving support.

Again by nature people with genuine mental health issues will often not reach out but will instead attempt first and my encounters will either be dead on arrival or someone genuinely suffering and making an active attempt, so these are relatively uncommon but painful to deal with. It is harder for me to deal with it knowing that they're experiencing the same thing I am and that I'd be in their shoes under different circumstances.

Yes, the career consequences are a big issue. I survived (barely) a suicide attempt and will never disclose it, especially knowing how it's looked upon. Several people off sick with PTSD are viewed as not really suffering but instead playing the system. I was personally present for a particularly gruesome death which led to someone being diagnosed with PTSD (think injuries consistent with a relatively high yield explosion) so I know it's genuine, but it doesn't stop others from disbelieving it and gossiping about them.

The same high school behaviour exists. There is no higher moral standard in this field.

I suspect I have PTSD aggravated by work but will struggle to obtain a diagnosis whilst retaining my career progression. Once you see behind the curtain and see how they view people with mental health from the other side, I find it's discouraging and not conducive to opening up yourself.