Newsletter #7: Is there hope for public service industries?

My husband and I are always on the hunt for a good 30-minute comedy. They're the best thing to watch to wind down from a long day but - gosh darn it - a good one is hard to find!

Recently we began watching Abbott Elementary, and it's a solid show. As I watch it though, I can't help but think about the similarities that I see between education and healthcare. 

I know. I know. You're thinking "not another piece that compares and contrasts the healthcare and education sectors". 

I promise not to bore you. What I am most interested in talking about is the similarities I see between teachers and healthcare workers rather than the similarities in the systems themselves. So without further ado...

Similarity 1: Teachers and healthcare workers are scrappy

Despite poor funding, the Abbott Elementary teachers are always able to pull off amazing things for their students, and I like to think that healthcare workers are the same way. 

No matter how little they are working with, healthcare workers go above and beyond for their patients. Because they care. A LOT. 

By the way, for those interested in a career in tech, scrappiness is a valued quality. Anyone can thrive when you have tools with bells and whistles that cost millions of dollars. It's what you can cobble together with broken tech, some glue, and some popsicle sticks that really impresses.

Similarity 2: Teachers and healthcare workers are both burned out

Perhaps related to #1 (always doing more with less), teachers and healthcare workers are both burned out. 

According to a 2022 Gallup Poll, K-12 teachers have the highest burnout level of all industries nationally. Healthcare professionals aren't far behind. 

People are leaving these professions in droves to find better balance, better pay, and less pressure. And while I'm all for people doing what's right for them, this is a scary time. If things don't change soon, we'll be dealing with shortages that ultimately impact the end users of the system: students and patients. 

Absolutely no one wants that. 

Similarity 3: Teachers and healthcare workers are going to save education and healthcare, respectively

If you've been around awhile, you know that I'm extremely passionate about ensuring that healthcare professionals are actually a part of the change that's happening in the healthcare system. 

I don't want these changes happening to us. These changes should be happening for us.

It's the same in education. A lot of decisions are made on behalf of teachers and it's unclear if their best interest is in mind. And don't get me started on pay. 

But if real change is going to be made, we need to be listening to those that are grinding day in and day out in the system. The ones that know the gaps, the pitfalls, and the failures better than anyone. 

*BONUS* Similarity 4: We were long overdue for a comedy TV series in these areas

Education had Boston Public, but Abbott Elementary is a great spin on the lives of teaching staff: the good, the bad, and the silly.

And as far as comedies in medicine? Sure, we had Scrubs, but that is one comedy in a sea of dramas. I'm talking ER, House, Grey's Anatomy, New Amsterdam, Nip/Tuck, The Resident, Chicago Med, Nurse Jackie, and Private Practice among others. 

The good news is that I'm hearing rumblings of a medical comedy series coming this year. Let's hope it scratches the comedy itch. Because let's face it -- sometimes when it comes to the healthcare system, if we don't have a good laugh, we'll cry.