Healthcare Worker Guest Author

Hey my name is Loren. I am a 20-year-old healthcare worker and a former nursing student. For the past two years I have been a certified nursing assistant at Community Memorial Hospital (Winona Health) in Winona, MN.

Like one of the previous guest writers, I also was unaware that, as a whole, healthcare has a low number of incoming providers. I am however aware of the shortage of nurses. This was the main reason I chose nursing as my major. I was continually hearing on the news that there is a nursing shortage, after one semester in the Winona State Nursing Program, I understand why. The amount of stress and coursework demanded of nursing students is ridiculous. For example Anatomy and Physiology is the most stressful class imaginable. I personally failed it three times. Not due to lack of effort, but due to the endless little details we had to memorize. I still do not understand why as a nurse I would need to know the name every bone or every chemical reaction in the body. That class alone caused half of the freshman nursing students to change their majors. I feel like more would have stuck around had the class been more directed at nursing student, but the problem is that the class was for Pre-Med, Sports/Physical Therapy, and Nursing student. As a general studies course it will not be specialized for nursing students. Personally I would like to see all general studies courses removed from our college programs all together. College boards are more worried about having “well rounded” American Citizens then in having those citizens specialists in their careers. Here is where I would normally go off on how education in general needs to be revised, but as that is not the point of this blog, I will refrain myself.

Next I would like to discus my views on Universal Healthcare. I am 100% for it! There is no reason for ANY American Citizen to be refused care because they are uninsured. And if they are not refused, they get slammed with ridiculously high healthcare bills. At the hospital we have patients that we call “frequent fliers”. Some of them actually come in because they need care, but a lot of them come in simply because they are lonely. And doctors continue to admit them! These patients all have Medicare, and can stay for up to ten days paying very little out of pocket. This really bothers me for two reasons. The first, I have to deal with them, and they are often very crabby or meticulous. Secondly, I have been lucky enough to find a job that pays well and offers benefits, such as health insurance. However so many people in this country a unemployed at the moment, and unable to get health insurance. Why should one of these people be bombarded to healthcare bills, when Medicare is pouring money into entertaining these elderly?

If this country decides that Universal Healthcare is to socialistic (sarcasm much intended), I firmly believe we need to have a new law that gives healthcare to anyone enrolled in a college or university. These people are already dishing thousands of dollars into their education; they cannot afford to be uninsured. So many students work while in college, but most can’t work full time in a job that gives them health insurance. An uninsured student, who is most likely already in debt due to student loans, would be even more in debt with a trip to the emergency room. I know that this concept may be confusing to many students who may be reading this because they are insured under their parents’ plans, but not all of us have that comfort. I have two people in mind when I say that. One of my close friends is uninsured because her father lost his job, thus losing all coverage for is family. Another friend of mine is not on speaking terms with his family, and they refuse to keep him on their plan.

Thank you for allowing me to speak my mind. I DEMAND change, and I pray that Obama’s Healthcare reform passes.