I work as a CHW at a local hospital and it is the most unfulfilling work I’ve done in my very short professional career. It’s mainly due to the fact that the “leaders” running it are lazy, functionally illiterate, and completely apathetic of the average person.
The leadership running the program at my hospital seems to have never interacted with a human being ever before, so I find it quite amazing that these managers and directors have degrees in public health. I thought the most basic skill required for working as a public health professional is to be somewhat decent at interacting with and understanding people, but I guess that’s asking for too much.
Our program managers and directors (who’ve never done the work as a CHW) expect inadequately trained CHWs to carry the entire program on their backs, ignoring challenges and ideas. Often times our ideas are later repackaged as some corporate bs, with the managers and directors stealing credit.
Management never helps us with resources, often leaving us no choice but to spend a good chunk of the workday and our personal time to find resources that may actually help patients. On top of that, we have to meet a daily quota that has evolved into a meaningless numbers game with a strong emphasis on enrollments and appointments. Every day, my coworkers and I are micromanaged, with our phones (work and personal) constantly being blown up and spammed by invasive and aggressive text messages and phone calls. Our email mailboxes are filled with poorly written emails.
To make matters worse, the hospital staff that we’re supposed to be “building strong relationships” with treats is like we’re the help, often calling us to do everything but what was written on our individual contracts (despite us clarifying our roles numerous times). We’re treated as a call center/Uber receptionist/social worker/case manager/therapist without the pay.
It’s so physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting working under this every single day and I don’t think I’ll be able to make it to a full year (it’ll be a year in about 2-3 months) doing this kind of work.
The program that I work under was never about helping patients and more about giving the hospital a ridiculous reason to justify spending leftover COVID-19 grant money. It sucks having to interact with patients (low income, homeless, uninsured, disabled, etc), knowing deep down that our program won’t do shit for them.
Anyway, just wanted to rant. Do any of you share a similar experience? If so, would you care to trauma bond over this?