Healthcare provider and concerned patient. Photo by frenta

Push or Pull? What’s Your Motivation?

The medical field is seen as a noble profession, worthy of praise and admiration. But, that can definitely attract people that may not have a calling for it!

Passion and Will play two separate roles in this situation. Passion has the power to pull you through. Will is when you push through. The thing about push is it never lasts forever.

I once worked for a job that gave full benefits, was the highest paying, as well as, the easiest, job I’ve ever had. So why was it so hard for me to get out of bed in the morning?

Working as a nurse tech, I woke up at 4:00 AM to get crapped, bled, and cried on for 14 hours straight. Each day I was nervous. But the good kind of nervous –worried about doing my job well, about being the tech I needed to be for my patients. Without fail, I arrived early, sat alone in the locker room, and prayed for each one of my patients and myself. The only time I sat down was on my way too short of lunch break. Never once did I have to pull myself out of bed. Many times, I woke up before the alarm even rang. Why?

Then there are those who just “put up” with it. They go into this knowing it is an honorable job, and yes, they can even get that intrinsic “good feeling” now and then. This anecdotal delectation tricks many into thinking passion is involved. Yet, time will take it’s toll and ultimately lead to burnout. You will have nurses passing on work, doctors who don’t get closer than 15 feet from their patient, and techs avoiding the call buttons.

This doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to not be thrilled about your job from time to time if you truly have a passion for your work.  On the contrary! Seeing inadequacies, ineptitude, or disinterest within your area will likely cause you even more heartache than the normal person. However, instead of seeing those as reasons to leave, you see them as reasons to stay.

For the sake of your patients and your own sanity, be sure of your motivation. Are you earnest in your care and love for this job or are you trudging through for the sake of proving your own resiliency?

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  1. This is pretty good… definitely made me think about my own motivation for sure. Hard to decipher between trudging and trying to make it better

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