We know how essential healthcare workers are and the additional stress they have been through . But are they really appreciated in the way they deserve?
Rarely do people think about how covid is affecting those who deal with it first-hand on a daily basis.
Healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, patient care technicians, and other hospital staff usually have a lot on their plate, but in terms of the pandemic, they deserve a lot more appreciation than they actually get.
A Patient Care Associate who works at a local county hospital in Nassau County who will remain anonymous due to privacy concerns, felt unappreciated while working at the job:
“The daily work was difficult but it’s what I signed up for and I love what I do. Other hospitals were granted a certain amount of money that they could give to their employees as hazard pay, and my hospital was granted money as well, but only a select few people got anything while the hospital decided to start doing renovations. Not only did I never see a penny for months of back-breaking work during COVID, and it’s not so much about the money, but I never got so much as a thank you from my hospital.”
When you feel unappreciated at a job, it’s hard to stay motivated to keep doing your best. The PCA has since left his job at the local hospital, and before being hired at his current job, he felt very discouraged during his job search. “I looked on Indeed and found out that people working at restaurants bussing tables and washing dishes make more money than hospital workers do trying to save people’s lives. It’s not that I don’t believe everyone deserves a living wage, but if I can get a job with no experience and make more money than I would at a hospital, what am I paying thousands of dollars a semester going to school for?” said the PCA.
While it is true that every single job should pay their workers enough of a wage to live off of, this just further proves that healthcare workers are extremely under-appreciated. Certain careers deserve a lot more respect than they get, such as doctors and nurses, teachers, first-responders, etc. These careers are essential for a society to function in, and so they deserve a wage that shows that appreciation for their work.
Most people would agree that the more work you put into your career—whether it’s dedication to school or even physical labor to further your position—the more you should be paid. When healthcare workers break their backs and risk their own health for their jobs, they deserve to be appreciated with the same level of care and compassion.
The whole world has been struggling during the pandemic we are being forced to live in right now, but with all the work that healthcare workers put in to help everyone around them, they deserve a lot more appreciation and respect. After all, they are doing this for others and not for themselves.
