Caretakers and Lifesavers – We Know Exactly What’s Wrong With You, We Just Aren’t Allowed To Tell You”: Caretakers And Lifesavers Are Sharing Secrets From Their Jobs
A recent request was made to the BuzzFeed Community for Caretakers and Lifesavers to anonymously share the secrets of their jobs. Out of the 538 secrets I got, the ones from caregivers and lifesavers really kind of stood out to me. So…here they are!
- “I was a Red Cross certified lifeguard and swim instructor for almost a decade. Some public pools will actively prevent their lifeguards from obtaining more advanced first aid/lifesaving certifications so that they cannot be held liable in the event of an emergency requiring that level of care. For example, they don’t want their lifeguards to be certified in using BVMs (bag valve masks) or other equipment because then the lifeguard is obligated to provide that care if it is required, and this opens the facility to more liability if something goes wrong and a complaint or lawsuit is brought against them.”
- “Medical device rep here. You know that complicated spine surgery you just had? There’s a good chance that critical aspects of your care were performed by your surgeon using specialized tools for the very first time, and were directed by someone like me, in real-time, with no special medical training, and with maybe a week of product training.” Honestly speaking, Caretakers and Lifesavers have very huge job responsibilities.
- “When you get your mammogram, we do not care if you forgot to shave under your arms or if you have moles. It’s preferable if you’ve cleaned under your breasts, but we will position you the same even if you haven’t. But please, don’t make it weird. If you say, ‘Do you enjoy touching women’s boobs all day?’ We will laugh it off, but you’ve just made it suddenly awkward. We are providing you with a medical procedure. We are in no way enjoying it, but we can, in fact, enjoy our job and the singular service we provide without it being sexualized by you. Don’t make it weird.”
- “Assisted living facilities are filthy. Despite the nursing staff, we are not a nursing home. We are not held to the same standards of cleanliness or care. The state inspectors have never entered my unit in the 10 years I’ve worked there. We fly right under the radar.”
- “I am an X-ray tech at a hospital. We know exactly what’s wrong with you; we just aren’t allowed to tell you. The radiologist officially has to read the X-rays. Also, if we X-ray your abdomen, we can see if you are about to fart on us.”
- “Drowning DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THEY SHOW YOU IN THE MOVIES/TV SHOWS. It is far more subtle, and it is SO easy for a person to be in very serious distress and not be noticed. The busier the facility is, the more dangerous it is, but drownings can happen in very small groups (like a group swim class) very quickly. Please listen to the lifeguards when they tell you that your 4-year-old must be accompanied in the water by an adult. I am begging you.”
- “If you smoke cigarettes, your dental hygienist can tell. We won’t judge you for it. The smell will hide up underneath your gums and comes out when cleaned. No use lying about the stain being ‘only wine and coffee.’ You either smoke, or you’ve made out with lit cigarettes.”
- “I drew blood at a blood bank for years. I can’t speak for all of them, obviously, but the one I was at was so money hungry that we would get written up for ‘wasting’ blood bags and supplies, meaning that if a donor passed out and we were unable to get a full bag, if their vein collapsed, or if they asked us to stop, it would count against us for our success rates. Then, our rates were posted for everybody in the company to see. So, the more unsuccessful units you have, the worse your numbers are, and you are less likely to get raises/promotions, and everybody thinks you are a terrible phlebotomist. This led to people leaving needles in arms of passed out people, painful digging to try to find a vein without removing the needle, or people just being denied for having ‘bad veins,’ when in reality, somebody was probably just too scared to try out of fear for their rates.”
- “I work at an animal hospital that boards animals, so we have pets staying with us. Do not board your animals at a vet office or any kind of kennel if you can help it. It’s an issue across the board: We simply cannot give your pets the attention they deserve. I try to give them love and attention whenever I can, but sometimes, there just isn’t time since everyone needs help with emergencies, appointments, and everything like that. Our boarders have their basic needs taken care of, but they get kind of neglected otherwise. I’ve seen firsthand how sad it makes them to board for so long, even with the attention and love that I and my coworkers do give them. Honestly, that’s probably one of the worst routine parts of my job.”
- “I work on a labor and delivery floor, and nothing is more amusing to us than when patients demand to have their epidural done by an anesthesiologist (the doctor) instead of the CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist). Epidurals are a physical skill, and in most hospitals, CRNAs do the vast majority of them, meaning that in most cases, CRNAs are faster and more accurate than the docs simply because they’re regularly practising. The patients who demand a doctor often end up with not-so-great epidurals and either suffer through the rest of their labour or end up needing it redone. We will try to subtly steer patients in the right direction, but unfortunately, a lot of the time they don’t listen.”
1 Comment
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. I do think that you need to publish more about this subject matter, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people do not speak about such topics. To the next! Cheers!!