I’m glad that I didn’t become a doctor or nurse. I like being outside too much.
During the last 5 days, I spent nearly 40 hours in the hospital with my wife as she recovered from surgery.
Post-surgery she was put in the PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit). There were no available beds in the hospital’s regular units, so she remained here for 5 days.
Today I want to focus on the work environment for the hospital employees in the PACU.
The PACU is a series of long corridors lined with “rooms”.
Each room had 3 walls and was open to the front hall with a curtain to pull for privacy. Each room had a bed, medical devices (IV’s, pumps, monitors etc.), a wall mounted computer, a ceiling mounted TV, a rolling bedside table, and a chair.
The rooms were very cramped. You could fit the patient and 1 visitor. Moving around required ducking and weaving around equipment. It was tight.
The nursing station was the size of a standard office cubicle. Only 1 person could fit in there.
The nurses, aids and doctors spent most of their time in patient rooms and the hallways. If they weren’t taking care of the patient, they were typing into the wall mounted computer.
None of this is unusual. The environment is similar to other post-op recovery units I’ve been in.
I’m not a health care professional. I’m a semi-retired sales dude who works from home.
Here’s what I observed about the working environment:
- No sunlight. The only windows were very small (1 foot high x 2 feet wide). They were behind the patient beds and let in so little daylight that they didn’t need shades.
- Constant background noise. Every room had heart rate monitors, blood pressure cuffs, pumps and various machines which each emitted a steady, endless series of beeps.
- No private space. An employee wanting privacy would need to leave the unit. There was no place anywhere for a private conversation.
- No fresh air. All air was circulated through the A/C. No windows could be opened.
- Claustrophobic. Low ceilings, cramped quarters, no natural light.
Being in the unit was like being underground.
When I left there the minute I got outside I could feel my entire body relax. I inhaled the fresh air, gazed at the plants and soaked up the sun.
It took hours for the hum in my ears to subside. At home, it seemed eerily quiet without constant beeping, intercom announcements, alarms, doors slamming, TVs in the background and intruders.
Just to recharge, I needed to spend a few hours each day exercising outside.
I used to think I hated hospitals because every time I went there it was for something bad.
That’s still true.
But now I realize that the physical environment is stifling to me. I would lose my mind if I had to be in a place like that for 8+ hours a day.
Growing up, I don’t recall any of the career aptitude tests, counseling or advice sessions I’ve had ever talk about the physical work environment for physicians.
I wanted to be a doctor and everything I read confirmed this was a wise career choose.
Career aptitude tests mentioned the physical environment for blue collar jobs but never for any white collar jobs. It was as if it didn’t matter.
The physical work environment was something I never considered when choosing a career path, yet it made a huge impact on my work satisfaction.
Here were just some of the aspects of my work environment that made work better at different times in my career:
- Having an office with a door
- Working from home
- Having a cube next to other young professionals
- Being in an air conditioned office
- Biking outside in all weather
- Working out of my car
- Poolside as a lifeguard
I’m sure there are worse places to work than the PACU of a top ranked hospital. I’ve worked in some of them myself.
One thing I can guarantee is that if I ever work for someone else again, the work environment will be a major factor in where I choose to go.