In my clinical work during the last forty years, I have had to get used to computer based technology in diagnostics, health care delivery, communication, managements of patients in the intensive care, etc. I found some easy and some difficult. It took a long while, before I got used to digital EEG, and other digital neuro-physiological procedures.
The older people have to adapt to newer technology; parents have to adapt to the way children view life; leaders have to consent to the enthusiasm of younger people. The older people are to change if they want to feel needed.
A young doctor who is finishing his two years of work in a rural hospital spoke to me at length about some of his experiences, most of which made him feel suffocated, discouraged and negative. The hospital leaderships in rural hospitals still tend to view young health care professionals as subordinates, trainees, and temporary staff. Instead, they are valuable colleagues, people we are called to mentor in a self giving way and professionals with potential leadership skills.
Young people are drawn towards rural hospitals only if the leadership is willing to transcend their experiences of their training years, which was very different, and accept and accommodate the needs of the new generation of younger professionals.
The needs of young people are, acceptance, empowering, giving opportunities to express their creative skills, periodic break from work for respite and recovery, predetermined holidays, consideration for the spouse and children, etc.
The litany of complaints about young health care professionals, 'that they do not care or do not want to work in rural hospitals' need to be replaced with a challenge, 'how can we prepare him or her for a long term work in that hospital'!
This calls for seniors and those in leadership to move out of their generational view to life, work and calling. For the sake of the thousands of patients who still depend on the rural hospitals, let us make every change possible to get younger people to gravitate to rural hospital.
M.C.Mathew
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