Attitudes

OK, so those of us a little closer to the story know that "earn big money; get into health care" is just a tad overblown. All the same, once the economics get balanced, there is still a greater need for people to do almost every job than there are people to do the jobs.

This brings me back to that regrettable job interview I had at the beginning of the month. I grant that what the hiring manager wanted bore little or no resemblance to the job description that got me there. Still, one early feature of the interview was a snarky comment from the hiring manager that I must have shown up to partake of the endless job opportunities and big bucks in the health care field.

That was the first moment at which I nearly ended the interview. Jesus H. Christ--whatever happened to reading resumes? I've been writing for health care for four years. Not only did I take a college certificate in medical coding, I passed a certification exam (on the first go) which has a failure rate of nearly 60 percent. I'm not exactly a newcomer to this area.

The question I pose to the universe: is that a fair representation of attitudes within the health professions toward career changers? If it is, it's no wonder the professions can't recruit enough people to meet demand. My immediate thought after this interview, based on this and several other factors, was simply that the hiring manager was representative of a common type: the physician asshole. (I suppose we should label such persons in Latin: medicus anus.)

It's only later that I've begun to wonder how widespread this attitude is and whether anyone has taken thought to adjusting it.