The coronavirus pandemic will forever affect the next generation of medical doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. Think about it and ask yourself: do you want your kids to be doctors and nurses now? Seeing the extreme sacrifices they have to make in the name of saving lives, are their professions still worth it? Do you want to worry about your kid in the future? And if you’re in the middle of choosing a career, is one in health care still in the pipeline?
Things have changed in the past year, most of all in the healthcare profession. Being a doctor or a nurse has always been considered a noble profession. Nurses and doctors have become modern-day heroes because of the pandemic. Since they are on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, they put their lives at risk every day. The public sees them as heroes since they risk their lives for others. But is this what you want in the future? Is the goal to become a modern-day hero?
The healthcare industry is in tenterhooks. Society has always been appreciative of people in this industry. In many countries, it pays well to become a doctor, nurse, medical technician, x-ray technician, etc. Many people in different stages of their careers switch to health care and take up courses online for care certificates to enter the industry. In third-world countries, citizens aim to graduate as a nurse to seek greener pastures abroad. Just ask any country in Asia, particularly in Southeast Asia. You will meet many people who took up courses in health care to live and work abroad.
Numbers Are Increasing
Since 2013, the number of applicants for medical schools has been steadily increasing. Health care is perennially a no-competition zone. Nurses and doctors have an easier time entering the healthcare industry than any other profession, including lawyers, engineers, dentists, and architects. There is almost zero competition in hospitals and clinics since most of them always need doctors, nurses, caregivers, and medical technologists.
While there is some trepidation about joining the healthcare industry now that workers are at the forefront of the pandemic, experts believe that people who want to be a doctor or nurse have a “service-oriented attitude.” They desire to influence the environment around them, and they see health care as the way to that.
Experts also believe that being a doctor or a nurse is more than a profession. It is a calling, they said. There’s something in people who serve as healthcare workers that want to treat, heal, and help others. In fact, many believe that similar to the 9/11 tragedy when a record number of Americans joined the armed forces, college students will also start to think about joining the health force.
Even on social media, there seems to be a steady increase of interest in joining the healthcare profession. Future medical students are excited to take part in saving lives. Even with the dangers posed by the pandemic, they still want to pursue being a doctor or a nurse.
Do Parents Feel the Same Way?
Of course, parents have differing opinions. How many parents have offered for their kids to stop medical school and just stay home? How many of these medical professionals’ loved ones pray on their knees to see them again and make sure they are safe? It is impossible for parents to want to send their kids to the battlefield. This is the same sentiments that many families of the young soldiers sent to the Middle East in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks feel: they know their loved ones are needed, but half of them wish they could stop what’s about to happen.
Change the Status Quo
Medical students on social media have sounded off about this dilemma. For them, what’s happening in the world now should enrage medical students and push them to change the status quo when their time comes. The healthcare industry, despite the heroism of the people in it, needs a radical change. It is time for healthcare professionals to take matters into their own hands and demand a safer and more secure way of delivering their services. They need not put their lives on the line of the industry.
Truly, the world has changed because of the pandemic. A lot of parents may not want to send their kids to medical school already. In fact, those who have been pushing their kids to be a doctor could be backtracking right now. But in a funny twist of fate, these same kids who previously wanted to travel the world or establish a tech startup may now want to join the medical field and change the world for the better. A new generation of modern-day heroes is bound to grow from the ashes of the pandemic.
