6 Common Misconceptions About Working in Healthcare Debunked

Imagine that you’re a nurse. You’ve completed a nursing degree, maybe an online accelerated BSN, maybe something else.

You’re going about your day at the facility to work for when one day you’re confronted by a patient who refuses treatment because they’re convinced that the information you collect on their condition goes to the government in some massive mind-controlling scheme cooked up by one president or the other.

It must be frustrating to be confronted by so much misinformation and just generally foolish ideas. Medicine and medical treatment are incredibly intimate and it’s not a study that is open to general understanding.

Therefore many people fear it. They fear the effects on their body, they fear that they don’t fully understand what is happening to them or how the treatment helps. They see the word “side effects” and see tombstones in their dreams.

Yet, there’s a never-ending slew of conspiracies, misinformation, and misconceptions about healthcare and working in the industry.

To try and make the job of countless healthcare workers easier, and combat the glut of misinformation on the internet, today we’re looking at 6 of the most common misconceptions about healthcare work that you may have heard.

Myth 1 – All Job Titles Are The Same

This myth stems from a misunderstanding of what they’re responsible for. However, the thing to remember is that medicine is an exact science.

Paracelsus, a famous figure in early medicine for his arrogance and maverick behaviour, said it best: “The poison is in the dose.”

In other words, a substance that is harmless in small amounts can be deadly in large quantities. However, the other inference from this saying is that it takes an expert who understands the chemistry of the prescribed drug, as well as the patient’s condition and bodily condition, to properly administer a truly effective medicine.

This is all a long way of saying, that if a job title exists in the world of medicine, that’s because that job is entirely necessary.

Whether it’s streamlining a patient’s care, mixing and dispensing medicine, or diagnosing – every job title in the medical industry is different and necessary.

Myth 2 – America Has The Best Healthcare In The World

We have no idea where this comes from. There is no shortage of patriotism in our nation, and certainly no shortage of things to love about it. However, the research shows that our healthcare is in drastic need of one simple thing – change.

America spends the most on the healthcare industry per capita of any other country – however, it also ranks dead last in terms of accessibility, administrative efficiency, equity, and outcomes. In other words, while we invest the most monetary wealth into our healthcare, our citizens aren’t reaping any rewards from that investment.

Myth 3 – Job Roles Are No More Secure Than Other Jobs

The myth that medical jobs aren’t more secure than most other jobs out there has a certain logic. After all, medical staff are just normal workers like everyone else.

They’re subject to the same pressures and can leave a job, or be let go from one, for the same reasons. If a hospital can’t afford certain staff, it will have to let that staff go.

The COVID-19 pandemic was also a huge time for healthcare absences, as hospital staff were burned out under the pressure of the sheer number of patients, as well as daily abuses from more problematic ones.

However, most healthcare jobs do have above-average job security. A recent study showed that eleven of the twenty most secure jobs in the USA come from the healthcare sector.

Myth 4 – Administrative Waste Is Not The Answer To Lower Healthcare Prices

Going to a healthcare facility can be an ordeal, not just because of the expenditure of going to the hospital or doctor or the exorbitant price of medication – but because of the sheer administrative hoops that a person has to jump through to do just about anything.

While a quarter of our nation’s spending on healthcare is a waste, it is estimated that around 30% of that waste comes directly from administration costs alone.

Most experts agree that if administrative processes can be streamlined, and the costs reduced, then America would have a much tighter, more accessible healthcare system.

Myth 5 – “Healthcare” Only Means Care Home Facilities

This is one of the biggest half-truths out there. When we talk about “healthcare” we aren’t just talking about nursing homes or assisted living homes, but we’re talking about all of the healthcare industry.

This includes psychotherapy, physiotherapy, paediatrics, podiatry, geriatrics, hospitals, hospices, doctors, and more.

Simply put, “Healthcare” means healthcare; not healthcare facility.

Myth 6 – America Isn’t Ready For Healthcare Reform

While less than half of American citizens think that America’s healthcare is sub-par, more than half of Americans are now starting to shift their view to support a government-supplied and regulated healthcare system.

Although specifics are a little hazy and differ from person to person, the fact is that the majority of Americans want to see a change in how our nation handles the health and well-being of its countrymen.

It’s not unpatriotic to recognize that America has problems. A country is a gathering of people and there’s no such thing as a perfect person.

However, by recognizing the problems, by staying informed, and admitting that they’re there – America has the ability and wealth to learn and adapt.

That alone ensures that we can move out of our currently ineffective healthcare system, and move on to a brighter future where everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background, can have access to necessary care and medication.