Healthcare Community

Healthcare Discourse Community

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A look inside the healthcare world

The healthcare community is comprised of many professionals including doctors, nurses, and staff who all have a like-minded goal of improving the quality of life of individuals. This dedicated community works day in and day out to devote their time and care towards those who are struggling with their health. This profession is interconnected globally with a specific set of rules and regulations and shared goals.

What is the healthcare community?

Downsides of the pre-health community:

- high rates of mental and physical exhaustion (burnout)- imposter syndrome - comparison

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The Pre-health Community Becomes a Toxic Ground for Comparison

Sean Holmes, Junior at the University of Miami

"So, it is often that individuals look at themselves as being less than another for the sole fact that the person has done something (e.g., research or internship) the other has not done. This would also apply to grades. If someone is known to perform at a higher level than others, people tend to compare themselves to this person and it often turns out to be a negative experience for that person. Ironically, the person being looked up upon also falls into this trap as the idea of 'there is always someone doing better' creates this feeling of being behind."

There are a variety of pre-health organizations at the University of Miami. A few include Medlife, PhiDE, and AMSA. These organizations work to foster communities within the rather large group of pre-health individuals at the university.

UMiami Pre-health Clubs

These communities work to minimize the downsides of the pre-health community

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AMSA

The American Medical Student Association

The American Medical Student Association is the nation's largest student-run medical organization. At the University of Miami we offer opportunities to meet other pre-med students, participate in volunteer activities, attend insightful meetings, and take part in the physician shadowing program.

The downsides of healthcare extend into the professional world as well

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Sripathi Kethu, Gastroenterologist

“Heavy workload- the discourse around productivity, long working hours and the expectation to handle a large number of patients can contribute to the culture that prioritizes quantity over quality. Other factors would include administrative burden such as paperwork, bureaucratic demands, emotional exhaustion, lack of autonomy, lack of work-life balance, unrealistic expectation on individual resilience in the face of adversity all of which lead to physician burnout.”

Solutions:

The healthcare system as a whole needs to implement measures that both minimize burnout at the individual and systemic levels. The solutions need to involve providing more resources and fostering a more positive culture at the university level while also providing a more positive work culture at the professional level. Strategies to minimize the mental health consequences that follow burn out can also be implemented such as wellness programs and providing access to mental health professionals in the healthcare field. These solutions could lead to more job satisfaction and performance in the field which in turn will help reach the ultimate goal of high quality of patient care and outcomes.

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thank you!

Samira Kethu