Part the job....

 There are 2 parts to every job:

Part one: the reason you decided to do it.  The part that brings you joy and happiness.  the only part that is portrayed by the working class in the movies,  it provides the character with meaning and definition for who they are. This is the part where you understand your value and what you wrote about in your entry essays and personal statements.  

 Part two: the part that causes dread and makes you rethink the first part. This part brings anguish and anxiety.   It makes you feel less than you are, this is the part they don't show in the movies. 

   

JOB	Part 1	Part 2
FBI agent	footwork or casework, Heroic acts, bravery, Revenge,  Save the Damsel	paperwork, filing of reports
Hair dressor	Playing with hair, Scissors Having new hair toys, helping others gain self value	Having to have answers for what to do with hair, asking for free favors,  making small talk
Janitor	Decreasing the amount of dirt, creating a healthy environment,	Isolated, limited personal interaction
Car mechanic	Understanding the mechanics of machinery, helping other make it to their next meeting in time and safely, fixing the problem	Dirty, messy clothes, having to charge people who don’t have money, needing to learn new computers
Nurse	Helping save lives, going home at the end of your shift, and having skills that can help anyone anywhere	Having to take orders, long shifts, Unhappy patients, Death, documentation
Advertising	Use of different mediums to make a point, seeing more of new products before most of the world	Long hours, unhappy clients, failed enterprises
etc

      For me in my job: Part one : I help people reach their goals despite the medical challenges based on medical condition or injury. I problem solve and give answers to questions and concerns.  This is how I perceive my impact on my community, this is the part that I would do for free if I didn't have any student loans and I was financially independent of my day to day job. 

My part two: the documentation, the fear of being sued, the misperception of what I do by others, the having to defend my thoughts and choices not only to the patients and their families, but to insurance, to over-helpful friends, administration, and AI in the form of EHR. Society’s expectation of being available at all times. The expected free advice. really, you can't pay me enough to keep doing part 2.   

Some days are mostly part one, other days are all part two. Most days are a mix of both. this is what makes it work, this is what makes us professionals: that we are willing to do part two well in order to be allowed to do part one. 

But no matter what, every job, every profession has a part 1 and a part 2.  I guess remember that and try to focus on part one when part two seems to be all you do. 

This is The Sara Lay Way, taking a medical time out.