Some Things Are Not Negotiable

My daughter had a self-inflicted medical issue the other day that forced an inconvenient, but immediately necessary response. Though her injury appeared serious, it was not an emergency; thus, I attempted to make an Urgent Care appointment at our regular clinic with our regular "primary care manager."

I was informed that no appointments were available for the next few days because the clinic doctors had "union issues." Seems that these issues precluded most of the doctors from appearing for work.

I was forced to take my daughter to the already understaffed and vastly overworked Emergency Room at the Naval Medical Center, where we encountered tired, dedicated professionals who were not happy about keeping us waiting for 3 and 1/2 hours and did their very best to keep us informed and comfortable. They recognized that the heavier-than-usual backlog was a result of the current dysfunction in the clinical environments and took it in stride as positively as possible, at least to the public eye. I, moved by their response and acceptance, remembered again how blessed I have been to serve with shipmates such as these.

In my mind, there are some professions that mean more than a paycheck. We who choose to serve the public good, whether it be in military service, law enforcement, the medical field, or emergency services, do not have the luxury of negotiating terms of service. In the military, I learned the meaning of duty; in my current role I am called to practice it regardless of pay, union involvement, or private expectation. One could argue that our servicemen and women show their dedication to duty because they are obligated by their signatures on contracts that make them government property twenty-four hours a day. Having lived it myself, I have to disagree. Military service, like the other fields mentioned, is a calling. I committed myself to duty because I wanted to, not because I had to. And I continue that personal tradition today. No one twists my arm and tells me that I'm responsible for protecting the safety of the people in this community - I am compelled to be. And I will do it, without or without a pay increase every year, with or without benefits, with or without ergonomic office equipment.

I am disappointed in the professional ethics of several doctors who chose their personal interests over the duty of their calling. I am incensed that the ER staff at the Naval Medical Center were forced to triage the trauma victims that arrived in ambulance after ambulance within the parameters of patients in pain that had already waited several hours for treatment. I empathize with the frustration of those patient and exhausted doctors, nurses, and corpsman who were forced to notify Emergency Services that they were unable to accept any more ambulance deliveries because of the backlog of patients who SHOULD HAVE been seen in the clinical environment. And I am stricken with grief for those who did not get necessary medical care in time to make a difference.

"Union issues." Shame on you.