¶ Hospital Staff Strikes and Public Perception
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Run the tape All right , so really quick , I want to have an update on the New York strike .
All right . So the New York strike , the folks in New York , they were going to strike because , in essence , let's just keep it a buck . There's a lot of turnover that occurs at these hospitals . There's not enough staff . So what ends up happening ? The doctors who stay , the residents , have to do so many things , like you know .
You have to do evaluations on patients , history and physicals on patients , but you probably have to end up . A lot of these places have to draw blood , have to transport your patients from the ER to their room or take them from the ER to the CT scanner or wherever . You may have to go , but it's a very taxing job .
May have to go , but it's , it's a very taxing job . And what you end up finding out is um , once the hospital finds out that you , they can do more with less , they usually don't like to make moves to recruit more doctors or recruit more medical professionals because it costs them money .
So if you can do the same work with five doctors when you normally need 10 doctors , well , that's five less doctors you have to pay for . And those five doctors when you normally need 10 doctors , well , that's five less doctors you have to pay for , and those five doctors usually ain't going to say nothing and they're going to get the work done .
Well , now doctors are speaking up and they're saying look like , I want to see my kids , I want to watch the pit , I want to go exercise . You know what I'm saying ? Yeah , I don't want to be here all day , or I don't want to be here all night , so you're going to find somebody else , or you have to find more people recruit .
So that , in essence , was the gist of the strike , or the proposed strike , and New York has kind of stepped in and Mayor Adams , who's got a lot of issues , mayor Adams has stepped up and said that they're going to try to make this work , where they come together and try to figure out something in the middle .
So at this point , right now , the strike is not happening . So we'll see . If anybody who listens to the show is involved or knows a little bit more about the strike , write us and let us know , because we're very interested to know what's it like on the ground .
Well , with that being said , New York's not the only state that has had strikes , we know this .
This seems to happen often . It's not going to be the last .
I feel like 2025 pretty much started off with a bang . Let's talk about the Oregon strike .
So this one is nurses and doctors who are striking . They're on day seven of their strike .
As of the time of this recording .
They're saying that the system or the people who are being striked against are saying that they made an offer of a 20% raise over three years for acute care registered nurses up to $5,000 in ratification bonuses for acute care registered nurses , whose contracts and increases for physicians that could exceed $20,000 to $30,000 for those working full-time Providence .
Also stressed that it's typical nurse working full-time makes $125,000 per year and that many full-time representative physicians already earn more than $300,000 a year . I think , as the public , you have to .
If you're reading this or you're trying to figure out why doctors are striking and you may not understand it and you may not have sympathy , you have to think about , like why is that statement out there ? Would you ? Would you want to guess , kiara , why that statement is out there ?
what I want to make . I feel like it's um trying to create . The way I'm reading it perceiving is this trying to create internal chaos ?
that's how I'm interpreting it . I think you you're on to something . I think it's trying to create external chaos . We see this in athletics all the time , right ? So when you see basketball players or when you see baseball players , when they strike right , they will strike mainly because you know the union that they have wants to get certain types of things .
You know , maybe they want to get concussion protocols , or maybe they want to get better healthcare . You know , when they retire , or maybe they want a better pension , right ? Or maybe they just want more . You know they want more of the cut of what happens when people pay their tickets , right ?
Usually it's like a 50-49 split .
Maybe they want more of that , right , if you're in basketball , they want more of a split . Like people are coming here to see me as LeBron James more so than they really want to come see the Lakers . I want money F , you pay me . Those type of conversations occur .
What we end up seeing from the public is , when you have those type of situations , the public oftentimes sides with the billionaires , not the millionaires Okay , millionaires not the millionaires .
So if you say that Shaq is making $30 million a year , but he wants to strike so that he can get pension or get healthcare when he retires , the public sentiment is you make $30 million playing basketball . How can you not manage your money so that when you retire ? You have money to retire right .
And take care of your healthcare ? Poor you . Oh , I see your point . Okay , I'm following Right .
But the public sentiment is never like but these are billionaires who have the money to pay a $30 million salary to this person and you're trying to be cheap and not give them this pension .
That , in essence , is not really for Shaq Shaq doesn't need it but it's for the person who's making maybe $200,000 , right , it's for that basketball player who's making $200,000 or , you know , $100,000 . So I'm just making numbers up . Do you see what I'm saying ?
Yeah .
So the question is is , when you have an opportunity to side with someone , the public sentiment normally sides with the billionaires , not with the millionaires , which makes no sense . So for me , the way how I perceive things like that , it's when they say things like that they're saying listen , you have nurses and you have doctors who are striking but public .
Let me let you know , they're making $125,000 a year .
Or the doctors are making $300,000 a year .
Why are they striking , you know , hint , hint , hint . It's not us , it's them . They're being greedy Right . But they don't specifically tell you why .
¶ The Reality of Doctor's Salaries
Okay , yeah , if a doctor makes $300,000 a year , but they're working on average 90 hours to 100 hours a week , what's the effect of like how much when you break down to hours ? Is that really a $300,000 salary , right ? If all your weekends are gone , how effective is that salary really Right ?
And I think that's the key is , most people think that , well , doctors make a lot of money , hence they either deserve to be abused , um , or you know , you signed up for this . This is on you , right ?
I think that's the sentiment usually , but it's never really a situation of , well , yeah , if you want to ask for money , for more money , like , go ahead and ask for more money , because I think most people who , if they were working like they would want to get paid more , they would want to get more across the board . That's anywhere .
But when you see other people it's almost like a crabs in a barrel type thing . When you see other people who are making more than you , and even though they're in the same employed status of you , we tend to criticize them more than our bosses , and that part I don't understand .
So I think that's the whole sentiment of that statement , which is basically yeah , like we know , situations are bad , but yeah , they're high paying complainers . Basically that's what they're saying , the high paid complainers .
So it makes it hard to sympathize with them or empathize , yes , yes .
So once you get the public not behind you , then the companies or the hospitals are going to win .
Well , realistically , from the outside looking in , just regular person , it's a little nerve wracking when you read things like that , when you read that doctors and nurses are one working like really shitty conditions but also striking because they're being underpaid and they're understaffed .
Um , because could you imagine I mean not from you , your point of view , because you're you're doctor one and two , you're also locums , so you come in and you fill these spots temporarily , but from the outside looking in , could you imagine if I went to my doctor and they were on strike ?
Yeah , like your appointment tomorrow is canceled because your doctor is on the is in front of the hospital , in front of the clinic right now . Or imagine you go into your clinic and you see a doctor on the , on the picket line .
what you going to say , you know like you don't be here tomorrow , should I ?
reschedule . What's's what's going on ? You know what I'm saying , Like you reading my results . Come on , Like I need to know if I'm you know so should I pick up the sign with you , right ? Hey , listen , but these are real , these are big time things . Because this is what's going to happen , right ?
Because as more and more doctors are employed , they're , in essence , high paid blue collar workers , and blue collar workers strike . It happens . It happens in an automotive field , it happens in anything . They're going to strike .
I think we've talked about this before where I think a lot of people forget that doctors are blue collared workers . I did not think of doctors . They don't forget .
People do not want to think of doctors as blue collar workers .
They don't forget . People do not want to think of doctors as blue collar workers ?
Doctors do not . I guarantee you right now . When we put this episode out and people listen to this , they will have a major issue with that and I will tell them you are a blue collar worker , you are , you are a blue collar . They know and they know they are deep down . They are . They just don't want to admit it . Doctors are blue collar workers .
No-transcript . All that stuff is taken care of by the company . So , in essence , what do you own right ? I mean right , like you're a high paid . You're not an executive , because the executives , they make decisions about what happens with the hospitals . You don't .
So the hospital is essentially the hospital itself , is ? It's the white collars , absolutely Right , and everybody else is the blue , the CMO all those people that see something before it .
Those are the white collar jobs . You know that's fine , but I do think that the doctors , the med students , they need to know you are entering into a blue collar job . It doesn't change the fact that this is still a dope job , it's just that you got to look at it differently . It's the same way . Musicians who come in now like they make shorter music .
Why do they make shorter music ? Because they realize that people's attention spans are shorter . So when they make music they're like why do I need to make a five minute track when I can just make a two minute track and still get the same accolades ?
It's less work , I get paid the same right , you know no-transcript changing because I did come across a feed and I can't remember which . I believe he was a football player .
I can't remember what his name was , but he actually opted to not play a game , to be there for the birth of his child oh , yeah , yeah , I don't remember his name , but yeah , that was huge it's like back then . It was like look , I gotta play this game . Like yes and I like to see it .
I like that people are out there , whatever field it is , they're putting their foot down . They're like no , I'm not missing this .
Like this is my thing y'all just are just going to have to fuck up . Yeah , and I think a lot of it has to do with , I think there's a sentiment of like the company , they love me as much as they need me , basically Right , and once they don't need me anymore , then it's on me , right ?
So if you don't show up for your , your , your child's birth , you know . If you can help it and you can be there , then be there , right . But like the notion of the game over you know , the birth of your child , like I don't know . You know , I think that that sentiment is changing .
So , you know , I was there for my kids , you know , and I there wasn't .
I can't imagine anything that would have derailed me from being there for my kids . We have to remember that we're all replaceable . Yes , so if you die today , another trauma surgeon is going to get called up and be like , hey , we need you to come in . You know what I'm saying . If well , if I die today , good luck trying to replace me .
Oh my goodness , oh my damn . Yo , kiara , if you are irreplaceable , I'm telling you right now yes , you are Everybody . I can't , I can't function without Kiara . So I is today , but y'all need me , and it's like , first of all , they they rotate you every three to five years .
Okay , so you're not that irreplaceable , because they literally have somebody replace you every three to five years and if you go today , tomorrow they will fill your spot right and that's across the board . Like people forget that , like you're , you're not irreplaceable . I mean I , I'm not irreplaceable , but other people are very replaceable . Yeah , I mean .
I've always said or not me , but there's , you know , there's a famous YouTuber , Ali Abdaal he said it , but I'm sure he got it from somebody else which is , you know , United States . You know , in the health care system , it really is the system that's taking care of people , as opposed to individual doctors .
If you go to a third world country or a country where the system is not as robust as us , yes , it falls on the individual doctor to kind of take care and save people . You , as a doctor in the United States , you're saving people , but it's really a system , a network that's helping .
So , yeah , I think the expectations have to change , but , yeah , I do believe that it . You know , when this , this goes out , there's going to be people who are going to be angry with what I'm saying , and but I do think if they take a moment to have some levity and think about it , they will come to their senses and be like , yeah , he's right .
No , we don't need them , canceling us .
Yeah , Well , that's the best part about podcasting is like you can't shut us down , so you know , all right , joe . We are at the end of the show . Docs outside the box . Once again . Thanks again for listening to the show . Listen , we read every comment and review , either on YouTube , email or text message .
So we appreciate everybody writing to us and letting us know your thoughts about our show , our comments , our takes or what's going on in your life , and we'll share it on the show . And we really love to hear from you guys . You guys are really a vital presence on the show and you're the reason why we keep coming up and showing up .
So we appreciate you all . So , kiara , let's bid adieu to everyone . We'll catch everybody on the next episode of Docs Outside the Box . Y'all Peace .
Bye .