Dr. Jeffrey Harrell: Gaining Support for the Medical Field
Our healthcare workers are the everyday heroes of our society. They deal with long hours, difficult working conditions, and considerable mental strain in order to save lives and care for those in need. Sadly, it seems the grueling pandemic is burning out healthcare workers across the nation, leading to understaffing issues as hospitals reach their capacity. An experienced medical provider, Dr. Jeffrey Harrell, PA-C, believes that it’s time for healthcare workers to get the support they deserve (and desperately need) from their government and society.
Who is Jeffrey Harrell?
Jeffrey Harrell is an accomplished PA who began working in medicine after a five-year career working with the American military and government agencies as a way to pursue his passion for saving lives and caring for people in the civilian world. “When I began working in medicine, I found that I really loved caring for people, and I was able to make a positive impact on so many lives. It just seemed like a perfect fit.” As his past and present professions indicate, Jeff is not prone to taking the easy road. “It can be a really tough job, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” says Jeff.
Healthcare, and the Certainty of Uncertainty
The medical field is a fickle beast. It is given to rapid shifts in requirements, regulations, costs, and many other factors. As the COVID pandemic has irreversibly changed so many aspects of American life, it begs the question of what state we will find the medical field in after the dust clears.
Jeff looks towards the future of medicine with cautious eyes. The government pledged much assistance to the medical field throughout the pandemic, but many of those promises fell apart. Even as they faced one of the most demanding and exhausting eras of modern medicine, Jeff says that “Many of us were told that we were lucky, that we should simply be glad to still have jobs in the end.” He sees this situation as indicative of a greater problem with the way Americans perceive our healthcare workers. Despite the extensive training of those in the medical field, mistrust and undervaluation of healthcare workers are common among the American public. It is going to be a time-consuming challenge to try and combat this regrettable trend.
Jeff believes difficult days lie ahead for providers of all experience levels, as the industry is bogged down by ever-increasing amounts of red tape. This trend towards over-regulation is pushing many veteran doctors away from the industry altogether. As Jeff explains, “Bureaucracy and regulation are starving the medical field and bringing about dangerous levels of inefficiency and inefficacy.”
“The future of the medical field is ambiguous. No one really knows what it’s going to look like when (or if) things ever settle down,” says Jeff, “but peeking through the fog, there are little rays of hope for what’s to come.” Jeff hopes that the current trend towards defensive medicine — which values decisions that protect doctors from liability over those that help patients — will change in favor of a more offensive approach. “We need to focus on giving patients the care they really need, instead of doing just enough to cover our own backs,” he says.
Alternative Avenues After Medicine
Even with Jeff’s love of saving lives, he doesn’t believe in limiting himself to just one pursuit. He has a range of other options that he can transfer his unique skillset to. Just a few of these alternate routes include concierge medicine, consulting for medical businesses and real estate, project management, sales, and more. “I know, it’s quite the spread,” says Jeff. “They say that a jack of all trades is a master of none, but I’ve never found that to be true. As long as you organize your time, find your niche, set unique goals for yourself, and then put the work in, you can find success in any of your pursuits.” As a former soldier and current healthcare provider, Jeff has cultivated the skills and resilience to thrive in almost any industry.
