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Healthcare is complicated.
Knowing how to navigate the ethics and intricacies of people’s personal choices surrounding their health is a daunting task, and administering care in the best way, using the best resources, and doing as much as possible for as many people as possible, is an incredible enterprise that adds to the complexity of health work.
Those who do this kind of work are modern-day heroes, far above the fantasy heroes we sometimes celebrate.
Allow us to introduce you to one of them.
Dr. Jeffrey Harrell, PA is an accomplished healthcare provider with years of experience in the medical field. After seven years practicing urgent and emergent medical care, Jeff looks back on his career with a sense of contentment and pride.
From the Military to the Medical Field
While many young doctors and nurses face tremendous doubts about their chosen path, Jeff says that he would’ve had an easier time counting the reasons not to pursue medicine. “After the military, I was looking for a way to help people back home,” he explains. “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 was made painfully clear by the pandemic, working in the medical field is far from easy. Jeff has no misconceptions about the difficulties of his work in medicine, but he meets each day with a positive mindset and a productive attitude. “It can be a really tough job, but it’s incredibly fulfilling. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” says Jeff.
On the Post-Pandemic Medical Industry
Whether it’s growing more complex or more expensive, medicine is always evolving. With a global pandemic having turned the medical industry on its head for over a year (and counting), there are undoubtedly more changes still to come. For all novice healthcare providers looking to get their start, Jeff has a few insights and warnings (from an insider’s perspective) about where the industry is headed.
Jeff sees a turbulent future ahead for healthcare providers. Throughout the pandemic, he watched in disappointment as promises made to frontline workers went unfulfilled. “Many of us were told that we were lucky, that we should simply be glad to still have jobs in the end,” he recalls. The rampant maltreatment and lack of appreciation for American healthcare workers is a widespread issue, and unfortunately, it’s one that he doesn’t see going away any time soon. Despite their education and experience, American healthcare providers are consistently overworked, underpaid, and undervalued.
Jeff also foresees trouble for both novice and experienced healthcare providers in wading through the maze of red tape that is suffocating the medical industry and driving doctors into other professions. As Jeff explains, “Bureaucracy and regulation are starving the medical field and bringing about dangerous levels of inefficiency and inefficacy.”
“The medical field is undergoing some extensive changes right now,” says Jeff, “but they aren’t all negative. There’s always hope for the future.” 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.
What’s Next for Jeffrey?
Jeffrey sees himself as a jack of all trades; he currently offers medical business consulting, concierge medicine, project management, and many more services. As to what the future holds for Jeff, he’s always looking out for the next big opportunity to make his mark on the medical field. Jeffrey made his way to success by working hard, finding niches, and setting unique goals for himself; with his singular approach, he’s ready to take the medical world by storm.
Jeff Harrell has been featured in Yahoo Finance and Business Insider.
