Salty Sal

  This past week at the healthcare facility where I work I was 

subjected to the annual pep rally and love fest. I don't know what nincompoop thinks these things up, but it's a waste of my time and their's. They brought every employee, divided into 4 sessions, into a large room at a local hotel. The event started off with silly games and prizes (to distract us from the coming announcement about "flattening the labor curve"). Translation:  No raises and no more nurses to help care for the massive load of patients. How dumb do they think we are? Next on the agenda was a motivational speaker. He was a former surfer and best-selling author who couldn't pronounce "Minot".  He inspired us with creative and original slogans such as "Today is the first day of the rest of your Life", and "Be the change you want to see in the World." He had a few silly animal photos and jokes that were annoying. Ho hum. All the while I'm wondering how many thousands of dollars he was getting paid to patronize smart people. Not only that, but the three or four vice presidents standing in the back of the room monitoring for cell phone usage most likely have a combined salary of several million.  For the 10 minute break, a dry cookie and a bottle of water were provided free of charge. Got me wondering what was served at the week long hospital board retreat in Phoenix, free of charge. At the very least, sparkling mineral water and two gourmet cookies! I'm so disgusted with this waste of money I could spit.  Healthcare has gotten so far from its humble roots of easing people's pain and suffering. Now it's all about the money. A tug of war between payors and providers of care, and an attitude at the top levels of management that is similar to a class system with a large chasm of difference between those with power and money and those without.   However, surfer boy's ending words of wisdom gave me the strength to keep going.  "Burn the midnight oil and take one for the Team".  Did administration forget to tell him this speaking gig was for a 24/7 operation? Maybe he didn't hear the message because he had water in his ears.