Is there a Doctor in the house?

Like many people out there, I'm unhappy in my job. But because i never knew what I wanted to do instead, I couldn't ever pursue anything. I had a conversation with my father-in-law that switched on the light bulb for me. He asked me what I wanted in a job. I started listing off professions that i have some interest in, but didn't get very far before he cut me off. "I didn't ask what professions interested you, I asked what do you want out of a job", he said. So i thought a lot about that, and it really helped me streamline my search. I created a criteria of things that I wanted out of a job...a template, if you will. I then started stacking jobs against this template. It's amazing how much clearer it all became. I have recently been giving a lot of thought to Physiotherapy. This is why:

1) I would be problem solving.

One of the biggest challenges I face in any job is staying challenged. Eventually I figure out the routine, I figure out the common problems, and i figure out potential solutions to these problems. When this happens my attention span goes in the toilet, and job satisfaction follows like toilet paper after the terd. And having a boss that won't listen to any of these solutions acts as a wonderful catalyst to this process! Physiotherapy would offer me a new patient every half hour or so and I would, therefore, be perpetually challenged to figure out each individual situation.

2) I would be using my brain instead of my back. 

Since I was old enough to work, that work has been labour. I feel I have paid my dues in terms of difficult jobs. I could have the cushiest job in the world and still have enough ammo to verbally bitch slap the first snot nosed punk who infers that I don't know what hard work is. Some of this was tied to my idea of masculinity. Working with your hands and getting dirty was part of what made you a man, in my eyes. I'm learning that there is a lot more to being a man than just getting dirty (although this is still really fun).  So i don't feel the need to prove anything anymore. It's time to switch collars! Maybe it's time to prove that i don't have a brick on top of my neck. Don't get me wrong. I don't regret taking this path. The work ethic that these jobs have instilled in me is something invaluable that I will be able to take with me... it'll just be applied to different situations. I knew that the person who gets born into a position of privilege, gets money handed to them, and doesn't have to put in any effort to attain money, freedom and success was never going to be me. It turns out it was going to be Paris Hilton. 

3) Versatility within the job.

I could work for a sports team, I could volunteer some time, i could work overseas, I could get a job at a local clinic, work at a hospital, start my own business from home, or start my own clinic (eventually) and get people to work for me. Those last two options really appeal to me because i could set my own hours, and I would finally be the person who profits from my work. Whereas every job that i have had up to this point has someone else benefiting from my sweat. I feel so used at my current job. I get paid a wage to do a task. Fair enough. But then you get some big wig that turns in all this profit from you completing that task. I've heard the argument of the big wig having all the stress...and i just don't buy it. I'd trade with him any day of the week. He'll be begging for his desk before I'm begging for my shovel, guaranteed. I understand that there needs to be a hierarchy but you don't have to treat people like numbers. I'm tired of paying the pimp. The many possibilities within the field would give me a chance to be my own boss. And one day maybe even create a working environment that people enjoy.

4) I gots to get paid mofo!

To say that money wouldn't factor in would be delusional. The fact that physiotherapists make a good living once they're established is a strong pull for me. I think that a lot of physio's are content with working at a hospital or clinic because it pays the bills nicely and has stability. That appeals to me on some level, but what really floats my boat is the idea of starting my own business. I think there are so may ways to market yourself, so many markets to tap into, so many directions that a business could take... the possibilities seem endless for those who have a head for it, and a hunger for it. 

5) I am fascinated by how our body works.

Every time I visit my physio and he explains what the body does to compensate for an injury, I am totally captured by it. I love finding out what is making my body hurt, heal, and function. I think that this is something that i just get. When doctor's take the time to explain why your body is feeling a certain way or hurting, it makes me feel like they give a shit. The opposite is also true... and way to common. Having a doctor that cares made a big impact on me. The first time i was in with my physio guy and he was taking the time to explain my injury to me, i remember thinking "i want to do this for people".

6) Health care of any form offers more job security than almost anything else.

Nurses can pick and choose between jobs, Doctors are in huge demand, RMT's can be working within days of graduating, and the list goes on. Health care demands are going up, so health care jobs are on the rise as well. And why? Because we are on the cusp of a massive increase to the over 50 demographic. People are retiring. Pant loads of them. And in addition to needing care, they are leaving more vacant positions than we have bodies to fill. The Baby Boomers are a huge generation. Families that are 12 and 13 strong are a thing of the past. A ghost story told around camp fires to scare young girls into abstinence and married women into family planning or frigidity. Then add cable t.v., unaffordable housing, almost over the counter birth control, and facebook and you have a major decline in population, comparatively. Bottom line is this. Demand for health care is increasing, so is awareness of the importance for healthy living, so are the opportunities within health care.

7) The BIG one. Making a difference.

I love sports. Being active is a large part of where i find satisfaction in life. When i was injured and couldn't be active, it was really difficult for me. Fortunately i had a physio that could see that, and implemented a rehab program that got me back into the rink within weeks after the injury. Physiotherapists help people heal. I love that. If i could be a nurse i would. You can't look at what a nurse's day is like and deny that they make the world around them better. They tangibly do good everyday. And if i was more comfortable with blood and guts, burns and cuts, and let's face it, other people's shat, I would sign up today. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan. But i did want to do something like that. Something where i could feel like i am tangibly helping people. If you help an athlete overcome an injury and get back to pursuing his/her dream, you are making a difference. If you help a Dad rehab his shoulder so he can pick up his kids again, you are making a difference. If you help someone deal with a nagging injury from a car accident, you are making a difference. If you help rehab an elbow injury so some guy can golf with his buddies and down a six pack for fun rather than for medicinal purposes, you are making a difference. So from high brow to low, i think there is a lot of satisfaction that could come from being a physiotherapist.

With all these advantages, what's holding me back, right? Money. I don't know how we would pay for it. It's 6 years if you get into everything without waiting. The programs are extremely competitive and everything is based on GPA and practical experience. Meaning when your not studying, you're probably volunteering somewhere that will count towards that practical experience. If you're rocking anything less than an A- average, don't bother applying. Uvic admitted 36 students into the Kinesiology program last year. About 230 applied.  I don't know if this lends to having a part time job. At the same time, the chances of Kerianne being able to support me through school are pretty slim. Not that she is unwilling. Quite the opposite actually. But the opportunities I had aren't there for her. So we would probably be adding to our debt instead of decreasing it. That's very scary to me. 

So that's the skinny. This is where my head is at right now. If the plan works out I could be going to school as early as this time next year. We would have to move to Victoria for 4 years, something that may be mutually beneficial for Kerianne's business. So...logical? Nonsense? Not for me? Let me know what you think. Peace.