I am a direct care worker and I have a job that requires me to have the ability to interact with and care for patients. The job is so physically demanding that I have to be able to lift up to 50 pounds, and in order to do so I have to be able to lift things over my head and bend over and bend over and bend over again.
And it’s not just me. Many of the direct care workers I work with have to lift up to 50 pounds to perform their job. They also have to bend over and bend over and bend over again.
It’s called the “competency test.” In it, I’ve been required to complete questions that test my ability to respond and think logically. My answers to the questions are graded by a computer, and I’ve been asked to answer questions in a specific order. For example, the first question asked me to identify the four most important things that I’ve learned from my training.
It turns out that I’m not the only one who thinks it’s odd that our society would give so many people with mental disabilities the opportunity to work in our health care facilities. The idea that they could be given positions as nurses, doctors, and the like seems odd and even a little unfair when everyone else who is capable of doing the job is getting paid more or doing the job in a more efficient manner. Of course, there are good reasons for this.
I think the issue is that the jobs are already there and there are plenty of people to fill them, so why are we giving so many people with special needs the opportunity to get a job doing them? Of course, I don’t know if this is the case for all people with special needs or if it’s just the ones we think are special.
I am not personally opposed to the idea of giving people with special needs a job and some help. In fact, some of the very best people I know have special needs. I just suspect that some people arent as eager to get a job as they think they are to be a direct care worker. Maybe they just don’t think they could do the job well enough. I myself have always been pretty good about getting my work done so I dont have to think about it.
Its funny how often we hear about people who have special needs who aren’t doing as well as they could be in a job. I remember when I was still in the military and I had to take a job at a place where they were hiring for direct care workers. I didnt like working there either. It was a horrible place and I just didnt like there at all. I was thinking about going back to school so I could take another job, but I didnt.
I think it is a little silly that we have so many job openings for people in direct care, especially in areas that are not as nice as other places. I think the thing I hate most about the job is that I have to go to a special place and interact with people who are not like me. It just sucks and I shouldnt have to do that. It was so bad, I almost quit the job. I wish I would have.
The reason people do direct care work is because it is not always the most enjoyable way to do things. It can be difficult to find people to work with, have some sort of connection with them, and be able to share the same space with them. I don’t even know how to say it any better than that. It sucks.
The job was that I had to go to a special place and interact with people who were not like me.
