Blog #9: Wardle and Work (Who Are You?)

Hello fellow bloggers,

Wow, thinking about my future job is kind of scary. We're starting to get closer to the big real thing... Adulthood! How I wish I can go back to being ten years old again :-(

What I got out of Wardle's article, Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces, is that it talks about identity and authority she explains that joining a new workforce is not about the matter of solely learning new skills, but also adding to and fixing your identity. In other words changing your identity kit. For authority, Wardle says that the person of authority must maintain appropriate expressions of his trait. They must command attention, confidence and respect of their audience, and once the person of authority gains their trust the audience will pay attention because he/she portrayed the traits of a leader and they will listen because he/she is who they are.

With this being said, with my profession that I want, I have to apply these traits to myself and contract a new identity kit.

I am honestly kind of scared at what will happen in the future, but I am also very excited at what it has in store for me. I am currently studying Health Science with an emphasis in Public Health. I eventually want to become a Health Care Administrator in a nursing home. I believe that since there were high rates of births after WW2 (baby boomers) there will be a high demand of jobs in nursing homes.

Future Me :-)

Health Administration is not an easy job, sadly... but you do make a good amount of money. Being in this job requires you to basically, supervise clinical units, departments, or an entire hospital. It manages staff, finances and practices according to the law of Public Health... basically everything. In my eyes, Health Care Administrators are the heart of the hospital. Being a hospital administrator, you have to be a hardworking leader. You have to deal with pressures on the spot. Sometimes you will have unexpected problems that will happen and you have to deal with them in a smart and quick way. For me, I do well under pressure so I don't think I will have a problem with dealing with issues on the spot.

I would have to develop excellent communication skills. As you can see up above of the image I posted, the Health Care Administrator (in the picture) is probably talking to doctors, nurses or any other medical provider. The Administrator will have to know how to speak their specific language and fit into their discourse community to communicate with them. The Health Care Administrator would also know how to speak to people internationally (not their language, but maybe make the information understandable to their knowledge). I would have to change my ways and be more assertive and change my identity kit to have the impression of someone being in authority. I would want people to take me seriously (and it doesn't help I am 5'1). I would want them to listen to me. I will also have to talk in a very professional manner to people in healthcare, and have to write a lot of emails to doctors, nurses, CNA, and other hospital administrators in a professional way.

I am applying to an internship for next summer and I know I will have to do a lot of paperwork. I am used to filing and sorting out the paperwork, but I have never filled out paper work. What if I get things wrong and mess up everything? Hopefully, it will not be that challenging. But with a job like this, maybe they will want to prepare me for it.

I think being in this job will cost a lot. I have heard from many of my family members and friends that this is a stressful job, but it pays good. I know I will most likely work long hours, which means I won't have a lot of time to spend with my family. But with any job or internship you have to make sacrifices in order to provide for yourself and others.

-Vanessa