"The work of caring for others is an under-appreciated, essential component of the economy. The need for a range of care workers is only growing as we face mass resignations, burnout, illness and disability of care workers on the frontline of COVID-19 coupled with the future demands of an aging population. And yet, care work is often poorly compensated as care workers face dangerous, difficult, and stagnant work: conditions erroneously assumed to be intrinsic to its value in our economy and society. How do healthcare workers construct a sense of meaningfulness of their work, given such constraints? Using interviews with nearly 100 care workers, observation of five different care settings all over North America, and content analysis of scholarly and worker materials, Called to Care describes how care workers think about meaningfulness of this work. What, Cain asks, are the limits to such meaningfulness under common organizational and reimbursement policies? And how does social inequality affect opportunities and interpretations of meaningful work, and the potential for improved work conditions for these critical workers? As the combined stress of poor working conditions, an unrelenting pandemic, and unmet care needs for their own families diminishes the caregiver labor pool, draining the intrinsic rewards from the work, Cain emphasizes the urgency of supporting care workers, an endeavor on which the lives of thousands of patients depend"-- Provided by publisher."Health care workers are burned out. Health care leaders know that workers are burned out, but do not yet have the right tools to fix the problem. Called to Care? argues that we can mitigate burnout by examining what is most meaningful about health care work.

Using interviews and observation of a wide range of health care workers, Cain shows that workers who care for our most vulnerable adults find their work to be meaningful when they are able to connect to the work and make progress on something that matters. In most cases, these meaningful experiences are also consistent with better care for patients. And yet organizational practices, policy environments, and cultural meanings get in the way of meaningful work, creating burnout. But it doesnt have to be this way. Called to Care? illustrates that workplaces can and should align meaningful work experiences with quality care for patients"-- Provided by publisher.