The Graduate

So this one took a while to write folks as on the first attempt to draft it I fumbled the snap and got sacked by a long week, a stressful and frustrating string of Boston sports team losses, and the important job of playing dad to a labradoodle with ADHD. There’s the 19-year-old who swept in from college like Hurricane Gloria leaving his hair, dishes, and laundry all over the house and my favorite 17-year-old daughter who is in the midst of getting ready for her first prom with a kid who strangely reminds me of me.  And our 23-year-old graduates college Sunday and needed my help with tickets and a cover letter for a job as a translator for a population of Burmese and Thai speaking families and discharge support liaison at a hospital because, like a lot of kids, she’s looking to find a job, in healthcare of all places.  “Thanks for helping with the letter,” she said, “but what does ACO, DME, VBC, CMS, BCBS, OCD, PT, AWP, ASD, and PHE mean….do I need to know what these are for the interview you think.”  Good lord! I love the educational system, but maybe for those going into healthcare they would benefit from a kind of glossary or bible of the lingo they will invariably be confronted with. At the very least, we can arm these graduates with how healthcare is changing, how we need their help, and how to make their mark.