Orie, Jadon and Ethan Chambers never envisioned working together at the same hospital, but they've come to learn the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Orie began his career as a registered nurse before sons Jadon, 21, and Ethan, 18, were born. Growing up around healthcare helped the brothers to discover the numerous career paths within the field.
“I remember early on talking to them about just the massive amounts of opportunities within the healthcare sector. You don't have to be a nurse or a doctor to be in that space,” Orie said.
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After Jadon and Ethan graduated high school, working at WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital in Pennsylvania, where their dad is vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer, felt like a natural choice, they said. Jadon joined the hospital as a logistics and distribution technician in 2020 and transitioned to a biomedical engineering associate position in early June. Ethan started as a logistics and distribution technician six months ago. Although the three sometimes carpool to the job together, working in different departments means they don’t see much of each other on a daily basis.
Orie, who said the two are skilled at problem-solving, expressed pride in them for finding their niche within healthcare. Non-clinical roles are critical to everyday operations in a hospital, and they're also increasingly in need, he said. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on job burnout last year that projected a national shortage of more than 3 million lower-wage health workers by 2027, including support workers such as technicians, orderlies and phlebotomists, direct care workers such as home health and personal care aides, and service workers such as housekeepers and cooks.
Having spent more than 25 years in healthcare, Orie emphasizes to his sons the importance of achieving a work-life balance. He said working in the industry comes with its stressors, which is why the family makes a dedicated effort to prioritize their well-being through leisure activities they all enjoy, like attending local car shows on weekends.
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The sons say they have looked up to their father as a source of inspiration. Orie, who also wasn’t compelled to enter college immediately after high school, completed nursing school 10 years after graduating and earned a bachelor of science in nursing and master of health administration. He climbed his way up the ladder to reach an executive position.
The brothers said the most valuable piece of advice their dad has given them is to develop strong professional connections. Building community and investing in teamwork on the job are two ways to mitigate feelings of burnout, and doing so with your family can even make work more fun, Ethan said.
