D.C. resident Bobby Whalen was a proud probationary employee of the National Institutes of Health. He lost his job Friday night along with what is believed to be more than 1,000 other NIH probationary employees.
It was a vital job: making sure operating room instruments and equipment were clean and free of germs that could negatively affect the outcome of a surgeon’s best efforts.
“It’s frustrating and disappointing,” Whalen said.
His meticulous attention to detail translated well to his job as a medical supply clerk at the NIH Clinical Center, in Bethesda.
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“My job is to collect sterile cards and stock them with surgical instruments, depending on different types of surgeries, and I take them to the OR if they're needed urgently,” Whalen said.
In the 10 months he was there, the 25-year-old became so skilled at sterilizing equipment and organizing medical supplies that his supervisors asked him to help train interns in the program through which he was hired.
Whalen, who is a person with autism, came to NIH through schedule A hiring authority, a federal government process designed to hire and retain employees with disabilities.
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Only about 20% of the disabled population is employed at any given time, according to a 2024 report by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Molly Whalen, an advocate for people with disabilities, said in addition to his skills, investing in her son was a good financial investment for the federal government.
“He's paying taxes. He's putting money into the economy,” she said. “Now he'll be off that, back on Social Security, which is about $15,000 per year or the like, and, you know, not contributing to society.”
Whalen, like the thousands of other fired federal workers, put money into the economy: Metro rides, lunches, rent and mortgages, even vacations.
“Saving up for a vacation like maybe to Disney World or Disneyland,” he said.
But Whalen said what he’ll miss most is his coworkers at NIH.
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