Patients

The most fulfilling interactions with patients at my job are those where they never come back.

They no longer need appointments, they are no longer sick, and they are not on narcotic drugs.

But most of them don't get there. I've only been working at Tufts since late September and the majority suffer from chronic back, neck, hip, ass pain.

Also there are those patients with muscular dystrophy, stroke victims, cerebral palsy sufferers. They will always need our department and we can help; most of the time.

Their demeanor changes drastically from the time they enter the clinic to the time they leave. They are at ease even though they can't say it themselves.

This sounds cliche, I'm sure. I just see patients lost in the maze of this huge hospital and they've been re-directed by the operator, the nurse, the PA, the medical assistant. It is nice to find them the correct department, the right doctor, and obviously a successful treatment plan.

The parts of the job I hate the most are of course the bullshit, the paper pushing, the needles spats over mis-communication. Also misplaced anger. Most often this anger is directed at me, the person on the other end of the phone. I was not directly responsible for their incorrect dose on their prescription, I did not write down the wrong time of their MRI in their planner for them and most certainly I did not cancel their appointments.

I hate it when I see doctors fighting over the biggest room in which to see patients. There are practical concerns here, if all of the patients coming in are CP, MD patients then of course the biggest room is necessary for wheelchair accessibility. Otherwise, I laugh with my co-workers at how juvenile doctors behave.

Most of all I hate it when interdepartmental cooperation does not happen and a patient does not get their appointment. I am waiting on an appointment from a different department. It's a routine test to rule out a nerve problem and it hasn't been made. One would think that because I work in a hospital I would not get "the run around". But I do, and that's fine as long as shit gets done.

When shit doesn't get done I hear it from both the doctors and patients and I just don't have enough ears. Or patience.

I should write stuff down. Blog about my inane job. I may learn more from this position by reflecting on it rather than plowing through the week, begging for the weekend.

I am going to say something that is not humble, nor is it becoming. I use 1/8 of my brain at this job. That is another thing I absolutely hate. It is not that I am better than my co-workers. They are skilled caring women and they are efficient. They know the TMC system far better than I ever will. But I simply don't belong here.