Stickin’ it to the Man

Aura makes playlists…and I think that rules.

So, I made you this one to listen to while / if you read on

I don’t talk much about what I do for a living on here.  It is confidential stuff.   I don’t like the complete transparency either, but I would give anything to bring a camera to work and get to show you the things I see every day.  Some of your stomachs might not be able to handle it, and then there’s that whole HIPAA law…not to mention the people I see every day probably not wanting their picture taken.

But people have asked, so,

Pretend you are a hospital patient.  At that point, unless you’re in labor (or maybe especially if you’re in labor), your world has already been rocked.  And then things don’t go the way you think they should…or the way your family members think it should…or they actually don’t go the way that they should.

When your nurse doesn’t answer the call bell, and you have to wait to go to the bathroom for hours before they come by, I’m the one you call

When your doctor hasn’t been by to see you since he did surgery on you 2 days ago, and you’re a little anxious, I am the one who tells the Dr. to get his/her butt to your room.  And then I brace myself before he/she screams at me.

When you lose your wedding ring and glasses between the 5 rooms you have been moved to throughout your stay, I am the one who traces your steps to find them.  Or not find them.

When everyone promises you something will happen, and it doesn’t happen, I am the one you yell at for hours at a time.

When you hear a code blue…I am usually the one telling the family of the patient what is going on.

When a family decides to withdraw care from a patient, I am usually helping them through that process.

It’s exhausting sometimes, and then some days I am so drawn to it I can’t stand it.  The people I am working with possess extreme emotion and endless anger.  They are complete strangers and I am pulling tricks for them left and right at their demand.  Thus is customer service, I guess.  

Someone bites my head off every single day.  When that happens to you on a regular basis, it is hard to completely separate yourself from it when you’re not at work.  There are days where I have nothing to give when I get home, and I really lose myself.  But home is where I would rather give everything, and where I can thrive being me.