the night shift

It’s been said that one’s co-workers determine job satisfaction. Especially in healthcare. To some degree, I believe that’s true. After all, these are the people I spend the most waking time around. And even not on a 12 hour shift, these are the people that can still make your day ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

Co-workers can become friends over time. After all, who else can you trauma bond with during a traumatic shift. Who else can literally save your life during a violent patient encounter? Co-workers can also become more than friends. After all, as a single person, where else are you going to find someone to date? While it seems good in theory, this is almost always a bad idea. It’s hard to maintain a collegial relationship with someone who has seen you naked. There’s always a little bit of truth to shows like Grey’s Anatomy.

Cast of Characters

• Gus–> a grizzled old veteran, the boss, just trying to make it to retirement
• Mitzi–> ditzy, blonde, know-it-all, tries to make my life hell. I try to avoid her
• Lloyd–>30+ years on the job; knows how to do everything
• Ike–>another old timer; night shift, sleeps most of the shift
• Sandy–>does yoga when she thinks no one is around; also night shift
• Dr. Chris–>physician, hospitalist, the nicest and most approachable of the hosptialists
• Dr Greg–> ER physician, knows his stuff, no nonsense, hilarious
• Nurse Liz–>my favorite ER nurse
• Kate–>my classmate and friend, has the same job as me starting out but at the larger intuition

__________________ ______________________ _____________

Additional characters occurring later

• Nurse DJ–>fun, knowledgable, around my age
• Justin–>I dated a hockey player; it was fun for a minute, but Canada, in winter–no thank you
• Nurse Margaret–>the human embodiment of the energizer bunny, fund of knowledge only gained by being a RN for >50 years
• Charlotte–> another BFF at the institution
• Christy–>my partner in crime at the institution
• Nurse Maria–>my nurse BFF at the. latest institution
• Jeremy–>a mid-level manager type at the large institution. I dated him; it went badly
• James–> my restaurant boss; I dated him too. You can imagine how that went
• Jeff–>You’d think I’d learn that dating co-worker is the worst idea ever.

I was a bit preoccupied. Preoccupied with what I was going to say. Preoccupied with not getting lost. Getting lost. That was the hard one. Left. Turn right at the first hallway. The right at the last door. It’s easy.

It was not easy. 

I have never been great at finding my way. Whether on a hiking trail. Or in life. And particularly, some random doorway down a long corridor where the rest of my life was waiting.

Not to be dramatic or anything.

Bam!

A literal crash of two humans.

“I;m so sorry.” I stammered out. 

“You crashed into me”

“I’m sorry. I’m looking for the RT department. Is this the way? I ask, ignoring the fact that I almost knocked a grown adult male, quite possible a physician, to the ground in my preoccupation.

“Hi. I’m Chris.”

“I’m lost. Is this the right way?” Where were my manners, I thought much to late to correct.

“it is. Let me show you”

Chris chatted on, but I heard none of it. Fate. Future. All those thoughts were running through my head.

“Here you are. Good Luck”

“ummm, thanks for the escort”

I had never been one to have concrete goals or plans. I am a person that blows which ever the way the wind blows me. A tumbleweed. Do they even have those in the South? Random thoughts. That’s how my brain works. Jumping from here to there. Focus. I need focus. For my interview. For my life.

“So why respiratory therapy?”

“To be honest, I went to the career fair, and that and x-ray tech were the only two programs still accepting students for the fall. So I enrolled. I’d never even heard of RT, had no idea what they did, or anything.”

Should I be this honest? In an interview? Well, it’s too late to stop…. I thought as I heard myself talking with the department manager, a grizzled old guy named Gus.

“I enrolled. Did well, and found myself actually enjoying learning about the heart and lungs. And clinicals were amazing. ICUs in the first semester”

“We’re no level 1 trauma center” Gus mentioned. “Things aren’t always exciting around here”

“That’s OK. I’m still in school. I can use the downtime to talk to people” Whaaaa- why did I say that? I’m an introvert. I hate talking to people..

“Well, the pay’s not great, and there are no benefits, but I’ll do what I can. We haven’t hired a student in years, but I think you’ll fit in OK around here. The job is yours if you want it.”

“OK. Thanks. I’ll get back to you and we can iron out the details”

Who was this person and what was coming out of her mouth?

“Sounds good. Here’s a card with my direct line on it. You can find your way back to the front of the building can’t you?

‘Yes, Thank you”

With no Chris to guide me, I meandered my way to the front door of my new place of employment.

DMB “Crash into Me”