Another day at the office
This is going to be one of those rare posts about my job. I don't usually blab about that, because blogging about your employment can be dangerous.
So, some days my job can be pretty boring. I'll read up on e-mails, get updates on changes, get my department up-to-date on the updates, make sure my folks have all of the tools they need to do their jobs. These could be supplies, working computer hardware/software, empty shred bins for them to put confidential stuff in, or working website logins to do verifications. Then it's time to get a feel for the department. Is the acuity level high, low, medium? Is the sense of urgency there? Is our purpose to help people at the fore-front of our minds? Are there any personnel issues I need to nip in the bud . . or that I should just leave the hell alone (you'd be surprised how often a hands-off approach is best when it comes to managing people)?
But then there's other times when things really get interesting. Tonight while I was giving a monthly feedback, I heard footsteps running through the waiting room. This was followed by another set of footsteps that had an accompanying jingle-jingle. Not a good sign, as the jingle usually means someone with a heavy set of keys or handcuffs, meaning security or police officer. Then I hear, "Get down on the ground NOW motherfucker, I'm not even playing!".
Well, that got my attention. Now it was time to take off my tie, vocera badge, and id badge (having dangling things around your neck is not a good idea if things get physical). I run to the waiting room and see an officer with his gun drawn and pointed at an individual who's standing directly in the doorway to the alcove to the exit. I also notice that there's about 14 people to my right and 4 people to my left who are WAY too close to the action. I tell them to move AWAY from the door (and out of the firing line of the officer), and they hustle it out of the area and get behind me like they should.
Now, time for a big disclaimer. While I'm not exactly comfortable around police who have drawn their sidearms (or anyone I don't know pretty well who's got a firearm out), I'm also not particularly rattled in high stress situations. I know that if you keep calm and think clearly, things usually turn out for the best. I also know this:
I AM NOT JOHN WAYNE!!! I DON'T WANT TO BE JOHN WAYNE!!!!
People who try go John Wayne in these situations tend to get themselves and people around them hurt. My job is let security or the police do their job, and give them the room they need to do it. Now if someone looks like they're going after a patient or visitor, then I might intervene, but otherwise, I get the hell out of the way, let them go, or let them destroy property. Stuff can be replaced, people can't.
So, the officer does convince the gentleman to get on the ground without incident, and security comes over to join the handcuffing, questioning, and searching of pockets ritual (which provides a rather large knife). One visitor lets me know there are some children in one of the restrooms who are probably very scared, and I ask if she's their parent, she says no. So I call out if there's a parent for some children in the restroom, and I need not have shouted, because their mother was like 4 feet behind me. I asked her to pass by behind me, and retrieve her children, which she gratefully did, and everyone was happy. The gentlemen was lifted and taken to the security office, and life was good.
About an hour later the officer thanked me for my assistance with the crowd control, and I feel good about being able to help! And I'm reminded of why I work here.
You may want to open that in a different window if you want to bounce back and forth.
The first third of the chapter tells the parable of the virgins keeping oil for their lamps, "... for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
9/10ths of my job is preparation. Providing and preparing my team to be ready to register in all sorts of situations. Recently we had a couple of down-times, which are pretty much the admitting equivalent of hell on earth. Both of them went as smoothly as could be expected due to the preparations we had made ahead of time, and could have potentially been MUCH worse without those preparations.
The central third of the chapter tells the parable of the 3 men and their 'talents'. Interesting choice of word.
The Lord had gifted many people with many different skills, and expects us to use them to the best of our abilities. In my particular job, you have to be good with computers, really good with people, and good with logistical allocation of scarce resources. Talk about a tall order to fill. There's a reason there no other ER Admitting Supervisor in Tucson who's been at the job as long as I, and only 1 other in all of Arizona that I know of (and I've looked!). It's tough, and if I don't stay on top of it and something slips through the cracks and we don't have paper or labels or proper training, "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And I won't have to wait for the hereafter for it to land on my face!
The final third of the chapter is the most rewarding, and it speaks for itself.
" 35For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Hmmm. People who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and prisoners. I can safely say that there is NO PLACE in town that sees more of these than my workplace. And I get to minister to them EVERY DAY!?!!? Yes!
Every day as I'm driving to work, I know, I KNOW that I'll be able to make an impact. I'm going to make someones day better because I was there and treated them like a person, not a number or a burden or something to avoided. It might be a patient or visitor, or it could just well be a co-worker or delivery person or anyone, but their day will be a little bit better than it was before because I'm going to MAKE it better.
And I'm going to fulfill my calling while I do it. Talk about a win-win!
Well, recently a lot of those I've been able to help have been patients and their families. Here's a few of the highlights that I directly came in contact with in one way or another:
- A boy that had been struck by lightning
- A man that had been shot through the neck
- A man who had part the lower part of their arm shot off
- A woman who tried to kill herself
- A man who lodged a marble up his penis
- A man who was burned fairly badly
- A child who had a paperclip lodged in their ear
Lots of fun, and rewarding. But just as rewarding is seeing someone I hired being able to accomplish things in their lives they never thought they'd be able to do, or seeing them promote to an even better job. While I hate to lose them (and I often lose some of my best people this way), it only makes me happier to know they continue to flourish, and I'd like to think that I helped a little bit in that. And if they're still with the company, that's even better. The company grows stronger, and I've got another person I can rely on when I need help from them. :)
Again, gotta love those win-wins.
So as I re-read and spell check this, I can't help but feel that it comes across as pretty self-centered. Hmmmmm. I'd like to avoid that, but I can't think of a good way right now. If I think of a way later, I can edit it. If not .. . . . well .. heck . . it's my blog.
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