The First Week

I started my new job on Monday, sort of. Monday and Tuesday were hospital orientation which included all the things you'd expect: information about insurance and retirement and parking. Things that don't seem like they should stretch out over 16 hours, but did. We learned a lot about hospital history, including the reason that we have French Jesus as our mascot because the nuns that started the hospital in 1912 (ish) were from France. Here's a picture of French Jesus:
who looks different than English Jesus:

I prefer French Jesus's brooding eyes. Anyway, it's a pretty safe bet to say that Actual Jesus didn't look anything like these guys, but whatever.

On Wednesday I got to start training for my actual job, as opposed to learning about human resources. I'm currently working 6am to 6pm, so that I can train with the daytime secretary, but eventually, I'll be on 6pm to 6am, which sounds like a much shorter amount of time, (but isn't) and means I won't have to wake up at 4am (a definite bonus). In any case, I -love- the actual work part of the job. I like talking to the doctor's offices on the phone and ordering carts and telling patients to pee in a cup. I love that we have a bank tube thing that sends stuff all over the hospital. I love that we have things that work like the badges on Star Trek that let us track down and talk to people all over the place who are also wearing one. (What do they call those things Patrick?) I love that I get to put together charts and see people all excited coming in for a c-section because they know that in about 20 minutes they will have an actual baby in their arms.

I do not love that we play Brahm's Lullabye after every baby is born (trust me, it gets old fast), but I know that the people waiting in the hallway for that baby really like it, and I like that they like it.

Yesterday I had to do a CPR class instead of my real job, which was less fun, but meant I got to sleep until 7am. (Who'd have thought that would be something to look forward to?) After that was over I did my actual job for a little while and then went to the hospital blood drive where they proceeded to suck me dry (2 units of red cells) and then fill me back up with plasma and saline solution. For the record, that feels really weird and takes a super long time. If you haven't done this kind of blood donation before, the stuff they put back into you is at room temperature, which is much colder than body temperature so you get all shaky and weird feeling. The vampires (phlebotomists) offer you blankets, but that doesn't really help since the cold is on the inside. It's freaky, but in a really interesting way. I'll definitely do it again. (And have, in fact, already scheduled my next appointment.) They gave me a t-shirt and a delicious selection of snacks, and it was cool to get paid for lying in a reclining chair and watching Confessions of a Shopaholic.

And now it's the weekend. Yay!