Too pooped to post...

Ugh....I am so tired, mentally exhausted and actually thinking my teaching Mondays seem like an easy day! I know it's just New Job Brain Overload syndrome but this is the worst case I've ever had.

Training for my new position pretty much includes meeting a million people (read: co-workers) a day (all of whom get excited about giving me one of their business cards) and smiling and nodding like I actually have a clue as to what the heck is going on.

Today I got to tour the Radiation Oncology and Radiology departments at the hospital and found all of the giant machines fascinating. Technology in medicine is simply amazing. I will admit, however, encountering one of these machines as a patient could be completely overwhelming and downright fear inducing - a notion medical professionals should never forget.

I also spent time in the Breast Center portion of the Cancer Center. They have the latest and the greatest in mammography and breast health and I was amazed to see they are set up to do needle guided biopsies and other more invasive pathology-type procedures. This is a good thing because navigating the hospital with the nagging "abnormal mammogram" info on your mind makes for a really cumbersome journey.

The highlight of my day was visiting with a visibly ill patient and his wife. While he was at the lab she broke down and shared just how hard it is to care for her stubborn husband, how all she feels like she does is nag at him - and while he is so sick! It was such a jolting moment for the other scheduler that she kind of shut down and didn't really respond. I took the moment to remind myself why I will be very good at this job - despite feeling overwhelmed about all I have to learn. I leaned over, grabbed her hand and reminded her that if "nagging" him meant he ate a little better, took his meds consistently or got enough rest than she was doing exactly the thing he needed at that moment: reminding him someone loves him and cares for him very, very much.

Comments

Lady and Tater said…
Oh Catie! What a great post. Maybe you should go to nursing school? *wink*
11:25 AM
Laresa said…
I think this will be such a great job for you. . .not just b/c it has pays good or is flexible, but b/c we all need "eye-openers" to remind us why we're here, what we can do for others, and in turn, what that does for us.
10:34 PM
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