I pulled into the driveway and right up to the back door of my new workplace.
Lady Gaga was blaring on the speakers in my van.
I live for the applause, applause, applause......
I turned off the car and Gaga's voice temporarily vanished from the speakers.
I looked up at the building in front of me.
Here we go!!
I got out of the car, took a deep breath and looked up at the sign that hung over the front door. MEDICAL CENTRE.
Eeek! This was it! First day of work! I was back in the game.
I walked over to the side of my van and opened the door to grab everything I brought for my first day of work. Nothing crazy.....just a few essentials. My lunch bag, purse, water bottle, makeup bag, coffee traveling mug, extra milk for coffee throughout the day, indoor shoes, chap-stick, hairbrush, hand cream....and a sweater......just in case I got cold.
I carefully picked up all my things, and balanced them as I made my way into the building.
I was immediately greeted by my supervisor, a lovely nurse who happened to be a 10-year veteran at the clinic. I was then re-introduced to my new co-workers, all of which I had met previously at my interview. The girls welcomed me with open arms, and within the day had shown me the basics of the job.
And by the end of the first week, I had quickly learned several things about myself at my new place of employment:
1. I hate shredding.
When something was scanned or faxed, if we didn't need the original copy anymore, I was directed to put it into the shredding bin. But the shredding bin seemed so .....final.....and I was afraid that once it was gone, then I'd realize that I needed it again....for whatever reason. So instead of shredding those pages, I just kept a pile off to the side labeled "To Be Shredded". It took my coworker a week to find my pile. She just laughed and said "DO IT!" while pointing to the the shredding bin.
I think I cried a little when I finally let go of those pages....
2. It's ok to dress casual.
I was told that I could wear 'scrubs' at this job. But for a Polack like me, who loves to dress up when going somewhere important.....this was a hard thing to accept. But I guess it was important to dress appropriately for the job. And of course I wanted to fit in and look like the other girls. It was crucial that I learned to dress casually and comfortably for this fast-paced job. I would need to put my Gwen Stefani outfits in the back of the closet and get myself some proper clothing.
By the way....did you know that Walmart sells zebra-print scrubs??
3. I have fat fingers.
You know those rubber fingertips that help you flip pages really fast? Well, I've never used them before. I always thought they were dumb. Turns out...not so dumb. They actually REALLY work. I went from flipping like, 10 pages per minute to approximately....10,000 pages per minute. And that's a pretty accurate guesstimate. Anyway....the sucky thing was that my coworkers couldn't find one to fit my finger. Apparently I'm a 'LARGE'. The whole office laughed and laughed at my fat fingers.....
Sure....it's ALLLLL fun and games when you have nice skinny fingers >:(
4. I love to fax.
After a week and a half on the job, I was getting the hang of things! My coworker began testing my knowledge of the job by showing me a form and asking what to do with it. I was doing pretty good until she showed me a report that totally stumped me. "Ummmm...I fax it??". She looked at me patiently and said "no". I had to step away for a few minutes to help a patient and when I came back to her, she was still waiting for the correct answer. Forgetting what I said the first time around, I looked at her and said "Ummm.....I fax it?"
I did this about 3 more times until she threw her hands up and burst out laughing.
Apparently I love to fax.
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Two weeks into the job and I was feeling pretty good. I had learned almost everything I needed to know for my role ......and I continued to be the Queen Bee of faxing.
I was helping one of the patients when my coworker came up behind me and whispered "Dr.B wants to see you".
"What??" I whisper-yelled back.
"Dr.B! Go!!"
Dr.B was the owner of the clinic....and the man who hired me. A man who we rarely saw but who was always around. He was the reason the clinic ran so perfectly.
I jumped off my seat and ran up the stairs. But at the top of the stairs I stopped. I immediately felt nervous. Why did he want to see me? Was I in trouble? Did he learn about my obsession with faxing? Did I fax too much?? Are my fingertips too fat for this job??
I looked down the hall and realized that I forgot how to get to his office. I had been there only once weeks before for my interview.
As I walked down the hall, the location of his office had suddenly come back to me. But then I thought of something else. What if he wanted to give me some patient info? I'd need a notepad .......a pen....something to write his message down. I can't go to him empty-handed. I'll look like a fool. A damn fool!!
I ran back to the nurses office and stole her post-it pad and purple pen from her desk. Perfect!!
I smoothed out my zebra-print scrubs, took a deep breath, shook my hair out of my face, and walked right up to his office door.
The door was open and his back was facing to me. He looked very large. Very intimidating. I got nervous again. I hoped to God he wasn't firing me. But if he was going to, it was a good 2 week run. Not really something I could add to the resume......but if I did, I'd probably write: A short-lived, yet incredibly valuable learning experience...........
"LEO! COME IN, COME IN!"
My thoughts were interrupted when Dr.B turned around and saw me standing like a deer in headlights.
"Hi Dr.B! Nice to see you!"
I sat down and expected the worst.
Dr. B had asked how I was doing with the new role and how I was adjusting.
"It's great. Really great. The clinic is amazing. And the staff have been so incredible. AND everything is getting faxed on time....."
My nerves were getting the better of me. I tried to get back on track by coaching myself internally.... Calm down Leo. Get a hold of yourself! Faxing is a VERY important part of the job.
Dr. B continued...
"Well listen Leo, I just wanted to tell you that the feedback I'm receiving from the nurse and the rest of the staff is that you're doing super. I knew you would. You're a smart girl and I knew you'd fit in here perfectly."
After a few more fabulous comments from Dr.B, I practically skipped out of his office.....light as air...and with a massive smile on my face.
His words repeated over and over in my head....
I'm super...and smart....and I fit in perfectly!! Tee hee!!
I skipped past the nurses office and almost arrogantly threw the post-it and purple pen back on her desk.
Pfffttt. I had NO doubt!!
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