It has been quite some time since I last caught you up on the goings-on in my life. I knew I wanted to update this tonight, but I figured I should probably do it BEFORE World Series Game 7, just in case things went downhill. As I have been telling all of my coworkers and patients, GO RANGERS!
Fall is in full swing here in "the Lou" (I am apparently now allowed to refer to my city as such since I have lived here almost 4 months). The trees are unbelievably gorgeous and it makes the view so much more enjoyable when I'm driving around for work. I didn't take these, but I pulled a few images from the web just to give you an idea.
Isn't it absolutely breathtaking? I typically drive a couple of hours a day (not all at once, 30 min here, 30 min there) and these trees are making me wish I could drive more!
Work is funny. There are moments when I LOVE my job. I get to the hospital and I start talking with patients or with the lab staff and I just enjoy doing what I do. Then, there are days where it takes every ounce of self-control that I can muster just to get out of bed. Since my last blog, I have become officially certified in "low voltage" devices (pacemakers). This means that I completed 5 pacer implants and 5 pacer patient checks, under the supervision of my mentor or Field Clinical Engineer. The next step after that was to actually start doing things on my own. It's crazy how different things feel when you are working alongside someone vs working alone. Suddenly, your safety net of having an expert at your fingertips is gone. But, when I get in the room and I'm one on one with the patient, I thrive! We can chat as much as I want and I explain things the way that I think they should be explained. It sounds silly, but there's a freedom to it.
I have two metaphors I use when I try to explain how work is going. The first one is driving a car. When you first learn how to drive, you can barely take your eyes off the road long enough to look at the speedometer, let alone take in all the other important pieces to driving a car (reading signs, watching other cars, changing lanes, etc). This job is like that. Once you get the basic concepts down, you have to start building on what you can do in one moment and keep an eye on everything going on (your tests, the rhythm, the patient, the monitor, etc). When I first got back from training, I felt like I had mastered turning on the car and driving straight. Now, I feel like I'm starting to add in all the little details that make me a good driver.
My second metaphor is about high school. When you're a freshman, you're as scared as it gets. You don't know where the classrooms are, who to talk to, how to act, what to wear, etc. By sophomore year you've kinda figured things out enough to not look like a freshman. Junior year you're almost on top of your game, boasting about being an upper classman and enjoying being a real part of the school. Senior year, you dominate. You are comfortable in your own skin and confident about your position. You like to help teach the younger kids where to go, how to get to class, etc. Working in huge hospitals is kinda like that. When you first arrive, people know you're new. They can tell you don't know where you're going or how to act or what to say. As you begin to get to know them and build relationships, they start to trust you and help you out. When I go to a new clinic (or one I do not frequent often), I am back to freshman status. However, in most places I am starting to be in the sophomore-junior phase. I am starting to have a presence in these places and it feels great!
Just to show you how large my main hospital is, here's a picture:
I got to visit the famous haunted Lemp Mansion (http://www.lempmansion.com/) for a product inservice about electrical hygiene last week. Apparently this place is a pretty big deal. One of our SJM guys leading the inservice is so involved in the mansion that he gives tours and has spent many days and nights (ah!) with supernatural hunters. I got one picture of myself standing in the middle of an unnecessarily fancy shower/bathtub in the ladies' room that the Lemp family had imported from France. If you want a good spook, read that story and come visit and we will eat there!
This weekend I'll be attending a Halloween party hosted by my favorite interventional cardiologist. She is letting me borrow her extra dirndl (cute German girl costume) to match her and Craig (an SJM coworker) as German people. She is throwing the party as a Halloween/Craig's birthday combo and is raising money for a local food bank. 40+ people are coming, including lots of docs, lab staff, and SJM people. I am really looking forward to attending and I hope to have some fun pics to show you afterwards!
In two weeks I'm heading back to Texas for high voltage training (defibrillators). I am, as always, counting down the days and look forward to getting some hugs!
GO RANGERS!!!!!!
Love & blessings,
Brooke
