Day 1
Two words can sum up my first day:
Red Tape.
I spent basically the entire day navigating the hell that is army bureaucracy. I got fingerprinted. Twice. I walked up and down the halls, from office to office, and back, trying to get everything sorted out. Of course this wasn't helped by the fact that the one guy who seemed to actually know I was coming was on vacation today. Or that he neglected to mention that I needed my passport. Or that it might perhaps be better to come for 4 weeks when there is a mountain of forms to be filled out. I do now have an ID badge for the hospital, a second one that lets me get on the base without having to stop and have my car searched (and I mean really searched). I also am well on my way to having access to the scrub machine, (Thank you, Self Regional, for not having any kind of scrub machine in the first place.) and ANOTHER security badge that lets me get onto the labor floor. You all can pray that I get my computer password in the morning, since I need to take a computer class in the morning, one I cannot take without the password, and there isn't another class until Tuesday. I was also able to at least SEE the labor unit, though I didn't come anywhere near a patient. Naively, I foolishly brought my white coat with me today, carrying it around for the first half of the day until I began to get the idea of how the day would be. Then I ditched it in the car. And briefly thought about just driving home. I remembered, though, that at this hospital, they do 260 deliveries a MONTH. Our residency program does 300 a YEAR. So I stayed. Hopefully tomorrow I might do something a little more fun.
On a side note, there were lots of people walking around in camo. Strange.
Red Tape.
I spent basically the entire day navigating the hell that is army bureaucracy. I got fingerprinted. Twice. I walked up and down the halls, from office to office, and back, trying to get everything sorted out. Of course this wasn't helped by the fact that the one guy who seemed to actually know I was coming was on vacation today. Or that he neglected to mention that I needed my passport. Or that it might perhaps be better to come for 4 weeks when there is a mountain of forms to be filled out. I do now have an ID badge for the hospital, a second one that lets me get on the base without having to stop and have my car searched (and I mean really searched). I also am well on my way to having access to the scrub machine, (Thank you, Self Regional, for not having any kind of scrub machine in the first place.) and ANOTHER security badge that lets me get onto the labor floor. You all can pray that I get my computer password in the morning, since I need to take a computer class in the morning, one I cannot take without the password, and there isn't another class until Tuesday. I was also able to at least SEE the labor unit, though I didn't come anywhere near a patient. Naively, I foolishly brought my white coat with me today, carrying it around for the first half of the day until I began to get the idea of how the day would be. Then I ditched it in the car. And briefly thought about just driving home. I remembered, though, that at this hospital, they do 260 deliveries a MONTH. Our residency program does 300 a YEAR. So I stayed. Hopefully tomorrow I might do something a little more fun.
On a side note, there were lots of people walking around in camo. Strange.
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