Monday, September 21, 2009

Kickin' ass, takin' names, and... ... ...filling out paperwork?

We all filed into Employee Orientation this morning bright and early at 9 am, faces shining with enthusiasm.

Okay, *my* face wasn't shining with enthusiasm, but I'd just spent an hour and ten minutes in Big City Traffic, going through a part of the Big City that Google Maps doesn't even bother to update, the construction is so bad. Leave early, kiddies!

The nice lady from HR was calling names and handing out badges. I already had a badge, so I didn't worry when my name wasn't called. I didn't worry when I didn't have a package from HR; after all, I'd filled out all that paperwork years ago when I was first hired.

Nor did I worry when all of the stuff the nice lady from HR was going over seemed familliar. After all, I'd done yearly refreshers on this stuff for seven years.

It wasn't until I went up to the nice lady from HR to ask a question over the lunch break that I got concerned. "Why are you here?" she asked. "You're not supposed to be here. We called you and told you not to come."

"Yeah, I know," I replied, "but the education department called me that same afternoon, after you did, and told me to disregard and to show up anyhow."

She looked puzzled. Eventually, we figured out between us that there had been a misreading of something somewhere, and that the folks in Ed thought that I was actually new, while the folks in HR knew I wasn't, and therefore, I got to go home early. It was kind of a pain to have to get there, but the trade-off is that I start clinical rotations a week early now, in order to make up hours. WAHOO!

I can actually get back on the floor. (Can you believe I'm saying that? No, I can't either. That's why I was asking you.) I can actually get back to dealing with people with bits missing. I'm excited about that, strangely.

The important work-related lesson I learned today was this: Even the best of institutions sometimes screws up. I have a fairly common, unremarkable name, and with something like eighteen bazillion employees in the system already, and another hinty garillion coming in every month, I was bound, eventually, to be mixed up with another person with the same name. I'm honestly a little surprised that it took this long to happen; after all, there are three of me at my dermatologist's office, for cryin' out loud, and two of us have the same birthday.

For now, I'm going to use this extra time to do normal, every-day things like mow the lawn and pet the dog. At least Max never gets me mixed up with anybody else.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lady, I am so in love with your writing. I'm glad things are already working out with your new focus.

You remind me to look at my own career in different ways. I recently posted about career burn out and boredom and am actively searching out new areas to explore as a chef.

Point blank I love you and keep on bein' your fierce little commonly named self!

Unknown said...

I knew it! I knew Chef Green has a crush on our Head Nurse! *Giggle*
Chef and Jo-oh sittin' in a tree....

Anonymous said...

Oh. Nevermind. I checked out Chef Green's blog and it seems he likes boys. *Sigh* I guess I just want Head Nurse to be in love again. Not that it's any of my business. :S

Jo said...

Hey, Bob?

Don't sweat it. Go and read the gorgeous things C.G. has to write about his partner. *That's* some love poetry in prose form right there.

And HN is in like right now. Will that do?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I guess that'll do. And sorry for maybe being confusing about who I am. I'm not Bob, but his wife, Mary. Sometimes I forget to change the thingy down there from 'Google account' or whatever to 'Anonymous' -- the Google is the hub's Gmail, and I just prefer anonymity...in all of life, really. :D And then there're the times I comment at work (shhh!), so...different isp address, I guess. Anyhoodle, I am glad you are at least in like. I just hope for happiness for you. You work so hard, with such commitment and investment, and I think that when you put so much into something, sometimes the return on the investment is, like, less than reciprocal. And I'm sure that goes w/ the nursing territory. But still. I am hopeful that, should you want/need it, you'll find someone who'll celebrate your highs and take care of you thru any lows.
*Sigh* Sorry. When I became a mom, I really tried to stop mothering every. other. person. in. the. world...including strangers. Hard habit to break. And you's neat.
:D