Day 4

     Definitely one of the most memorable days of my life. I woke up an hour and ten minutes later than I had planned. Needless to say, I had no time to shower. I know it sounds gross, but I'm not one to make a habit of such a routine. Generally. My groupmates' horror upon realizing I skipped my shower will be shame-inducing. I could easily just exclude that information from here...but I'll write it anyway. Without it, you wouldn't understand the feel of my day. 

     My roommate also had an early shadowing-shift on Thursday, but an hour later than mine. I ate breakfast alone, smacking together peanut butter, blueberry preserves, and banana slices on whole wheat bread, and washing it all down with a glass of milk. The dishes were tossed into the sink (they've been piling up lately, and of course, it's completely my fault. I'm honestly super lazy when it comes to physical labor.).  I had planned to shadow my ER physician at San Juan Regional Hospital for 5, maybe 6, hours that day, and I promised myself more sleep once I got back to the hotel. Before delving into the homework that was due the next day and the phone calls out to local businesses and radio stations/newspapers/TV stations.

      I ran, with 30 minutes left on the clock before I had to leave, back to my bedroom to dress somewhat professionally, tied up my hair, and debated for literally 5 minutes whether or not I wanted to even bother wearing my high heels to the ER. I could've just showed up in tennis shoes. In the end, I dropped a pair of sneakers in a plastic bag and strapped on my heels, just to be sure I made a favorable first impression on my doc.

     I ended up arriving at the hospital, with 3 minutes left, to find out that even at 7 AM, all of the front Staff Parking Lots were full. I followed a green Mustang to the back lots (if you were in the green Mustang, thanks! You don't know that you helped me, but in fact, I very much appreciate your presence at my time of need). I was probably 1 or 2 minutes late to my shift, because I ran in my flamenco dance heels to the Emergency Department--an activity that is incredibly unsafe and not advocated in any way. 

     It turns out that my doctor was the coolest guy ever. Easy-going, down-to-earth, and readily approachable, this guy is a genius with mystery-solving skills faster than I can comprehend. Bam-bam-bam..."Let's do this, the patient said this and this, so I'm going to give them this thing and that thing, this term means that," etc.  I could listen to him forever, just because his behaviors were so amusing and so altogether inspiring. The other physicians and nurses working with him that day were wholly accepting of my presence, and took time out of their own work to show me around, as well. Not when a patient needed urgent assistance, of course, but when there was a free moment, and there were many free moments that day. I had heard negative things in the past about "how nurses can be," but the nurses I shadowed voluntarily interacted with me, as I stood to the side of each room to avoid getting in anyone's way. I soon changed into my tennis shoes to keep up with my doctor, a pretty tall guy, as he booked it to from patient Room 6 to his computer and then to Room 18. He introduced me as "Doctor-to-be," and I felt myself blush every time the patient looked in my direction with a look in his/her eyes of both gratefulness and respect.
      I was an authority figure to the patients, and I tried to behave that way, saying little, looking serious, making eye contact with my doctor as he spoke about certain conditions or complications with his patients. It seems like all of my life is about acting, and it was no different in the hospital setting. You see, I know very little about lots of things, meaning I know pretty much nothing in general. I'm no good at estimating, guessing, or forming an opinion on any topic. My common sense swells and wanes, depending on time of day, time of week, and my mood. The other factors I haven't quite figured out yet. The only way I get by is through pretending I know what's going on. Somehow, when I act, it comes together eventually and I end up learning the things I had pretended I already knew.

       This is not to say that my physician didn't teach me well--I learned more from my physician about working in a hospital, at least in the ER, than I would ever learn from a textbook in school. That's probably the case in  many situations for many people. Hands-on learning is priceless. He was awesome, and I didn't hesitate to ask him questions when I reasoned it was appropriate. I stayed at the hospital for the 9-hour shift, and I've got to emphasize: it was BOMB. The day had been pretty "mellow," as there were no major traumas to witness, but that was a positive factor for me, as it allowed me more time to actually talk to my physician. I'll be doing the night shift soon. 

         In the meantime, Z attended a City Council Meeting with the Mayor to introduce the group and our project. Now Mayor Roberts is guaranteed to remember us, even though we had met the day before for the Grand Opening of the skate park. Immediately afterwards, he shadowed all afternoon, and then joined his physician for a personal dinner. I understand that both the food and the home were unforgettably magnificent!

           J and S both shadowed in the morning, and in the afternoon, they attended a meeting with Ms. Nobis, who passed along a list of vendors for the Job Fair side of our upcoming Job/Health Fairs. By the time I arrived from the hospital, they were already calling vendors to advertise our fairs and gain support. They are both so sincere and efficient in their efforts, I'm lucky to have been assigned to work in their group.  I had several contacts from the local media in my e-mail, but by that time, most everyone had gone home. I did visit Ms. Natalie at the community center for a brief time to pick up some advice about organizing the events.

           I showered to remove any accidental traces of "ER-ness," and the rest of the night, each of us locked ourselves in our rooms to finish the school homework assignments due the next day at 9 AM. I was pretty cranky most of the night and wanted nothing to do with anyone. I've gone more hours with less sleep before (the story of a pre-med student's life), but for some reason, I couldn't handle it this time. I did what I could with my homework (that's a story of it's own) and then promptly passed out. I can only imagine how Z felt after returning to the hotel from his dinner at 10:20 pm, and then tending his homework. Blecch.