Been VERY busy.

For the love of corn, it's hard to believe how much time can slip by between posts. It's not just leaving pieces of my consciousness here that fall by the wayside.

At the risk of coming off as a really conceited woman, I have to compare myself to Dr. Einstein for a moment. Like him, I seem to limit myself to fewer passions the more immersed I become. I guess it's primarily a matter of how much time one has, really. Unfortunately for me, I don't believe there will ever be a Nobel Prize in my cards. On the other hand, it's unlikely I'll ever have to worry about forgetting to visit the restroom during such intellectual pursuits that I end up pissing my pants.

Work has devoured a huge chunk of time and energy. When you pick a career like mine, you cannot simply be "half there". It is physically demanding, full of multi-tasking, and requires a tremendous amount of patience. If lacking in any one of these areas, you'll be kicked through the exit before long...

...and I'm glad for the latter. Not long ago, a new technician joined our staff, and she did have the physical endurance and a quick mind. She was sorely lacking in the patience department and to make matters worse, she blew way too much energy on being a bossy, underhanded bitch. My job, which I loved, deteriorated into something draining, a place I dreaded to go. The technician in question had left the veterinary field for three or four years to become a guard at a Washington State Penitentiary. I can only say that in many ways, it must have suited her well. I think it also rubbed off on her to such a degree that she took that prison mentality with her to our clinic, turning the place into a living hell, at least for me.

And I thank the Five Gods of Wutai that before three months were up, she was outta there.

Heh. At the same time, two other technicians took a leave of absence to undergo surgery (and left within a day of one another). This turned a technical staff of five into a technical staff of two.

Some interesting things resulted. I always knew that my supervisor and I have had the sort of personalities and work habits that work together like a dream. As a matter of fact, the other technicians decided I was somehow "the pet" and I received preferential treatment (despite the fact that I had the least desirable work schedule due to my lack of seniority!) What had happened, in fact, was that the other three techs had formed something of a clique, and let me tell you, it's a very interesting situation indeed when the size of the clique is three-fifths of the technical staff. Especially when one of those three was the aforementioned prison witch.

It created tension within our department and reached to Specialty department within our hospital.

Immediately after the tyrannical new hire left (during the period in which the other two techs went on leave)...well, there is no question that the two of us who remained became very, very busy. However, we quickly created a system in which we worked very efficiently, and despite the fact that we were undeniably exhausted at the end of some days, the friction was gone.

The doctors, who were understandably worried about the drastic reduction in staff, quickly discovered that things ran quite smoothly. My supervisor and I certainly discovered the stuff we're made of. As a matter of fact, we found ourselves having small discussions (in bits and pieces mind you; it was far too busy to sit down and chat--ever). We realized that we were working so hard--too hard, actually, to be able to carry on at such a pace forever--yet, we also kind of dreaded the time when the other techs returned. So much progress had been made: the tensions between our department and the specialty department had vanished. My supervisor was able to see that her organizational skills had, in fact, been dead-on right all along once the rebellion and resulting chaos was removed. I was allowed contribute more of my experience and know-how as well, and I got better at everything I did--blood draws, IV catheter placement, Xrays, surgical procedures, blood transfusions...everything. After fifteen years in the field, I knew I was good at what I did, but there is always room for improvement. God help you if you don't believe that.

Another thing we were able to implement was to take our two most experienced kennel assistants and train them as technical assistants (one has been through some classes in veterinary assisting and the other starts tech school this fall). The sense of pride that these two young women developed was (and is) obvious. We all respect one another. As a former instructor, I've had the chance to teach again. We are 95% of the way to being our own "dream team".

But...

One of the sick-leave techs came back this week...though she is far from able to do anything physically demanding. It will be many months before she will, and she is very, very frustrated about this. We find ourselves stumbling over one another and over the course of the past week, have had to learn how many things she is still unable to do. This has created a bit of stress for us all, since my boss and I have found ourselves being pulled back and forth to come to the rescue. I don't mean to bad-mouth the tech who had surgery. I am, however, only human, and this human is wishing there were a position within the clinic in which she could do the sort of work that would take her out of the treatment area, because the present situation has created a whole new set of hazards.

The other technician is supposed to return to work either this coming week or the week after, and she, unfortunately, has been "the unhappy one". Right now you can't have a clique of one, but sadly I know that it's all about to change. I wish I could believe otherwise, but after the better part of a year, I know better.

This job and this hospital mean the world to me. I have known these doctors nearly a decade, and in fact worked with them many years before everyone else in the general practice department. We are dear to one another. I was humbled beyond words when I was told how happy they were to learn I'd returned to the Portland area and wished to join their clinic. As such, I want our team to be the very best it can be, because I am certain it can be a real joy to work together. The past two months have proven this. However, labor laws make it very, very sticky when it comes to keeping jobs open for those with physical limitation, especially since one of them claims her surgery was due to an injury sustained at work, at our clinic.

I wish there could be family counseling for coworkers. Considering how much time everyone spends at work--in some cases, it is the majority of our waking time--I'm surprised that such a concept isn't an industry standard.

My supervisor and I are hoping that we can somehow take what we've learned over the past few months and used this to reshape the whole team dynamic accordingly.

Can it be done? I can't say it's probable, but I refuse to believe it's impossible, either. Regardless of what's happened, I know that the two of us have been able to carve our initials into the "material" that is our workplace, and whether or not it will be able to survive the return of the other technicians, we will remember these tough yet harmonious times with a good deal of fondness.

Now that you see how much energy it must have taken just to briefly summarize just a chunk of what's been going on since the last post, perhaps you can then imagine how it is that I've been truly otherwise occupied, yes?