So much to learn!

12/17/2012   

 Well I made it here and survived my first two days, which were “orientation”. As usual, orientation at a new facility consists of filling in the blanks on seemingly thousands of pages of paperwork, getting an abbreviated tour of the facility, meeting the department heads, and genuinely feeling overwhelmed. I complete my orientation knowing that over the next few days  I will feel lost and confused as I get settled in here in Dillingham.

     I will experience several episodes of Ralph induced frustration that will probably go something like this:

Me: I need to get a medication from the pharmacy.

Ralph: Are you sure there is a pharmacy here?

Me: Well yes I know there is a pharmacy here; after all it is a hospital.

Ralph: Ok big boy, where is it then, you are so “intelligent”? (And yes I hear the snickering in his voice)

Me: I went past it on day one of my orientation, it is on a long hallway, and is next door to the lab.

Ralph: CONGRATULATIONS! You have just remembered that the pharmacy location is in the building…… I was afraid you thought it was in the middle of the parking lot.

Me: I wonder if anyone would notice colored magic marker arrows on the walls with directions for next time.

And so the saga continues for another 10 minutes, as I eventually patrol every hallway in the facility, I find the pharmacy (and as you probably guessed, it was very close to where I started my adventure). But you can bet that I know its exact location for next time!

By the end of day one, I not only knew where the pharmacy was, but I eventually found, the lab (remember it is next door to the pharmacy), the housing office (where I got my linen from on day one, wow found it two times in less than a week), medical supply, the medical staff office (where my desk is located and the location of daily rounds, and I was on time for rounds…. well only a little late the first day), the cafeteria, and several restrooms.  To you this may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but remember, I have to learn the service locations and their capabilities at several new facilities every year.

Throughout all my exploration, the entire staff here is friendly and very willing to point lost souls like myself in the correct direction.