My first day at the hospital was so nerve wracking. It took so long to get all of my documents and testing done in order to be a co-op student. The whole time, all I could think about was how awkward it would be for me because I ended up starting so late, and how mad my employer would be. My employer wasn't mad, in fact she understood everything. With sweaty palms and hopeful glances at my new environment, my employer Jane* set me up with an I.D badge. The picture was so horrible. The worse-than-a-mugshot kind. After Jane giggled, and told me it was the same with everyone, I reluctantly put it on and sheepishly followed her all the way to the medical floor. Click-clack all the way and the sound of my sloppy boots dragging behind. When we arrived at the floor, she told a lady who was at a desk who I was and what I was doing there. With a slight nod of the lady's head, Jane disappeared quickly and left me standing in front of the nurses station without even a look of acknowledgement from anyone. Some were busy typing away on their computers, and some we chatting about stuff that I had no idea about (at the time). Then the clinical aids welcomed me, and showed me to the staff room where I could keep my stuff. After introducing themselves, they explained some of the jobs I could do to start. With my cart in tow, I began stocking shower rooms, nurses carts and isolation carts. I also emptied linen bags and filled water jugs. To be honest, the work was dry in the beginning and I hated it. I wanted to know what everyone else was doing, how they did it, not emptying garbages for the rest of my hours. However, I wanted things to quickly. Just being there was a new experience for me, and I was a new experience for everyone working on the floor. This was something I didn't find out about until later on. The hospital hadn't participated in a co-op program in years! That made me feel lucky, and a little more patient. New experiences don't come all the time, so you have to enjoy them when you can while trying not to expect too much or want more. So all-in-all the moral of this post is that new experiences come in small and big packages, you just have to be willing to receive them.
|