dumb

Do you ever just find yourself doing something completely absentmindedly dumb? I am sure we all do, just as I am sure we all fervently hope that the act itself proves harmless.

It is no surprise if you read this blog that my work has not been favorable of late. In fact, when I really think about it, it has been a bungled mess from the jump. I spent the first two weeks in the clinic trying to learn how it works: how to get meds, order supplies, chart, file, along with relearning a lot of skills that had moldered at my last job. Then I spent the next month + doing that while worrying about losing my job over paperwork. Finally, March hit and it seemed like finally, I had things largely under control (or what I could control anyway, we are and have been throughout, chronically understaffed with frequent defections), but then EPIC hit and it feels kind of like I am back to day 1 all over again. Only, now I have to figure out a whole new slew of things that I have neither the time nor inclination to even figure out who to contact to start the process.

For instance, we got a new label printer here in the clinic. Easy enough right? Wrong! We had technicians here almost daily, each with a very specific piece of the puzzle and none with seemingly any knowledge of the next link in the chain. First guy drops off the device. another one comes to look at where and how it might get plugged in. Yet another installs a cable. Someone else changes said cable due to some proprietary cable issue. Finally it is hooked up and working..............er, not quite. another gentleman comes in because now there is an error in how things are routed to said printer. This then involves a higher up from information services who ultimately deals with this for another 3 days before, viola, working printer...........er, kind of. It prints some of what we need now, but other alterations involving god knows how many other people are coming down the line. This would be fine if it weren't for seemingly everything happening in a similar manner. I get calls from pharmacy because we are both entering the same exact data and we still can't figure out who should be (which is rising up the chain there). My hand held medication scanners don't work and I have no idea who to call about them (so I enter things manually). We were given a desktop scanner and separate training for scanning orders, and then I get an email as to why we are scanning orders in the first place (from the person who is in charge of such things in the first place......which leads me to believe she should not be charged with such responsibility). I had a delivery of a giant blanket warmer and a number of who to call to deal with it, but then no one returns my calls so it sits exactly where it was dropped off last weekend. Somewhere in the midst of this, I am supposed to see patients, schedule patients, deal with MD offices, and learn our new charting system.

So, it comes as no surprise that I walked home on Tuesday night, started doing some dishes (we were going to a Blazer game so I wanted to have them done then instead of when I got home) and then realized that I had DRIVEN to work that morning because I thought I might need to go to Vancouver for training. Suffice to say I briskly walked all the way back to get the car (the advantage/disadvantage of living less than a mile away). Dumb dumb dumb. Of course, my brain is so thoroughly addled it is dumb but not entirely unsurprising. Now if I can just manage to not screw up something actually important along the way!