Daddy's Day Off

On Monday after work I lost my car keys.  I had them, obviously, when I got home.  I changed out of my scrubs and into some athletic shorts and went out to wash my car.  Afterwards I took Quinn for a bit and, since it was during his witching hours I watered the lawn, hung out in the hammock, the rocker, the bed, and pretty much anywhere I could take him that I thought would quiet him for a bit.  Somewhere during this period of time the keys went missing.  That night, I went through the entire house twice, checked behind every couch cushion (I found my cell phone there not to long ago), and under every surface.  I even took a flashlight through the front and back yards to no avail.  I went through the same thing in the morning, with the same outcome.  I knew they were somewhere nearby, just not where that might be.  Right as I was leaving for work after grabbing the spare set I went to put my work shoes on and.....there they were in the left shoe.  I have no recollection of putting them in the shoe, but either I did that or they fell out of my pocket and into them somehow.  This is the result of trying to do a full time job on a part time basis and doing so with chronic headaches from stress and lack of sleep.  That was how my week began.  

By Tuesday I had reached my limit.  So, today I called in sick.  I never feel great about calling in sick, even when I am actually sick.  I still do it when I am well from time to time though because, well, sometimes I just NEED to.  This might be the first time I have done so for spite however.  

I won't belabor the point, but I am not supposed to be working 5 days a week.  I am doing so to 'help' out while they evidently sit on their hands.  As a 'compromise' they allow me to come in only when I have patients instead of the entire day.  This evidently means that they are not obligated to do a GD thing about the clinic in the hours I am not there.  Most of the time this would be fine.  This week it most assuredly is not.

I have 7 unfunded patients currently.  2 of those patients require weekly dressing changes only.  The other 5 need daily infusions.  All have sketchy and largely illicit reasons why they need to do this.  The company that does home infusions refuses to see these patients because they cannot pay.  Our clinics have no choice in the matter.  Since I am only in the clinic in the afternoons (save Wednesdays when I have typically been there the entire day), I have to either find a way to squeeze them all in a relatively compact time frame or send them elsewhere.  However, all the clinics are presently inundated with much the same so there is nowhere to send them.  On Tuesday I had already scheduled 9 patients to come in Wednesday.  Too much for just me to deal with.  I then had to turn away no less than 3 paying patients (a blood transfusion and 2 hydrations) because there was literally nowhere I could put them without displacing someone else.  Were I running it like a business, I would just tell the nonfunded patients, "sorry, your spot has been taken," but obviously that isn't how we run it.

Normally I would ask for help from my manager.  However, if you have been following along, we don't have one of those.  Perhaps I could ask my charge?  Nope, she isn't back until Thursday.  So, I asked the 'charge du jour' if we could contact Candy who wants extra shifts and has clinic experience. She instead opted to ask Brandie, an on-call, who told her 'I will think about it.'  On Tuesday I followed up and was told they hadn't yet heard but that 'I shouldn't worry because surely someone from the floor would be available.'  Which means it would be wholly dependent on them being fully staffed and not being overly busy and, oh by the way, that I shouldn't expect anyone with clinical experience whatsoever.  I opted instead to screw them over.  I could not be more pleased about this.  I am so entirely, completely, and fully done with that place.  I can't wait until they are forced to move me into the position I accepted and was moved to nearly 2 months ago.

And, thankfully, it turned out to be a pretty pleasant day.  Quinn was, until his usual 6-8 foulness, quite good.  We even made it out to McMenemin's Mommy Matinee to see Ted and have some food and a drink.  It was lovely.  Quinn slept through most of the film.  We also managed to get a few other items ticked off our collective 'to do' lists and even fit in a short nap.

In the end, I don't necessarily feel good about putting the rest of the crew in a bad position, but I don't much like being put in one all the time either.  I am already doing a job that NO ONE in my department wants to do, and doing it without any support whatsoever.  I also have a few new orders for patients that I have no idea how to even go about scheduling since I know full well that the only way they can be seen is if I choose to come in early to see them and I am no longer willing to do that.  If only there was anyone in charge to ask.  If only.