May 11
May 10th - HCP
The difficulty with being at the Castle is that you’re always “on”. While you’re in the classroom, you can relax to a degree, but in the public areas you’re under the scrutiny of public guests.
I’ve spoken before about being asked the difference between “The green uniforms and the blue uniforms.” but what gets my goat is the assumption by public guests that we’re somehow an extension of the hotel staff. They tut when we have the audacity to read the newspapers in the lounge, glare at us when we convene in the bar after dinner.
One woman grabbed Kappa and Granny Chan and started describing her indigestion to them!
This week we were having coffee when an older gentleman walked past. He snorted at us.
“Don’t work too hard, now, fellers.”
I maintained a poker face and replied with my best stars-and-stripes-in-soft-focus-as-a-background tones.
“Not paid for what we do, sir. Paid for being ready to do it.”
His companion touched him on the arm.
“That’s so true…”
Midge and Stingray were nice enough to let them go round the corner before we all pissed ourselves laughing.
I could write here about challenging Midge to eat Dortios dipped in hair wax (I lost the bet) or the ascending spiral of practical jokery that is developing within the group. But that could cast us in a bad light.
And we’re Health Care Professionals, don’t you know?
May 11th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Interesting tattoo.
Bah - it’s too late for me to schedule a vacation while you are still in school. Would be a hoot to s9t in the lounge and make faces at you while you try to study. *giggle*
May 11th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Well played. I’m afraid that I would have invited him to give me something to do.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
Man Alive! The only way you get through it is to have a joke and a laugh! At the end of the day if the shit were to hit the fan and that old fella had an arrest, he couldn’t be in a better place.
My Penguin shaped pencil case was the subject of several jokes during college……… mainly when I left the room it would dissappear to turn up again hanging off a light fitting or perched somewhere dangerous (for a stuffed penguin)……… all good fun!
Best of luck next week Kal…… I’m sure you’ll be fine…… and happy to get back on the road after college?
May 12th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
[…] this, that were “Not paid for what we do. Paid for being ready to do it.” - this was taken from Trauma Queen’s blog, and it is very […]
May 13th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
[…] to Kal at Trauma Queen#mce_temp_url# Published […]
May 13th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Wait until your friends and friends of friends start coming up to you when you are off work and start asking your medical opinions on their aches and pains and other ailments.
Cheers,
RD
May 13th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Don’t you just love the stories people feel they just HAVE to share with you when they recognise you as anyone health related!!! We also have self catering chalets and the guests, knowing what I do, love to fill me in on all their health complaints..especially the vicar with the catheter! and a week ago at my nightclass - jewellery making - and in a crowded classroom, we had the grizzly details of heart surgery and bleeding bottoms…
Life will never ever be dull as long as you do what you’re doing…
May 13th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Very well said, Kal.
Sometimes when I’m on first aid duty and we’re lounging around our ambulance, we’ll have someone come over and say “Busy much?!”. To which I reply, in my best Bruce Banner intonation, “Don’t make me busy. You wouldn’t like it if we’re busy…”
May 16th, 2008 at 7:03 am
I keep trying to visualise this castle. Would it happen to be Stobo. The last time I was there I had to get carted off to hospital by two very nice ambulance people (many thanks) and ended up in intensive care later that. Being on a ventilator is not the best way to celebrate your birthday…..
May 17th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Well done to all that passed their final results and good luck when you all go into hospital training.
Yours Granny Chans Father
May 18th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
ah excellent, I gathered from Kal’s unusual silence this weekend that he’d either passed and was too estatic to blog, or not passed and too annoyed to bolg.
Well done to everyone who passed and I look forward to hearing about your future exploits.
May 18th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Kal, hi, how’d it go? been thinking and wondering…x