Back to Work

I decided, when I started this project, that I would write much about work.  This line of work requires confidence, so there is not much to write about freely.  There is also the security issue.  We’re not supposed to talk much about rules and regulations and processes. So, don't read this looking for great mental health or U.S. insights.

But, after months and months of preparation and training in all things Foreign Service, I saw my first several patients today.

I was worried that I would forget a lot clinically, but it came back quickly.  It was nice to be able to get back into the swing of things.

I’ll tell you what I wasn’t doing, though.  I wasn’t clicking on a computer screen while a patient was in the room.  

Maybe you’ve seen this?  You sit in a doctor’s office and their nose is in a screen or in a tablet and their hand is on a mouse.  Clickety-clickety-tap.  I know often I was like that.  Just drove me crazy. I’d become a data-entry specialist.

And you couldn’t wait until the patient left, because the next patient was waiting.  Or you could wait until the end of the day, but I couldn’t remember things that long.  It was so much more fulfilling to establish a connection with someone without an electronic barrier.

So, that is what it was like for me. For the first time in a while, it felt really good.