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ladyspriteFor the past few months, I've been working the 12pm-8pm shift on Mondays at one particular clinic.
This is, quite possibly, the platonic ideal of the Bad Shift. Coming in at noon means I'm getting there right as the morning rush is coming to a peak. Surgeries are still going on, any sick animal that was seen during the morning is starting to get worked up, and the morning doctor's office visits are usually still in progress as my afternoon appointments start.
And because it's Monday, it's busy. Everything that went wrong over the weekend needs to be seen RIGHT NOW. As the day goes on, it just gets worse, peaking around 5-7pm. As soon as everyone gets home from work, they want to be seen. And since Monday is also our only late night, the schedule fills up in advance. On top of this, most of the staff goes home at 5pm, leaving me with a skeleton crew to handle the onrush of sick animals, people picking up medicine or taking home animals that were here for surgery, and phone calls.
However, because the staff here is amazing, and because apparently the universe has decided that I need a little bit of a break every once in a while, there is a Monday Night Blessing to go with the Monday Night Curse, for those of us who soldier through to the end of the night. For the past 5 or 6 weeks, my last appointment on Mondays has always managed to be New Puppy Vaccines.
New puppies are, as far as I can tell, the best thing about being a veterinarian. They're always cute and happy and sweet and fun, and the clients are almost always delighted to have such a wonderful little bundle of love in their lives, and it's a chance to teach, and help - appointments like that are always delightful. But coming at the end of a long, hectic, busy, awkward, frustrating day.... it's the light at the end of the tunnel that reminds me why I do this.
No matter how bad it may get sometimes, I really do love my job....
This is, quite possibly, the platonic ideal of the Bad Shift. Coming in at noon means I'm getting there right as the morning rush is coming to a peak. Surgeries are still going on, any sick animal that was seen during the morning is starting to get worked up, and the morning doctor's office visits are usually still in progress as my afternoon appointments start.
And because it's Monday, it's busy. Everything that went wrong over the weekend needs to be seen RIGHT NOW. As the day goes on, it just gets worse, peaking around 5-7pm. As soon as everyone gets home from work, they want to be seen. And since Monday is also our only late night, the schedule fills up in advance. On top of this, most of the staff goes home at 5pm, leaving me with a skeleton crew to handle the onrush of sick animals, people picking up medicine or taking home animals that were here for surgery, and phone calls.
However, because the staff here is amazing, and because apparently the universe has decided that I need a little bit of a break every once in a while, there is a Monday Night Blessing to go with the Monday Night Curse, for those of us who soldier through to the end of the night. For the past 5 or 6 weeks, my last appointment on Mondays has always managed to be New Puppy Vaccines.
New puppies are, as far as I can tell, the best thing about being a veterinarian. They're always cute and happy and sweet and fun, and the clients are almost always delighted to have such a wonderful little bundle of love in their lives, and it's a chance to teach, and help - appointments like that are always delightful. But coming at the end of a long, hectic, busy, awkward, frustrating day.... it's the light at the end of the tunnel that reminds me why I do this.
No matter how bad it may get sometimes, I really do love my job....
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Date: 2008-09-23 12:08 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2008-09-23 05:57 pm (UTC)