The Heart Clinic

Per Petunia's request, I decided to do a post about my volunteering at the hospital. Sadly, I don't do anything all that exciting. When I signed up to volunteer, I pictured myself interacting with patients. I imagined pushing wheelchairs, delivering flowers, and bringing smiles to the faces of poor hospital bound people. When I got my assignment, I found myself assigned to the Heart Failure Clinic.

When I come flying into the heart clinic on Wednesday afternoons around 3:15, I'm usually apologizing for being late...again. I grab the coffee pots and dump the excess coffee into the sink after I greet Lauren and Mary, the secretaries. The heart clinic deals with about 30 bazillion patients, each with charts that go in hanging files in filing cabinents. My next job is to file all the charts the nurses have used during the day. There are usually a TON of 'em out, despite efforts by Lauren and Mary to keep up with them during the day. After I do that I go to the off the list pile, which consists of a whooooooole bunch of faxes concerning individual patients. Each fax needs the chart pulled for its patient. After doing this I need to pull the charts for the clinic appointments for the next day. It's imperative that these charts be pulled, as the appointment can't be conducted without that patient's chart. I've spent more than one afternoon tearing the office apart, searching for the dang chart!! Once all this is done and I've contemplated harming the person who invented patient charts several times, I usually have about fifteen minutes or so until 5, when I leave. This time is spent doing some tidying up. I rearrange magazines, water plants, and shred papers as necessary. When my ride comes I leave, content that I've done my help for the day.

The heart clinic's redeeming quality is the people that work in it. Lauren and Mary, the secretaries, do an awesome job dealing with the 30 bazillion patients, doctors, RN's, and nurse practitioners that all demand their attention...normally all at the same time. If I have a question, they are always willing to help me out. The nurses are all awesome. Some have the habit of talking to themselves. It always makes me laugh when they look up and see me, quietly filing charts, and start apologizing. I rarely see the doctors, but when I do they always take time to ask me how I am and thank me for my work. I love how its kind of like a big family there. As an example, right before banquet I was telling Lauren and Mary about my dress. The next thing I know I'm promising to bring it in so they can see it. So I come in the next week with my dress and start to take the wrapper off so they can see it. Oh no, this isn't good enough for these two, they have to see it ON me!! Off I go into the bathroom to put it on so I can model for them. By the time I come out the entire office is waiting to see how I look!! It was a tad embarrassing to hear them all cooing over me, but at the same time it was like wow, these people are awesome!! Its moments like that when I'm GLAD I ended up in the heart clinic!!