I survived!

I love my new job!!!

It's been really different from SFM but so far I really like it. I like the people and the bosses and the fact that it's fast paced.

The weirdest part for me is that the charts at my old office were alphabetical and the charts at the new place are numerical. Rather than have the first three letters of the last name stickered on the chart, there is a 6-digit medical record number. The first three numbers of that 6-digit number are stickered on the chart and they are not read from top to bottom or bottom to top. They are read middle, bottom, top. It is the last two numbers and the 4th to the last number. So if the record number is 071473, the stickers will be (from top to bottom) 173. The 4 isn't included. And then above those three numbers there are stickers reading 07, 14 and 73. I know, totally confusing. It took me three or four tries before I figured it out but today I was pulling charts left and right. The doctors come into medical records to do what's called peer review and we have to have the charts pulled. There can be anywhere from 5 to 40 charts on an average pull list. (Apparently one day last week there was a doctor with over 80.) I pulled 6 different lists today, so that was cool.

I've been learning my way around the hospital, too. I knew the first floor fairly well (cafeteria, gift shop, elevators, HR, med records, etc.) but I didn't really know where anything else was. Monday we delivered charts a couple of times to the ER and today Barbara (the woman training me) sent me down there alone and I remembered which door it is, which counter to deliver to... Then this morning we made one trip to the Cath Lab and this afternoon she sent me there again and I remembered that, too. I was kind of proud of myself for that. I don't know if I could remember how to get to the physician's lounge (very confusing to get there), but I think I could make it to the heart center on my own.

Today was Boss's Day and there was a gigantic spread of food on our counter. I was thrilled because I haven't had food in my fridge all week (and I'm BROKE because of a stupid car loan issue) so I had fruit and cheese and meatballs instead of the pitiful lunch I packed. Tonight I cooked a couple of different things so I can have leftovers for the rest of the week.

Barbara told me that tomorrow she'll teach me how to track where charts go (they use scanners to check them in and out) so that I can fully pull lists on my own. I'm able to pull from the shelves, but if they aren't there then someone else has to track them down. She said they might also start me on phones (yikes!). I'm really happy with the information I've retained in two days and I think tomorrow I'll take a little notebook so I can take notes on navigating the computer system.

I've missed blogging during the day! I know this post is kind of choppy - sorry. I have a lot to catch up on and this getting up at 5:30 is kicking my butt.

I want to post about the Barn Party and my anniversary weekend, but right now I need to go get my laundry and crawl into bed. Hopefully tomorrow!

Oh, and Barbara and Steve know each other and I work with a woman named Cinnamon.