Wait, what was I talking about again? Ok, so I get to the hospital, wow parking sucks. I cannot emphasize this enough, show up to hospital interviews early! If you're anything like me there is a 250% chance you will get lost. This hospital is huge, has many buildings, and barely any parking. It's also 11:00 so there must be tons of people in appointments or in surgeries. I park in what seems like a totally different area code but make it to the front doors of the main hospital in 5 minutes (would have been 8 without the coffee buzz, Oh say can you see...) I walk into a very nice lobby and once again don't know where I am meeting the RD. I also only know her first name, we have only talked via phone and I couldn't understand what her last name was. People, don't be afraid to ask questions and ask RD's how to pronounce/spell their last names! There is no such thing as a stupid question, you will come off serious and interested and won't look like a lost soul in the future (aka me). Make sure you know where you're going and who you're meeting. Mr. Security obviously doesn't know who I am talking about (you know when you don't know the answer or a name so you just mumble the last part? That's what I did with the RD's last name. It was kinda like, "Can you help me find Susie Mahnuminama") So I ask him were the cafeteria is. It turns out to be in the main hospital, which is another building.
I trek on in my red shoes. I follow the yellow brick road and pass the emergency room, which looks uncomfortably familiar. The first migraine I had landed me quarantined in this very ER when doctors thought I had meningitis. (I won't go too into it, but I had hydration and low blood pressure issues in high school. I definitely became my parents' most expensive child and drama case with ambulance trips, EKG's, and too many blood tests. I also had a really bad allergic reaction to Reglan, an anti-nausea drug, once and tried to rip my IV out, drama queen) Hey, this is my old stomping grounds, must be fate! I find the cafeteria without any need for hospitalization (1 point for Shan) and ask a cashier where I can find Susie. Her office ends up being a neighbor to the cafeteria. I take a deep breath (feeling a little nervous, no low blood pressure issues here) and knock on the door. She says to come in.
We introduce ourselves and she is warm and welcoming. It turns out her undergrad at Loma Linda included a DI so she is not familiar with the application process. I describe the high level of competition to her and let her know I plan on applying for Fall 2013 programs. She lets me know that she is hesitant to hire me if I leave in a year, but has a son who just graduated with a biology/chemistry degree and can relate to my situation. She is willing to create a position for me as a diet clerk per diem. (Per diem literally translates to per day. It is common for assisting positions in the medical field to be as needed.) She can't promise me too many hours, but her two current staff members may be decreasing theirs in the near future.
She asks me if I have had any other interviews, and I tell her where my previous one was. She thinks it's great they have more hours to offer me, but thinks I can get paid more and use better technology at her facility. She explains that their diet clerks input everything quickly with a computer system. She emphasizes that if I worked for her, I would have to be quick, accurate, and very personable with patients. She explains that their customer service with patients is exceptionally high, usually rated with 9's and 10's. I would only spend 3-5 minutes with each patient, but in that short time frame would have to be friendly and impressionable. If hired I would be responsible for seeing 30 patients a day and getting all of their meal orders input correctly by 9:30. Not 9:31, 9:30. I was immediately impressed with her focus on high quality and timely customer service. I was also a little intimidated, which I think is good. I want a job that challenges me and kicks my butt.
She puts me on the phone with her HR/training guy. He says they can definitely pay me what she promised. She also mentions to him their current diet technician may be retiring soon. She lets me talk to him on the phone, and he says I can meet him in two hours to start paperwork.
Wow. Now I have to decide which job is better. And I think I have about 30 seconds to decide if we should start my paperwork process. Physicals and paperwork cost the hospital money, so I must be serious and committed. The first job can offer more hours. This job can't offer many hours when I start, but has potential for higher quality training and a variety of positions (diet clerk, desk work, kitchen work). My gut is telling me this hospital is for me. The back of my mind is reminding me the other hospital is a safer choice since it has more hours. I go with my gut. I'm seriously impressed by this RD and that she has created a position for me on her team. I also like the high value they put on customer service.
I tell them to start the paperwork process. I leave and my mind is blown. I think I accepted two jobs? Uh oh. I like this one more, I hope I made the right choice. Do I have both jobs? I don't know. They both started the paperwork process, but nothing is official. I also have a physical scheduled in a couple of days for the other hospital. Overwhelmed confusion, but a good kind of "I'm overly employed but finally putting my degree to use" confusion.
Little did I know this meant more driving, signing my life away, and blood tests. I have a history of passing out when I get my blood drawn. Such a medical drama queen, I know. Stay tuned and learn that you're not supposed to flush a toilet or wash your hands after a drug test...
Image taken from http://www.coffeebean.com/
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