Thursday, 1 August 2013

Chapter 1 : Jean, queen of paper work


I enjoyed almost everything about my job. I liked looking after the patients, doing the medication and conducting staff meetings. In fact I liked my entire job apart from one thing and that was paper work, unfortunately it was inevitable. Patient’s actions needed recording, observations and assessment’s where constant and let’s face it… I was hopelessly behind. So reluctantly I had set aside nearly my entire shift to do the backlog of my paperwork.

“You really should take a break pumpkin, doing that to long with turn your brain to peanut butter,” Jean smiled as I tapped my pen to the side of my temple trying to take in reams and reams of information on the patients. It wasn’t that the patients where boring, I enjoyed conversations and support times with them and their stories where nearly all remarkable if not heart breaking but paper wasn’t something to get into. It was all just lists of medication and diagnosis and possible diagnosis. There was nothing passionate about a sheet of plain white A4.

“Arughhh!” I growled to myself and jean as I came across another page about the pros and cons of SSRI’S compared to SNRI’S and Trycyclic anti-depressants. “It wouldn’t be so boring if I didn’t already know it all anyway. It also wouldn’t be so frustrating if I didn’t know full well why Rebecca shouldn’t be on SSRI’s which is the exact thing the doctor has prescribed again.”

“Rebecca and SSRI’S, I’ll get the vomit bowls ready,” Jean smiled before rolling her eyes and going back to typing alarmingly fast on one of the unit’s old wheezing laptops that couldn’t keep up with her. “Seriously though Emmet, go and mingle with people. I think Rebecca was looking for you a while ago anyway. You’re not meant for all of this admin crap. Once I’m done here I will run for your pile see if there is anything that I can do.”

“You know that you are a complete star right Jean. I would marry you instantly if I wasn’t already spoken for. I got to my feet and stretched out my bones to their full height before wondering over to jean and placing my hands on her shoulders.” I am sure that that this unit would pretty much just fall apart without you.”


“Stop creeping Emmet. I already said I would do your paper work, now go before I change my mind”

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