Location: CMMC Trauma Center -> Doctor's Lounge
At the starting of the week
At summit talks you'll hear them speak
It's only Monday
Negotiations breaking down
See those leaders start to frown
Today was a big day for the Caduceus Mercy Medical Center. It was the day that all the new interns would start, and that meant that those like Dr. Sarah Rossi would be teaching for the very first time in her career. Freshly hired as the Head Attending Surgeon of the CMMC Trauma Center, she didn't have the luxury of being able to enjoy a nice break-in period. From day one, it was back-to-back surgeries treating various injuries. From repairing a partial amputation of a leg, to reversing the effects of an evisceration caused by a severe traffic accident. Needless to say, her time at the CMMC had been very busy.
And today, today she would be getting her first batch of interns. She didn't know who, but eventually the Chief of Surgery himself would come by and assign them their very first group. It was a nerve-wracking experience for the surgeon, but she figured she would be able to handle it. How hard could it be to teach a group of interns fresh out of medical school? This was a prestigious hospital, and thus only the cream of the crop would be here. At least, that's what Sarah hoped would happen.
Currently, the surgeon was standing in Trauma Bay One with a chart, writing down some details on a minor case. This was not something that warranted the use of her skills and time, but nobody else was open to issue the correct details, so she might as well had done it. It was a slow day so far. There was a man who was complaining of severe abdominal pain, and after a few minutes of discussion and diagnosing, it was determined that he had an inflamed appendix, otherwise known as appendicitis. Sarah looked over at the chart and then back at the patient, before calling a nurse over.
"Prep Mr. West for an laparoscopic appendectomy in OR 2 right away, make sure his BP and O2 sats stay stable until the OR opens. If anything happens before he gets to OR 2, page me.
Sarah finished up some details on his charts before handing it off to the nurse, who started preparations immediately. Walking out of the trauma bay, the Chief of Surgery found her, holding a plain, manila colored folder with her name on it. As she was walking, the Chief of Surgery caught up to her and matched her pace.
"Hey there, Dr. Rossi. I've got your intern assignments today. You might want to take a look at them real carefully. I'm trying something right now. I hope you'll accommodate your interns."
The Chief of Surgery was a well-respected man in the medical community across the country. He was chosen as the chief for a very good reason, and his presence here made the hospital so much better. Not to mention, he had a reputation among the doctors of the hospital. Apparently, everyone called him "McDreamy", he didn't know why nor did he care. After the files were handed off to Sarah, the Chief took off somewhere to attend to other chiefly duties.
Finding her way to somewhere she could sit, Sarah quickly took her seat and cracked the file open. Immediately, she was happy to see what she got. This Michael Castle guy caught her eye. His credentials were good. Straight out of Yale, the medical school was nice too. But, Sarah was looking to see his chops in the operating room. It wasn't going to be like medical school. The patients were real living people with a whole backstory to them. They weren't cadavers or cases in a textbook. Sarah hoped that he had the chops to make it in this environment.
Another guy, Dean Liu, he was also an awesome candidate. Identical background to Michael from undergraduate and up. Sarah immediately made the connection that they were probably very close to each other if they were both at this hospital. She made a mental note to make sure their hijinks would be kept to a minimum. There was no room for memes in the operating room. Rifling through the other interns she would be fielding today, she eventually closed up her files and made her way to the lounge, where the interns would be waiting to be received by their attending.
It was a couple floors above, so it was going to be a while. What was she going to say to them? Would they be able to tell that she's new to all of this teaching stuff? What if they didn't respect her? Sarah sighed and walked at a brisk pace down the busy hallways of the CMMC. You couldn't go five feet without passing a nurse or a doctor. If you were lucky enough, you would encounter the CMMC's famed janitor. Many people had many stories to tell about this elusive janitor. Most didn't see him, but if you did, you were in for an experience.
Taking the elevator up, she encountered a fellow doctor. Dr. Tiffany Archer of the Sports Medicine Clinic. It was odd seeing her here, considering she practically lived in the clinic, which was on the other side of the hospital. The two exchanged a brief, but formal greeting, before initiating the inevitable conversation.
"You got any interns today, Dr. Archer?"
"Yeah. I got some guys out of Harvard, Stanford, UC San Francisco, and whatnot. Lot of firepower in this year's class. What about you?"
"Yeah. I've got a couple of guys too. Both from Yale, both from the same freaking medical school. It's going to be lovely."
"Boy. That sounds really familiar. I can't remember from where though."
"Me either. By the way, where can I find those minty scrubs? They just shipped them in and I can't find them."
"Don't worry, Dr. Rossi. I'll help you out."
Dr. Archer winked, before the elevator arrived at its destination. The two walked together toward the doctor's lounge, before the two pulled aside somewhere momentarily. Sarah was feeling uneasy. But who wouldn't? It was her very first day being an actual teacher. Of course she was going to have her reservations. After all, she went to school to be a surgeon, not a teacher. She was a very well-paid teacher, though.
"Damn it, Tiff. I'm nervous, dude."
"Well then, don't be. Simple as that."
Sarah shrugged and sighed, "Well, if you say so." She walked out of wherever it was they pulled into, and into the doctor's lounge they went. Tiffany's interns weren't due here yet, so the only interns here were Sarah's. She cleared her throat, "Michael Castle? Dean Liu? Sarah called out the rest of the interns, who stood when they were called. It was like the first day of class all over again. Tiffany was at the side, making herself some coffee as she watched Sarah do her thing.
"My name's Dr. Sarah Rossi, and I'll be the attending watching over you interns for the time being. Now, before I let you people get a taste of the real thing, we have to establish some ground rules first. Rule number one, don't mess around, it's the real world, people."
Sarah glanced at a couple of interns she was trying to address before continuing,
"Rule number two, when I move, you move. It's crucial that you don't stand around doing nothing. If you don't have anything to do, find something. Don't make me give you something to do.
Rule number three, if someone pages you, you go. It doesn't matter who, when, what you're doing, or why. When that thing rings, you go.
And finally, rule number four. For the love of god, if you think you're going to kill someone or someone is about to die, page me. Don't page me for anything else. Got it? Any questions?"
Sarah took what was about three seconds before closing the questioning period. "None? Good. Any other questions you have will be answered eventually. Let's go, people."