Welcome to My Hospital

It's always a rush to walk the block over from where I park my car to the hospital entrance. Being that my punctuality [cough, or lack thereof] gets me at my desk at 8:00 every morning, I am always in a rush, half winded when I walk the 9 flights up the steps because nothing is slower than waiting on an elevator.

So in my rush every morning I have come to make some conclusions about the area I work in.

The wind whistles through the spaces between the cars as they pile into their slots, which of course are few and far between even at 7:45. That early in the morning there are workers trimming bushes and mowing lawns. As you walk between those buildings you smell the cut grass and the small wildflowers sprouting up between the cracks of the sidewalk.

As you approach the entrance to the hospital, even before 8 am, men with walkers and wheelchairs line up on the balcony gripping tightly to their cigarettes leaving a scent of smoke wafting through the air.

Getting through the lobby where patients wait for their prescriptions is an ordeal. Stagnant and hot humid air circles around the lobby and conversations mix and muddle with the television shows that play while patients wait.

People move quickly, slowly, some without any specific location in mind, others wait for someone to wheel them to their next donation. I weave in and out between people to make my way to the stairwell nearest my office door. Construction workers scoop, tinker, and build to create a new wing on the hospital.

By the time I reach my floor I am out of breath and the nape of my neck is damp with sweat. And that's just the beginning...

Do note:
1. If you are a woman you will be hit on - can I get your number? You're 74, no!
2. No one will agree on the food.
3. You're bound to do inpatient, outpatient, and any other little thing...in one day
4. Expect anything, you'll work hard and see a lot of different things.
5. Prepare to write and be ULTRA prepared for any work in the country.