I'm blogging from the VA Medical Center in ABQ. If you didn't know ABQ = Albuquerque. This is how everyone around here abbreviates it. I suppose this makes everyone's lives easier.
If there is a polar opposite to Seattle, in terms of climate, I think we couldn't have picked a better one than ABQ. The abundance of sun and the dryness are the most obvious differences. You can see for miles here in almost any directions. The land is smooth and flat, although with picturesque mountains jutting out here and there (especially the very close Sandia Mountains). There is a lack of tall trees and buildings. The temperature this time of year varies 20 degrees in the course of a day. Because of the flatness, I forget that we are nearly a mile above sea level. Our family are all experiencing our current altitude physically, with varying symptoms of altitude sickness. It is like jet lag that goes on for a week - fatigue, flu-like symptoms, headaches, irritability. So, ABQ has been taking some getting used to.
Here at the VA things are different as well. The first few days at any new job are always an adjustment. Getting to know my way around, remembering people's names and jobs, and figuring out how things are done here are my primary tasks. Figuring out the new computer system is often a job in itself. Well, they definitely do things differently here. This is what I have been able to piece together from the last two days:
1. The computer system is older, but very stable, and very fast. Cybersecurity is a big thing here, so one has to get a lot of training on security and go through lots of hoops and passwords to access the program that one wants. The system is a little archaic - it doesn't do all the work of data-entry for you. Today, I figured out how to create my own template for office notes - this is like a computer worksheet which allows me not to have to type as much for each patient visit. I am using all sorts of skills (but mostly typing).
2. I am only scheduled to see 15 patients a day - one every half hour. This seems very light, but consider this: I have one exam room (which also serves as my office). I don't have a dedicated assistant - I just grab one that isn't busy. The patients are generally complicated, but also very appreciative and friendly.
3. It is a lot easier to get lab, radiology, and medicines as every thing is here and you can order it on the computer. A lot of the time, someone, one of the nurses presumably, has already ordered labs and the results are available as I am talking to the patient. That's nice, but strange.
As time goes by, I am hoping to learn more about this institution, if people actually enjoy working here and why, and "service-related conditions."
I was able to figure out my bus route. I was hoping it would be as simple as in Seattle, but it wasn't. It was going to involve 2 transfers and a little more than an hour to travel 10 miles. Karen and I decided to simplify things by her driving me at 7:16AM about a mile to the stop of the bus that takes me right to the door of the VA, just before 8AM. I made the walk home from the stop last night, and I had gorgeous views of the mountains colored by the sunset.
