It’s been about a week and a half since I last worked at ECHC. My current duties have involved cleaning and fixing our house and learning the rhythm and routine of homeschooling our children. Homeschooling has been fun, but also a challenge as I figure out how to juggle the requirements and personalities of the two kids. But it is always amazing to see what concepts they can handle. I have started teaching Natalie some Spanish, so that she can now tell time in Spanish. Oliver just picked up the basic rules and strategies of “Chest”(chess), but prefers his own variation where pawns can jump like checkers pieces.
Back to ECHC. I have to say I miss my little routine in the Eastside. I miss getting up to take the bus. I miss the occasional day of being able to see the mountains on the way to work. I miss my tiny little clinic and the walking path, shops, and restaurants of Redmond. I even miss my tiny little work area and computer, where I would handle my flow of tasks and chat with my friends while drinking really good coffee (for an office). In fact, there is not much that I do not miss about my experience at ECHC in Redmond.
From Day 1 (actually Day 3, after my orientation to computers), I could tell working here would be a new challenge. I had never worked in such cramped quarters. I usually had my own office to retire to since residency. A place to escape the hubbub and handle the workflow in private. At ECHC, I worked in a workroom which I shared with the average of 8 others. But in the cyberworld, you don’t need a lot of physical space. Also when got really busy and in a groove, it got so that I didn’t even miss it.
How did computers affect my practice of medicine? Overall it was a timesaver. I did add some conveniences, such as ease of writing and faxing prescriptions. But you were also tied to a computer terminal most of the day. Some days I felt like a data entry technician. Some days I really appreciated having this tool to access medical information with ease for medical decision making. So maybe the utility of computers in the exam room depends more on the user and the user’s frame of mind. And of course, there were the days that power failed or the whole system crashed – we still managed to survive and help people at the same time.
I really enjoyed the variety of cultures and ethnicities I came in contact with at ECHC, among my coworker and my patients. I progressed rapidly with confidence in my Spanish. I especially enjoyed all the different type of foods we had at our potlucks.
I would have like to learn more how every one functioned at ECHC. I got to know just about everyone(which was about 25 people), but I was still a little fuzzy on some of the roles people played. I was definitely confused about how the whole organization operated and why some functions (such as scheduling and answering phone calls) were handled off site. I also wish I had more time to glean wisdom off of our naturopathic physician, Dr. Chris Krumm.
Well, we are getting prepared for Albuquerque. Until then, I leave you with at new album of our Return Trip/Back Home. This features our stay in the Gaylord Opry Hotel in Nashville, and wild turkeys in our back yard, among others.
