VA Orientation

Well today was my first VA rotation. Although it was only orientation and we were able to leave earlier than 4:30, i still felt like we had a long day! Me, Melissa, Crystal, Kels and Rachelle carpooled down. The good times started bright and early at 6: (freakin) 45!! Well, i shouldn't say bright because the sun sure wasn't shining at that time of day! The laughs started shortly after 6:45 as we piled in and made our way to SL. I don't think i could ever be a commuter full time. We hit traffic 1/4 mile after we started driving...there was already a car accident on the road. Probably because someone was still sleeping and trying to drive at the same time. Anywho, the drive was ok...i guess i can do it once a week. I'm in good company so that makes it bearable. We got to the VA and it smelled...like a hospital so that will take some getting used to. Prof. Bossenberger-James greeted us with a smile. I am excited to work with her and have her help us. I've always actually been intimidated by her because it was her signature on the regret letter saying "sorry you didn't get into hygiene" on my previous application. So, up until this point I've never really had a chance to get to know her so i think this will be a good opportunity. Today was fun (as it can be) and she seems really sweet!

Paperwork and fingerprints took up the first couple hours. Professor Bossenberger-James (from now on it's "PBJ" so i don't have to type that) knows that VA campus like the back of her hand! She was taking us everywhere and telling us stories about all the bulidings and pt's and underground tunnels. She is quite the popular lady down there. She was saying hi to all the workers and patients she knows! The funniest thing was getting our pics taken for our ID badges. It was so funny to watch melissa try not to look at the computer while her pic was being taken...and RETAKEN like 8 times! So, lunch was the highlight of the day for me (as food usually is)! i packed pbj for lunch...ha ha...not our professor! We walked through the underground tunnels to get to the cafeteria. We almost got ran over in that skinny hallway by a crazy old man driving this big motorized cart. He had us backed right into the corner. It brought back flashbacks from about 20 minutes earlier when this cute old man almost backed right over us off the elevator in his motorized wheelchair!! We thought that was just a trick to take some girls' legs out so they fall into his lap! ha ha!

After lunch we learned the computers and got all our top-security codes. They were doing free flu shots today at the VA so we went to get those. I am a total chicken when it comes to stuff like that. Anyway, melissa talked me into it and i got shot up by this cutest old lady nurse. She did a good job--on me! It didn't hurt too bad, but maybe cuz the sucker and bandaid took the pain away! So, of course we had to take a picture of our flu-shot bandaided arms! Aren't we cute?! So, i'm a little nervous to really start seeing pts there next week. I don't know if i'm ready....but hey, ready or not---here we come!!