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I started a new job last week. While I’ll miss some things about my old job (namely the people I worked with), I think it was time to move on. I’d taken that job as my “while in school job” and for a brief moment had plans of staying with the company post college. But plans change and so I had to find something new.

So far, I’m loving the new job. I love what I do and where I work (I’ve always wanted to work in a hospital). And besides… I get to wear scrubs to work. I mean… come on… it’s like working in pajamas. And the schedule doesn’t suck too much either… I have weekends off again! I’m still adjusting to having to be there at 6:30 every morning (except today… I’m working a night shift to see what it’s like). And of course I’m still learning the ropes and getting comfortable enough to work independently. But so far, it’s great. I think I made a good choice.

I forgot what it’s like to be “the new person” somewhere. Everyone assumes you have no idea what you’re doing (which in many regards would be true I suppose). You hear things every day and think ‘what in the hell are they talking about’. And someone you’ve never met shows up every day. While some of these things are great (I just looove meeting new people sometimes), some aren’t so great. I know it’s a time thing… in time it will all make sense. I just hate the time before sense is to be had.

The other thing about being new that’s different is that I find myself not being myself. Yet, anyway. And it’s weird to me. I’d been at my old job so long that, even when new people showed up, they met me right from the beginning. I’d had time there to feel the place out and see if it was receptive to my personality. I haven’t had enough time to do that at the hospital yet. So instead, I’m playing the quiet, kinda shy, new guy part. Anyone who’s worked with me before knows I’m none of those things. Haha.

One great thing about being seen but not heard (and in some cases not really even seen) is that it lets me do the seeing. I can go about my day just watching my new co-workers… listening to them talk to one another… and getting a feel for what they’re like when they’re not showing me how things work. It’s fascinating. So far I’ve discovered I work with:

* A technician who is apparently very personal in what she wants to know about you (which I haven’t seen first-hand… I’ve only heard about it so far)

* A doctor who stunk up the nurse’s station and then watched everyone else to see if they reacted to it

* An RN who’s old enough to have grandchildren but seriously doesn’t look like she’s a day over 25. Seriously. I haven’t had the nerve to ask her age yet, but I will eventually. I’m not kidding… I thought she was my age.

* Another nurse who could quite possibly be the most bitter-looking person I’ve ever seen. I’m still trying to decide if she really is that bitter. But man… she looks pissed… all of the time.

* And last but not least, I work with psychiatric patients. Some of them are more acute than others. Some are actually quite functional and I wonder what they’re doing in a hospital. Some will never lead independent lives again.

All in all, I’m liking all the new folks I get to interact with on a daily basis. I’m not naive enough to think it will stay this way, but so far… so good. And eventually I won’t be “the new guy” anymore and my days of seeing and observing will be over. So I’m taking advantage of it while I can.