July 12, 2003
10:25 p.m.

You know, I have got to learn to trust my instincts. I also have to learn to stand up for my instincts. A dog could have died today because I simply backed down.

When I took Kathy's old position, we hired a sixteen-year-old girl named Amy. Now, for being sixteen, she is actually pretty immature�or, maybe I have just met unusual sixteen-year-olds. She was hired mainly to do the kennel and barn duties, which, in the scheme of things aren't too difficult. Well, Dr. Fuller decided that we should teach Amy tech duties, so, she would possibly be able to move up in the future. I was a little uneasy about this, simply because she was so immature, and the stuff we do can be a life or death thing. She also doesn't listen. Everyday, when she comes in, she lets the dogs out and feeds them. Then, she does it again at around five. Well, the dogs don't need to be fed three times a day, and, as many times as we have told her not to do it, the next day, she does it again. If you try and teach her something, two seconds into your explanation, her eyes are wondering, and she gets a blank look on her face. She wants to do all the "cool" stuff, but isn't willing to learn all the "dull" stuff that goes along with it. She has just enough arrogance to get a dog killed.

Then, there is Jody, which, for her part, does a pretty good job. This is just a job to her, not a passion. She basically comes in, and cleans. She doesn't really want to have a part in the animal care, and is just as content scrubbing the counters. Because of this, we haven't spent a great deal of time teaching her anything. She knows the simple stuff, like how to check patients into a room, and draw up shots, but she doesn't know how to do too much of the critical care stuff.

So, anyway, back to today. Jody just moved out on her own, and was wanting to make some extra money by working the tech position this weekend. Amy had already signed up to do the kennels. So, that meant it would be Amy and Jody working alone with two doctors. I kind of felt a little uneasy about this, considering that neither one of them really had a firm grasp on what was going on at the clinic. Yesterday, I went up to Dr. Fuller, and asked him if Jody should be allowed to tech, or, if I should just come in. Dr. Fuller got a little upset, telling me that he thought that they could handle it, or they wouldn't be working there. I kind of questioned him again, saying I wasn't too sure, and he got snippy, so I just shrugged and gave up. I told Carol, the receptionist, that if things weren't getting done in the morning, to give me a call, and I would come in.

So, this morning, at eight o'clock, the phone rang. Now, Jody and Amy were supposed to be a the clinic by seven thirty. Well, when Carol had pulled up at about eight, Jody had been sitting outside because she didn't have her key, and Amy was nowhere to be found. So, I got up, and got dressed, and went into work. When I got there, Amy was in the back doing the kennels, having arrived at almost eight thirty, and Jody told me the ICU area was complete. I was thinking, well, good, maybe I can go home then. About that time, Jody goes, 'oh, by the way, when giving insulin, you use these syringes, right?' I felt that sinking feeling in my stomach as I realized that she was pointing at the wrong syringes. 'no�' I said, and asked exactly how much insulin she had given the little dog.

The dog was supposed to get five units of insulin, which is a very small amount, close to 1/20 of a cc. Well, Jody points to the five on the syringe, meaning the dog actually got � cc of insulin. I kind of look at Jody, and told her to call Dr. C immediately. Dr. C came in, and we got a catheter in the dog, and started him on a Dextrose drip. Dextrose is basically sugar water, so by giving that, we were hoping to keep the glucose up. Should his glucose level get too low, the dog could easily begin to seize, and, even die.

Dr. Lee, who is normally so laid back, and just takes everything in stride, was pretty angry at Dr. Fuller for allowing Amy and Jody to be put in a position to endanger animals. She was also angry that Jody had done something she didn't know how to do without asking anyone. And, she was upset that Amy had been so neglectful of her job, and had showed up an hour late. She looked at Jody and Amy, and told them to busy themselves with cleaning. I then ran back and forth between the two doctors, while Jody and Amy made the clinic spotless. After Dr. Lee had calmed down a bit, she began letting Jody and Amy do simple things, while keeping a watchful eye on them.

Luckily, it seems the dog will be okay, we've managed to keep his glucose up all day, and he was doing well when I left. The only problem is, Amy is doing evening treatments tonight, and morning treatments tomorrow. I am somewhat uncomfortable with that, considering, as I tried to explain IV's to her, her eyes roamed the ceiling. Things have got to change.

This isn't the only thing that has been awry with Amy and Jody. Mostly, it's little things, like, not taking trash out, which ended in cat litter all over my nice clean floor when the bag ripped. A couple of times, dogs have not been fed like they were supposed to, or a cage being left uncleaned. I don't know, we'll see.

Okay, now that I have gotten the day's vent off my chest, I feel much better. Dr. C has been in a super bad mood this week for reasons unknown. It got to the point where she was being so ridiculous that I didn't really know whether or not to burst out into laughter�or tears. She would go stomping through the clinic, throwing things, and slamming things down. At some points, she was being such a baby about things, that it took every ounce of control I had to not bust out laughing at how crazy it was. Somehow, however, I don't think it would have done anything to improve her mood. What was interesting, was that one minute, she would be super crazed bitch, and the next, she would be smiling and laughing. I kind of just gave her space, and tried to make the day run as smoothly as possible. I hope next week is better, because, another week of crazy Dr. C is going to put me over the edge.

I went to visit my grandmother in the nursing home today, and suddenly got really depressed. Just seeing how unhappy she is, and how much she misses my grandfather, it just all hit me at once. Sometimes, I still can't believe he really is gone. It's like, each day, it hits me anew, and, I know it must be hell for my grandmother. Not being able to verbalize the pain that she is feeling. I stayed with her tonight until she fell asleep, just wishing I could ease her pain.

My dog, Piper, is now nudging me quite impatiently, wishing to be let out, so I am going to go and do that, and then head off to bed. Kelly and I have a "Fun Weekend Dammit?" planned tomorrow. Basically, Kelly decided that she was going to have a fun weekend no matter what, and I thought it was an excellent idea, so I joined in. I pretty much blew my Saturday, but, tomorrow will be fun�dammit! ;)



<-//->

New Older Notes E-mail Rings Host Vote Wishlist