Tribute to Transfusion

There's a lot of things that have been hard about saying goodbye to Utah, and one of the biggest reasons (aside from friends and family) that Mike has had to drag me (kicking and screaming) to Arizona is because I've had to leave the best job, and the greatest co-workers I've ever had.

A little over a year ago, we'd just moved up to Salt Lake from Provo, we were brand new parents, and Mike was still working down in Spanish Fork until I could find a job. I was scared to go back to work, unsure of how I was going to balance a job with the demands of being a mom. I saw the job opening in Transfusion (my favorite subject in school) and I thought to myself, "Man! I'm really not qualified for the job, but what the heck, I might as well try!" I remember the job interview was the most terrifying one I've ever had. Before I went in and talked to anyone, I had to fill out a quiz, prioritizing 10 different situations that could occur in the blood bank and then I had to justify my reasoning for ordering them that way. I almost threw my hands up in the air and gave up. A quiz before an interview? Who does that? I realize the value of it now, but it was very scary at the time. I had turned down several different jobs, trying to find the "perfect" one that would fit the needs of our family. And when I was extended the position in Transfusion, I was ecstatic!

Right away, I knew that I had landed an awesome job! I had the most wonderful trainer who taught me everything I'd forgotten from school, and helped me become a more confident tech. And the people I worked with on my shift could not have been more welcoming.

There's pros and cons to every job. Let's start with the cons, to get them out of the way.

Things I won't miss (and sorry, some of these might only make sense to my co-workers):

• Vocera - sorry phlebotomy... I couldn't understand a thing you said.
• "Our tube is beeping but no one called with a security code." Yes we did. We always do.
• Incorrectly labeled tubes
• Safetrace (our computer system) causing problems at really inopportune times.
• A certain hospital (which shall remain unnamed) lying about their inventory so they don't have to give up their AB platelets to save a baby's life.
• Having the saline run out right in the middle of washing your cells.
• Prenatals - ok, ok... they weren't always that bad. But when they were bad, THEY WERE BAD! 5 antibodies, 3 titers, an elution... all in one shift? Nope. Won't miss that very much.
• The exhaust fumes from Life Flight seeping into our lab.

Things I WILL miss:

• My co-workers - they really weren't just co-workers, they were friends.
• Antibody workups - using my mad detective skills to discover different antibodies people had made. Like the guy who looked like he had a warm-auto, and did have one, but had also made like 4 other underlying antibodies and it took me about 9 hours to finish his work up. Very satisfying at the end of it all.
• Trauma Ones: I never thought I'd say this, but by the end, I actually enjoyed going up on traumas. The very first trauma I went up on was a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head, and they came in doing chest compressions on her and needless to say, she didn't make it. I thought, "If they're all like this... man... what have I gotten myself into?" But they weren't all that bad. I enjoyed feeling like a part of the Trauma Team.
• The days we would all bring in foods that started with a different letter of the alphabet. And then having so much food it would last us the entire weekend.
• "Faxing things up" - Emily :)
• MTPs: Mass Transfusion Protocol. I know, I know... it's a weird thing to miss, but if and when the patient survived, it sure gave you a good feeling inside knowing that you helped save a life.
• Baby aliquots - something to break up the monotony of the regular type and screens.

Some of my favorite Trauma moments:

• A gun shot wound to the arm. The funny part was that he'd been seen in the ER a week earlier for a gun shot wound to the head. Some people have horrible luck.
• The rock climber who fell off a cliff and came in perfectly fine. He got himself off the gurney and on to the bed himself and was incredibly embarrassed that 2o+ people had been called to the trauma bay to fuss over him when he was fine.
• The guy who had been stabbed in the chest and refused to get off the stretcher until he could smoke. Trauma Doc: "Sir, you have a hole in your chest." Patient: "I don't care. I need a smoke." And he was wearing a fanny pack, which also made me smile.
• The gun shot wound that turned into an MTP where the OR orderlies were coming down every 2 minutes for a new MTP pack. The plasma wasn't thawing fast enough, so Emily H. was throwing half-thawed plasma at the orderlies and ordering them to break up the ice chunks. It was awesome.
• Emily B. stuck up in the ER because they'd put a tongue in our blood cooler.

And now here's a few pictures of my co-workers. I missed a few of them, but here's the majority:

Me & Stuart (pulling teeth is easier than getting this guy in a picture!)

Jason & Hugh - Jason said he's making that face cause he's sad I'm leaving. Or maybe it's because we had to throw that blood away.

Me & Audrey (who's having a baby in 3 months!)

My Going-Away Party

Best party EVER: they brought foods that started with the letters in my name. I especially like that L stands for "Layered dip, seven".

John, Emily, Becky, & Lisa - who have been really awesome supervisors & mentors

Maryanne! I'll miss hearing about ghost stories and Sir Winslow!

Amy (who stopped by just to say goodbye my last night, so sweet!)

Nancy! (Don't worry Nancy, I'll show Ellie your picture so she won't cry when she sees you next.)

Jana! (I'm glad she came back from maternity leave so I could see her again!)

Lauren - "It's 3 o'clock!" I'll miss the crazy faces you made at me across the bench.

Lauren & Emily - There was probably 80's music playing in the background, cause that's the way Emily H. and I roll!

Bryant & Emily - the night crew! I'll miss the laughs, you guys! And if I'm ever stuck on Sporcle quizzes, I'll probably have to call you.

And this was my view of the hospital on my last night. That bottom row of really bright lights are the Trauma Bays, and the next floor up was the Cafeteria. I always wondered what people in the Cafeteria would think if they knew what was going on right below their feet. Lose their appetite?

And as promised, here's some more pictures of my co-workers in a better setting (The Melting Pot - yum!), where we're wearing nice clothes instead of scrubs and lab coats.
There. The ramblings of an unemployed stay-at-home Mom. As much as I'm THRILLED to be able to stay home with Ellie for awhile, it's still hard to say goodbye. Thanks for the good times IMC Transfusion!