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Before I start, I want to reiterate a few things: 1) So far all of my coworkers and supervisors have proven themselves to be competent, compassionate, highly intelligent, and extremely nice. 2) The quality of mental health care delivered at the San Diego VA is excellent. 3) I am very happy to have matched to this internship, as I believe I am learning a lot, and really like the general philosophy of training here.
So, keeping all that in mind, I have some gripes. I am currently sitting in an office to which I have no key, illegally logged on to a computer, not seeing a client, and thus having very little to do. Why? Well.
Three weeks is just long enough for a key to be ordered and delivered (yay!), but that doesn't mean you'll get the right key (boo). And for confusing reasons, no one on the scheduling side of things seems to know I'm here today. My intake timeslot was administratively cancelled, so no client was scheduled. Which is a shame, because there are clients who are scheduled a month out who are waiting to have an intake done, and I'm sitting bored in an office that I can't easily leave (because if I do I have to find someone else to let me back in).
I am only at this clinic one day a week, so I guess settling in will take a bit longer than it did at my other site (where I work 4 days a week). It's slow here today, but yesterday I was so busy that between 8:30 and 6:00 I could hardly find time for a bathroom break, and tomorrow is shaping up to be just as busy. I wish there was some way to take the time I have now, and insert it into the middle of tomorrow. Any ideas???
Regarding when I'll get my computer login, the response has gone from "please don't ask" to "we're working on it," so that might be a good sign. However, one person was given a tentative date of this past monday and it is now thursday and no such luck, so I'm not sure we're any closer.
But on the bright side: If all goes as planned I get my first paycheck tomorrow (which will not be an I.O.U. from the state of california), I was able to enroll in health insurance without any glitches (so far), and I have been promised business cards by the end of today.
And even better, tomorrow after work I'm hopping on a plane to Seattle to visit Jeff!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
SD Pride
My good newses: 1) I finally have a new carpet in my bedroom! I moved out of the living room and into my bedroom a week ago, and although I haven't unpacked everything yet, I feel much more settled. 2) Jeff visited last weekend (yay!!). You can get his version of the trip on his blog, which I also added a link to on the sidebar. My version is: I was soo happy to see Jeff, and we had a really good weekend together. Then I got really homesick (and Jeff-sick) after he left. I think I had been adjusting to my new home and new routine, and then his visit reminded me how much I miss him (which is a good thing and a sad thing). But, I get to visit him in Seattle next weekend!!!
Less good: 1) Still no computer access at work, which makes my job very difficult. 2) Work is getting way way busier, so I'm pretty exhausted all the time. The internship directors tell me that people start settling in and looking less exhausted after labor day. Labor day is sort of a long time from now :(
Today was the San Diego pride parade. It was a fun parade, and all sorts of people came out to watch. Unfortunately, it's extremely hot today, the parade lasted almost 3 hours, and I made some errors in planning my sun protection. So I have a sunburn in the shape of a curved line approximately 2 inches wide running shoulder to shoulder across the middle of my upper back, a sort of a sail shape and a small circle on my right arm, and on the back of each leg a burn that runs from below my knee to halfway down my calf. I hate sunburns in general, but I especially hate the really stupid shaped ones. I think this is my lesson for the year, and from here on out I plan on being more careful.
But, the parade was fun. There were lots of floats,
and lots of people. It's hard to see in photos, but you can kind of see that the street is completely packed with people:
There were literally about 150,000 people there, all within walking distance of my house. My parade prototype is the Eugene celebration parade, and while this one was maybe not quite as home-grown feeling, it was a very community-oriented and positive event!
Less good: 1) Still no computer access at work, which makes my job very difficult. 2) Work is getting way way busier, so I'm pretty exhausted all the time. The internship directors tell me that people start settling in and looking less exhausted after labor day. Labor day is sort of a long time from now :(
Today was the San Diego pride parade. It was a fun parade, and all sorts of people came out to watch. Unfortunately, it's extremely hot today, the parade lasted almost 3 hours, and I made some errors in planning my sun protection. So I have a sunburn in the shape of a curved line approximately 2 inches wide running shoulder to shoulder across the middle of my upper back, a sort of a sail shape and a small circle on my right arm, and on the back of each leg a burn that runs from below my knee to halfway down my calf. I hate sunburns in general, but I especially hate the really stupid shaped ones. I think this is my lesson for the year, and from here on out I plan on being more careful.
But, the parade was fun. There were lots of floats,
There were literally about 150,000 people there, all within walking distance of my house. My parade prototype is the Eugene celebration parade, and while this one was maybe not quite as home-grown feeling, it was a very community-oriented and positive event!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Spills Can Kill
Here are some facts about working for the VA:
1. The time between late February (when I was matched to this internship) and July 1st is not adequate for processing of hiring paperwork. There is an ocean of paperwork to complete, which is sent out in waves, and no matter how quickly you complete it (for example, completing the last bit of paperwork 6 weeks before your start date) there will not be enough time for processing of said paperwork. It is impossible to perform the steps to obtain the basic necessary tools to perform one's job (like a computer login) on such short notice.
2. If you have been at work for a week and a half, and nearly every aspect of your job requires the use of a computer, it is not okay to ask when your computer access will be granted. If none of the 19 members of your intern class have been given computer access, when your supervisors ask a person-in-charge when you can expect to be given access, the response will uniformly be (quote): "Please do not ask."
3. When you are a clinical psychologist in the VA, and the primary purpose of your job is to help clients with emotional distress and behavior change, the reason that nearly every aspect of your job requires computer access is because you have to document every single thing you do in several places. If, for example, you make a phone call to what turns out to be a disconnected number, it is necessary to call that number back 3 times within 5 days. If the number remains disconnected you must send a letter to the associated address to convey your information. Each of these attempted phone calls, and the sending of the letter, must be appropriately documented in the computerized patient record system as well as in between 1 and 3 clinic spreadsheets.
4. If, for some reason, you do not have computer access, you may still be granted access to patient records and make phone calls to clients, and even see clients face to face, if your supervisor obtains the records and other necessary information for you. However, each of these interactions must be documented, and thus you must leave many voicemail messages for your supervisor, who is then required to input the information you convey in your messages into the computerized record system and spreadsheets.
5. For unknown reasons, which could not possibly be related to the complexity of the documentation system that is required in every VA department, there are often "glitches" that occur in the HR department. At the end of your second week of work, it is possible that someone in HR might contact you and tell you that you must complete all of your hiring paperwork, get fingerprinted, and complete a security background check as soon as possible, even though you completed all of these requirements two months ago. It is also possible that they will require that each person individually go to the HR office to clear up this mistake, even though the exact same mistake occurred for 11 people. They also may not accept forwarded e-mail messages *FROM THEMSELVES* as evidence that there appears to have been an error. For example, even if you can supply a message dated two months ago which indicates that these requirements are complete, and even if that message was sent from the very same HR rep who is now asking you to come and complete these requirements, you may be required to go to the HR office to clear up the problem.
6. As a new VA employee, it is required that you spend 16 hours in general new employee orientation where you learn such important information as what to do when you encounter spilled liquid on the floor (like a spilled cup of coffee). You learn that in such a circumstance, you must *STAY WHERE YOU ARE* near the spill, and wait until another person passes by, at which point one of you may go and call for a cleaning crew. You must *NEVER* leave a spill unattended.
1. The time between late February (when I was matched to this internship) and July 1st is not adequate for processing of hiring paperwork. There is an ocean of paperwork to complete, which is sent out in waves, and no matter how quickly you complete it (for example, completing the last bit of paperwork 6 weeks before your start date) there will not be enough time for processing of said paperwork. It is impossible to perform the steps to obtain the basic necessary tools to perform one's job (like a computer login) on such short notice.
2. If you have been at work for a week and a half, and nearly every aspect of your job requires the use of a computer, it is not okay to ask when your computer access will be granted. If none of the 19 members of your intern class have been given computer access, when your supervisors ask a person-in-charge when you can expect to be given access, the response will uniformly be (quote): "Please do not ask."
3. When you are a clinical psychologist in the VA, and the primary purpose of your job is to help clients with emotional distress and behavior change, the reason that nearly every aspect of your job requires computer access is because you have to document every single thing you do in several places. If, for example, you make a phone call to what turns out to be a disconnected number, it is necessary to call that number back 3 times within 5 days. If the number remains disconnected you must send a letter to the associated address to convey your information. Each of these attempted phone calls, and the sending of the letter, must be appropriately documented in the computerized patient record system as well as in between 1 and 3 clinic spreadsheets.
4. If, for some reason, you do not have computer access, you may still be granted access to patient records and make phone calls to clients, and even see clients face to face, if your supervisor obtains the records and other necessary information for you. However, each of these interactions must be documented, and thus you must leave many voicemail messages for your supervisor, who is then required to input the information you convey in your messages into the computerized record system and spreadsheets.
5. For unknown reasons, which could not possibly be related to the complexity of the documentation system that is required in every VA department, there are often "glitches" that occur in the HR department. At the end of your second week of work, it is possible that someone in HR might contact you and tell you that you must complete all of your hiring paperwork, get fingerprinted, and complete a security background check as soon as possible, even though you completed all of these requirements two months ago. It is also possible that they will require that each person individually go to the HR office to clear up this mistake, even though the exact same mistake occurred for 11 people. They also may not accept forwarded e-mail messages *FROM THEMSELVES* as evidence that there appears to have been an error. For example, even if you can supply a message dated two months ago which indicates that these requirements are complete, and even if that message was sent from the very same HR rep who is now asking you to come and complete these requirements, you may be required to go to the HR office to clear up the problem.
6. As a new VA employee, it is required that you spend 16 hours in general new employee orientation where you learn such important information as what to do when you encounter spilled liquid on the floor (like a spilled cup of coffee). You learn that in such a circumstance, you must *STAY WHERE YOU ARE* near the spill, and wait until another person passes by, at which point one of you may go and call for a cleaning crew. You must *NEVER* leave a spill unattended.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Another reason I'm glad that my dissertation is done
Last night I went downtown to watch fireworks with three other interns:
That's me, J.J., E.N., and not pictured is D.T. (she's behind the camera). There are 19 interns in my class, and only four of us ended up going out together to celebrate last night. I had assumed we'd be a bigger group, but some people had other plans, and a couple of others were out of town. However, I was absolutely appalled to find out that at least two interns were WORKING ON THEIR DISSERTATIONS instead of coming out to see fireworks. About half of my intern class has not defended yet, and weekends really are the only time they have to work, given our busy schedules. And since we are not all totally exhausted from internship yet, this weekend was a good time to work on dissertations. I am *so* glad that I defended before I started internship.
So the fireworks display over San Diego Bay was pretty cool-- there were barges in several different places on the bay, and they were all lighting off the same fireworks at the exact same time. From where we were, we could see the displays from 3 barges-- one really close by, and two in the distance. I took these two videos during the show, and if you look down toward the bottom and to the left hand side, you can see the simultaneous fireworks launching off of the three barges:
Afterward we decided not to fight traffic, and instead stuck around downtown for a while and got ice cream sundaes at the Ghirardelli shop, which was a great way to finish our July 4th celebration.
It's back to work tomorrow, and later this week I promise to provide a nice post about VA bureaucracy. I'm fairly certain that it will make you all feel better about your workplaces. For those of you back home in the psych department: by comparison with VA bureaucracy, our persnickety Mr. gph shows minimal regard for paperwork and regulations. Seriously.
That's me, J.J., E.N., and not pictured is D.T. (she's behind the camera). There are 19 interns in my class, and only four of us ended up going out together to celebrate last night. I had assumed we'd be a bigger group, but some people had other plans, and a couple of others were out of town. However, I was absolutely appalled to find out that at least two interns were WORKING ON THEIR DISSERTATIONS instead of coming out to see fireworks. About half of my intern class has not defended yet, and weekends really are the only time they have to work, given our busy schedules. And since we are not all totally exhausted from internship yet, this weekend was a good time to work on dissertations. I am *so* glad that I defended before I started internship.So the fireworks display over San Diego Bay was pretty cool-- there were barges in several different places on the bay, and they were all lighting off the same fireworks at the exact same time. From where we were, we could see the displays from 3 barges-- one really close by, and two in the distance. I took these two videos during the show, and if you look down toward the bottom and to the left hand side, you can see the simultaneous fireworks launching off of the three barges:
Afterward we decided not to fight traffic, and instead stuck around downtown for a while and got ice cream sundaes at the Ghirardelli shop, which was a great way to finish our July 4th celebration.
It's back to work tomorrow, and later this week I promise to provide a nice post about VA bureaucracy. I'm fairly certain that it will make you all feel better about your workplaces. For those of you back home in the psych department: by comparison with VA bureaucracy, our persnickety Mr. gph shows minimal regard for paperwork and regulations. Seriously.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
I Hate the DMV, and First Day of Work
On Monday I spent all afternoon at the DMV. It was truly awful-- worse than dog pee. To be in compliance with California law, I had to register my car and get a California driver's license within 10 days of becoming a resident. However, if I had it to do over again, I would have chosen to not comply with California law, keep my Oregon license and registration, and never set foot in a California DMV. But once I had committed, there was no going back, so here's how it went:
There were hundreds of people there, and I waited for nearly 2 hours from my arrival until I was served. The building was way too small to accommodate everyone-- for the hundreds upon hundreds of people waiting, there were a total of about 50 chairs in the whole (small) building, and so it was packed wall to wall like a crowded subway car with people standing and waiting for their numbers to be called. For most of my wait, there wasn't really even enough room to read a book (though I finally managed to snag a chair through careful stalking and quick reflexes). After I finally got called, I was shuffled around to 3 different windows, where there was more waiting, as well as some confusion over the law and how much I should have to pay to register my car.
To be fair, the actual people I dealt with were surprisingly nice, given the insanity of their work environment. The DMV is a like a zoo on fire, and there are many problematic rules, laws, and staff shortages to contend with, but somehow or another the people who work at the DMV managed to be efficient, empathetic, and as helpful as possible given the constraints. And, because of this, I eventually made it out with my license and registration. I hope that officially becoming a resident has enough benefits (e.g., discounts at Disneyland and Sea World) to make this worth it, and I hope that I never have to go to a California DMV ever again.
On a better note, today was my first day of work! I got my keys, my ID badge, a parking permit, a handbook, and a bit of orientation. Tomorrow is orientation at the clinic where I'll be working most of the time, and Friday is a federal holiday (July 4th, observed on July 3rd). Yay for short weeks! Everyone I've met is really nice-- supervisors, staff, and other interns-- so I'm feeling good about things so far. I've been warned that work will be totally exhausting once it really gets started, so I'm glad I get to ease into things slowly!
There were hundreds of people there, and I waited for nearly 2 hours from my arrival until I was served. The building was way too small to accommodate everyone-- for the hundreds upon hundreds of people waiting, there were a total of about 50 chairs in the whole (small) building, and so it was packed wall to wall like a crowded subway car with people standing and waiting for their numbers to be called. For most of my wait, there wasn't really even enough room to read a book (though I finally managed to snag a chair through careful stalking and quick reflexes). After I finally got called, I was shuffled around to 3 different windows, where there was more waiting, as well as some confusion over the law and how much I should have to pay to register my car.
To be fair, the actual people I dealt with were surprisingly nice, given the insanity of their work environment. The DMV is a like a zoo on fire, and there are many problematic rules, laws, and staff shortages to contend with, but somehow or another the people who work at the DMV managed to be efficient, empathetic, and as helpful as possible given the constraints. And, because of this, I eventually made it out with my license and registration. I hope that officially becoming a resident has enough benefits (e.g., discounts at Disneyland and Sea World) to make this worth it, and I hope that I never have to go to a California DMV ever again.
On a better note, today was my first day of work! I got my keys, my ID badge, a parking permit, a handbook, and a bit of orientation. Tomorrow is orientation at the clinic where I'll be working most of the time, and Friday is a federal holiday (July 4th, observed on July 3rd). Yay for short weeks! Everyone I've met is really nice-- supervisors, staff, and other interns-- so I'm feeling good about things so far. I've been warned that work will be totally exhausting once it really gets started, so I'm glad I get to ease into things slowly!
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