Doctor Doctor Gimme the News, I’ve Got a Bad Case of Misunderstanding You

Safety and communication go hand in hand in the workplace. A co-worker could exclaim, “that man is on fire!” Suddenly, everyone’s yelling stop, drop and roll when she was really referring to the hot new doctor.

In The Girl Who Cried Wolf, I mislead staff. Today, I experienced a classic case of miscommunication.

During my internship, communication between my supervisor and myself was of utmost importance. She always emailed me if there were any changes to the schedule, if she was ill and most importantly, the plan for lunch.

As well, most mornings her and I would meet in her office to touch base and discuss the day’s expectations. One particular morning I had swallowed the last drop of my coffee and there was still no sign of her. I approached the therapy aide to see if she had heard anything and she informed me that my supervisor was at DRS.

What is a DRS? I was a newbie to Alberta so I thought maybe it was another weird Albertan thing like AGD beer, calling bunny hugs ‘hoodies’ and needing a step ladder to get into a date’s truck.

Maybe she was attending a recreation therapy meeting or conference. If it were something work related though, why wouldn’t she have told me? 

By mid morning, rational explanations were completely out the window and my focus was right there with it. Maybe DRS stood for Don’t Rely on Students, where a group of supervisors get together to complain about their student interns. That HAD to be it. 

By mid morning I turned to Google for the answer, but even Mr. Google was stumped.

Not long after, the physical therapist came to the office to ask when my supervisor and I would be meeting with her and the Occupational Therapist. I had to admit that I was not sure since she was at DRS. 

“DRS?” she asked. “I’ve never heard of that before.”

Thank goodness I wasn’t the only one.

Later on, I met with one of our team members to discuss my duties for the upcoming BBQ. The big question was, would I be flipping, serving or observing?

She then informed me that my supervisor would be back from her appointment with the DOCTOR in time for the BBQ. 

“Drs” not D.R.S!

The Therapy Aide must have read the text message as three separate letters instead of the shortened form of doctors. I had to admit that I practically spent my entire morning trying to figure out what D.R.S was.

I’ve never been good at riddles… crossword puzzles… or any word games for that matter.

My supervisor arrived on time for the BBQ after seeing the doctor and all was well again at the site. 

However, I Didn’t Relay my Stupidity to her.   

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