Inter-with a-view

Since social opportunities, community events and snowstorms are back, so is dreaded traffic and the common cold. Remember the common cold? Where we would blow our nose all day and cough all night then head in for a job interview. On the weekends we would attend social gatherings and give germs as a party favour…

And where the first sign of a sniffle didn’t mean we had the potential to severely infect everyone and their dog – quite literally. 

I’ve noticed that friends are getting colds, co-workers are calling in sick and masks are discretely being used as tissues.

I would like to request that none of your symptoms come and knock on my door – I’ve not been waiting for you.

I am meeting my baby niece and nephew soon and plan to eat them up like I’ve been eating up Vitamin C. 

Along with Vitamin C, I have been doing everything possible to boost my immune system. Mandarins? Yes please. Cold FX? How about 6. Tea? Anytime of the day. Increase hours of sleep? Not a chance. 

So far I am in the clear, like this resident made herself clear…

In The Nightmare Way Before Christmas, I was anxious to get home. Today, I was anxious to complete an interview.  

A few weeks ago I interviewed potential internship students from the University of Lethbridge. It took me back to my internship interview in 2015. I sat on my bedroom floor, tightly gripping my phone so it wouldn’t slip through my sweaty hand, while my roommates eavesdropped (not well) from the other side of the door.  

I can confidently tell you, it feels much better sitting on the opposite side of the interview (and off the floor). 

I scheduled each interview via Zoom – I prefer to see the fear in their eyes and set myself up in the activity room to ensure I had the best Wi-Fi connection. If we have learned anything over the past 21 months, it is the importance of a strong Wi-Fi connection. 

During the first interview I was introducing myself when I heard an altercation between two residents unfolding in the hallway. I apologized to the student and briefly stepped away to ensure everyone was okay. 

I felt bad because there’s nothing more nerve racking than beginning to speak and getting your thoughts sorted before everything suddenly comes to a halt. Sounds similar to my dating life. 

I found a male and female resident shouting at one another. To eliminate the conversation from becoming physical, I invited the female resident to join me in the activity room. Without hesitation she followed me (probably because she realized she had picked a fight with someone three times her size). 

She is usually more of an observer than a joiner, so I pulled up a chair for her away from the camera and assumed she would observe quietly. I made an an ass out of me and well, me. 

For the first few minutes, you would have never known she was there. I then asked the student to describe how she would gather information about a new admission. 

While the student was responding, the resident began to giggle, which turned into a cackle. I quietly asked the resident to wait until she was finished and with rosy cheeks, apologetically asked the student to continue. 

The student then began describing what her role as a student may look like within the interdisciplinary team when the resident uttered, “yeah, yeah, yeah.” As though the student couldn’t be more foolish. 

At this point I had to clench my jaw to remain as calm as a carrot (not a cucumber, those are slippery little suckers).

By the end of the interview, the resident was giggling and repeatedly said, “no” to everything the student stated.

However. the student ended up being one of the successful candidates even though the resident was cold.