employablog

The graduate medical professions divide loosely into four degrees. We all take some classes together, and though the M.D.s are far superior  equally valid team members, it feels a lot of times like we’re one school divided into four houses.

And since we’re involved in fixin’ people up, it isn’t too much of a leap to say we are all wizards of sorts … in a sort of wizarding school … if you will, give my love to J.K. Rowling that saucy minx.

We started histology and biochemistry today, meaning I had a lot of chair time, enough time, in fact to create a list of disturbingly apt parallels to Harry Potter. Here is the Harry Potter translation of the four health professions.
Gryffindor = M.D.  obvi.

Ravenclaw = MPH … they’re thinkers, but are they doers?  Is there a House, MPH following an ornery man who doesn’t give a darn what locals think by God, he’ll get them closed sewers where’s my vicodin.

Hufflepuff = Pharm D. They’re real good at mixing those potions.

Slytherin = Dentists. obvi.

And nursing, well, I didn’t want to lose the title to Gryffindor.

In the midst of a soul-crushing project that continues to grind forward despite a lack of necessary data, I received this in my email today. The fruits of my labor have finally come to fruition! Oh glorious days of harvest! Reap!

Fittingly, I sealed the deal on a red-eye back from Silicon Valley. Unfortunately Elite status does little to blunt the trauma of starting a work day with a 6:30am touchdown at Logan.

I just received an email from Too, and the part after his @ definitely sounded pretty corporate. According to theory, this raises some significant philosophical issues regarding the dichotomous nature of this blog.

At the very least, I think we need to change Employee Too’s description on the site, as I am pretty sure he’s no longer doing several interviews a week.

In fact, now I’m the one doing several interviews a week, except I’m on the other side of the table. Of all the things about this job that make me feel like a grownup (health care, taxes and paychecks are pretty high on the list), having a 22-year-old ask me earnestly about my industry experience and management style has got to be the most surreal. But more on this later.

Hey Too@work.com, how’s it feel to be one of us now?

There are two types of jobs in this world: the kind that give you an email address, and the kind that don’t. Is this the same thing as white collar/blue collar?

Possibly. But while my favorite shirt has white in its collar, it is also Pink and Black, and sometimes I wear a blue shirt. And what kind of collar does Employee Too wear when he’s waiting tables for yuppies? My guess is that he doesn’t wear one at all.

I mean, if we’re going to use broad occupational categories to define our identities and divide ourselves politically, lets at least use categories that make sense.

If you have an email address where the part after the @ is how you pay your rent, this implies certain things about your life. For example, you are not likely to have to talk B-list celebrities from locking you in a cellar (unless you are working at a talent agency). On the other hand, if you do not have a work address, you are not likely to remember the exact time and place when you first understood how VLOOKUP worked.

@Workers, when the Revolution™ begins let’s meet at my house, I have some wine I want to finish first.