Challenges #55"
By: Jelly Goldman
, NPC nurse
, [NPC]
Patia Zoei, Chief Counselor, [PC]
Stardate: 58208.13 1445
Studying her perfectly manicured nails, although they were much shorter then when she arrived, they still looked good. Jelly doodled before Patia's door.
She hadn't scheduled for a meeting but she needed to talk to some one before she was going to loose her mind. The gruesome working hours Dane had assigned to her were getting to Jelly.
Softly she knocked at the door.
Zoei glanced up from the file she was reviewing. A glance at her daily schedule showed she was clear of appointments for the remainder of the day. "Enter," she called.
"Sorry Ms Zoei, I know I haven't scheduled anything but I need to talk to someone."
"Fortunately, my schedule is clear for the afternoon. What can I help you with?" she asked. She leaned back in her chair and observed the new arrival's mannerisms while she waited for the reply.
Jelly pouted her lips and studied her nails. "Well Ma'am I want a new assignment. I do not want to work in sickbay anymore.
Zoei looked quizzical. "I am not sure I understand. Sickbay was planned to be your assignment when you first came on board. Why wouldn't you want to work there?"
"Well it's the smell you see." she said with a prissy voice. She had kept her head lowered and glanced through her long eyelashes at Patia.
One eyebrow arched. "The smell? I am not sure I understand. Ensign, sickbays are pretty universal in their smells. This couldn't have been a surprise to you, could it? Or is there something more?"
"Well you see it's the Doctor you know, she has me doin'all these task and and...
"What sorts of tasks has she assigned to you?" Zoei asked.
Jelly sighed. "I had to re-arrange all surgical equipment and filing of the patient charts. Then with the training she made sure I got the worst accident." Jelly exaggerated a little of course but the fact was that after the holodeck training she hadn't been able to sleep. She constantly saw the face of the injured crewmember behind her eyes. The one she had nearly killed by giving the wrong medication.
"Was Dr. Dane assigning you tasks that benefit the entire medical department?" She leaned back slightly in her chair.
"I guess so, but ..... Jelly replied still with a whining voice.
"Training isn't supposed to be easy, Ensign. Would you want the first severe injury you treated to be one on a living, breathing member of this crew? Or would you rather this be something you had practiced before, in a simulation, where the decisions you make won't have a drastic impact on those around you?"
Jelly pouted her lips and stuck her chin in the air. "She could have told me..."
"Do you feel that the problems you are having with Dr. Dane are related to the fact that she is in a position of authority over you?"
Jelly shrugged, "At home my father always told me what to do... "I am a very pleasant person to be with Ms Zoei, only Doctor Dane thinks other wise. I even went to the Captain to complain but he refused to listen to me.
"Ensign, do you understand the chain of command?" Zoei asked.
Jelly rolled her eyes. "He asked me the same. Of course I do... It's just that... well I learned that if one wants to get things done you have to go to the person who can make it happen."
"The person who can make things happen for you is your immediate command, Ensign. Going around, or over, that person isn't going to fix your problem unless you have exhausted all possibilities with your superior. If I had a problem working with you, who would you want me to talk about that problem with?"
Jelly bit her lower lip and frowned. "Me?" she said hesitantly.
"I would want the same. Truth be known, my feelings would be hurt if someone went to my superior rather than to me with a problem they had with me," Zoei commented.
"I don’t know Ms Zoei but she looks at me as if I am ..... oh I don't know.. she doesn't like me."
"Maybe you two don't know how to communicate with each other. You come from different backgrounds, have different expectations, it is natural to have hurdles to overcome in communication. You just need to work on it. I would suggest you sit down with her and have a chat about how things are going for you."
Jelly nodded. "I understand, ... she did try to tell me that I shouldn’t be to worried about the mistake I made during the training and that it was just something I needed to learn. But you know Ms Zoei, it seems that she pushes me harder then the rest, and to be honest I do not know if I can handle that. Sure I can talk to her but don't you think I would let her down then?"
"I think it would be better to talk so you know what the other is thinking rather than guessing at what would let her down. You never know, you might be surprised." Zoei smiled encouragely.
"I will certainly try Ms Zoei," Jelly said with a small smile. "It can not be all that bad hey?" She stood up and walked to the door. "Thanks for listing and next time I will make an appointment."
She shook her head lightly. "As long as I am not seeing a patient, my door is always open."