Patient Status

I got a part-time gig over at the hospital being, of all things, a standardized patient. It's sort of crazy but makes perfect sense - students in the healthcare field need to interact with patients, and why not practice on real people? It's not unlike being a method actor, because you have to feign certain ailments to get into character. It's been an interesting experience thus far.

First off, the group that I've worked with are an interesting lot. Comprised mostly of senior citizens, they take the work very seriously and are very good at it. It's almost like they were all aspiring actors at one time and really get into character. They give a lot of constructive feedback and I sense that there is a bit of scrutiny over one another's performance. I feel a little inadequate, but what else is new?

I was a little anxious on my first day, but as soon as it got underway, it went pretty smoothly, I think. We are working some health care students, and I get some background information that I need to play my role. It was interesting, and most of the students were good, doing a very professional job. Talk about unusual work. The hours are infrequent, so it's hardly a career gig, but there are bound to be some interesting stories to come out of it.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Seattle Municipal Archives for the pic.