Some of you may know that I have multiple roles at one of the agencies I work with. A few weeks ago, I was shifted into a different capacity in the communications office and WAY out of my comfort zone. For the first time, I was asked to fill in and be the primary Dispatcher on the medical transportation channel during a week day. Mind you, I'd handled these duties previously on weekday evenings and weekends, but never with a regular week day load. To say I was uncomfortable is an understatement.
They say to understand someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That day, the mile was uphill in gale force winds. Our schedule pre-load (what I call the number of jobs that exist without counting the return trips) was heavy, and we were down a couple of drivers due to illness and vacation. It seems no matter what I did, the job count didn't drop! Mind you, our drivers were phenomenal, each pulling their own weight (and then some), and not one of them complained. They didn't question why the "new guy" was on the channel or why he kept correcting himself and asking them to "stand by" while information was being gathered.
I learned something new that day. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and into a situation I had never encountered before. Nothing like a trial by fire to show me a new found respect for my colleagues on the medical transport side of the business. Their schedules can be ruthless, the timing is crucial, and their communications and organizational skills need to be dead-on, lest something throw off the well-oiled process.
They say to understand someone, you need to walk a mile in their shoes. That day, the mile was uphill in gale force winds. Our schedule pre-load (what I call the number of jobs that exist without counting the return trips) was heavy, and we were down a couple of drivers due to illness and vacation. It seems no matter what I did, the job count didn't drop! Mind you, our drivers were phenomenal, each pulling their own weight (and then some), and not one of them complained. They didn't question why the "new guy" was on the channel or why he kept correcting himself and asking them to "stand by" while information was being gathered.
I learned something new that day. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and into a situation I had never encountered before. Nothing like a trial by fire to show me a new found respect for my colleagues on the medical transport side of the business. Their schedules can be ruthless, the timing is crucial, and their communications and organizational skills need to be dead-on, lest something throw off the well-oiled process.
So, next time you're asked to fill-in and do something new, do it. You never know what you're going to learn!
