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pre-sim Bonner checks in with Walker

Posted Sept. 12, 2020, 3:09 p.m. by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) (Brandon Irvine)

<snip>

“Yes, Sir I am. Xenobiology, genetics, and family medicine,” Alexis listed off. “But if you need me to learn something else, it won’t take long. I’m a very fast study.” That was why she had 3 specialties instead of 2. She was actually finished with her academy course work 2 years in but 4 years of cadet service were required. And since her brain could never be idle she was confident she could fill in anywhere Dr. Walker needed her.
Lt. Bonner, AMO

“Oh, thank the Gods,” Brad said with a sigh of relief. “Finally, another family medicine practitioner. And you’re not a surgeon. Is it my birthday?”

“Well no, surgery is not my specialty but I am fully qualified.” Being a child prodigy meant she had flown through her classes at the Academy and medical school. She had her specialties but she had certifications in lots of areas. Even now, that she was older her mind never rested unless it was being challenged and accumulating more information.

“Well, you’re not primarily a surgeon,” Brad amended. “I’m up to my earballs in those as it is, and they’ve combined to take two inches off my hairline just since I took this job. Particularly Lt. Marshall and Dr. Jarvis.” Who, Gods help them all, was an officer now.

She wasn’t familiar with the names, she’d have to look them up. “Someone I should keep an eye out for, Sir?” If they tended to cause mischief she’d rather know ahead of time. If it was someone who tended to get injured constantly that might require a trip to the counselors for them.

“Jarvis? Definitely. How he continues to have a license to practice medicine is astounding to me. He redefines ‘mad scientist’, mostly because he doesn’t have the requisite crazy white hair.”

He gave her a small half-grin. “I’ve been handling almost all of the ship’s family medicine jobs myself for the last six months, much to the neglect of my actual job, because the last proper family medicine doctor we had up and left. It’s not my primary specialty, either, but needs must and all that.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis smiled brightly. She loved family medicine. She could do just about everything, but that was her first passion in medicine. “Well I am more than happy to take over that responsibility for you. Family medicine was my first specialty and has always been why I became a doctor. I’m happy to take over that.” What she really wanted to know though, “I can do anything medical, all day long. But what exactly are my duties specifically as the Assistant Chief Medical Officer?” When she had asked her previous CMO he had shrugged at her. He’d told her he’d never worked on a hospital ship, or any ship, that was big enough to need an AMO, so she would have to ask when she got there. Of course that could have been his way of making Alexis actually engage with her new CMO rather than be the insufferable know-it-all she sometimes appeared to be. Being so much younger, and so much more skilled at the same time, had made her an annoyance to some of the crew on her previous postings. Now though, she was older, and she should probably learn to socialize more.

“Well, on the Owie I would say you would be responsible for managing the Primary Sickbay. It’s a bit of a misnomer, since it’s actually the smaller of the ship’s two Sickbays, but it is the closest to the Bridge. But I’m given to understand we’re getting a new ship that’s laid out a bit different, though I’ve yet to be given actual specs for her,” Brad began. “So we’ll put a pin in that, seeing as we’re going to be station-side for a while to come. While we’re here, I’m going to expect you to liase between our staff and the station’s medical staff, find out where our people can be best put to use alongside theirs. And if that sounds like I’m dumping off a lot of my job on you, I am, but only because I’m at least three months behind on my paperwork. Give me three un-interrupted weeks to clear that out, and we can re-assess what I expect you to do.”

Alexis nodded. “I can take care of that. And if it’s three weeks you need, you’ll get it.” Alexis tended to take things like that quite literally. So if Dr. Walker needed 3 uninterrupted weeks in his office to work, she would make sure no one bothered him, for anything. Unless it was the Cpt or XO. “I do have a question though, Sir. Who am I assigning jobs for? Is it anyone that could be considered attached to medical? Like the counseling staff and medical researchers? Usually counseling is it’s own department and medical researchers are sometimes assigned to the science department. Or is it just strictly medical staff? I don’t want to over look anyone or step on anyone’s toes, as it were.”

“Medical staff only,” Brad clarified. “In a pinch, you could probably order around the counseling staff or the researchers, but they’re technically out of your purview. Both do report to me, but I’m junior only to the Captain and XO.”

He fixed her a look. “First and foremost, while the first word in your job title is ‘Assistant’, I want you focused on the second, which is ‘Chief’. You’re learning how to be a supervisor and manager here, the basics of commanding a top-tier medical department; whether that’s on board another hospital ship in the future, a station’s Infirmary or even a planetary installation. I’ll be giving you opportunities to learn things it took me the better part of a decade to pick up, and thought it may seem like I’m expecting you to sink or swim, even failure can teach a lesson.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis took in his words and smiled. “I am happy to hear you say that Cmdr. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m not afraid of failure. It can chafe to not always get things right, especially in medicine when it affects someone else’s life and well being, but I never make the same mistake twice.”
Lt. Bonner, AMO

“That’s equally good to hear, although I’d imagine you wouldn’t have advanced as quick as you have if you weren’t devastatingly competent.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff


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