Sunday, April 3, 2011

Under Management

Rarely do I ever have a young patient. Where I work, the patients are usually my parents' age or a lot older. However, a couple weeks ago I had a patient who was not much older than myself. As a matter of fact we probably listened to the same music, watched the same shows, followed the fashion trends growing up.

The first day I took care of him, it was like taking care of any patient. You know, formal - I called him mister. The second day, we became friends. Laughing, joking, watching the basketball game together (I like to build a rapport with my patients...especially when I know I'll be caring for them for at least a couple days). While I was starting his IV, one of our psych patients started to scream. He rolls his eyes. I laughed.

"Am I on the psych ward?!" He asks...half serious, half joking.

"It feels like it doesn't it...I promise its not a psych floor."

"Yeah right!"

"Well, I mean we take care of psych patients from time to time, plus a lot of older patients with dementia end up on this floor, so they confused and at out sometimes."

"Yesterday some lady was talking about bacon. Like at 2 in the morning!"

"Oh you mean Edna (not her real name, of course)? She can be a hand full, but I think she got discharged"

"OMG, so its another one....ya'll do have me on the psych ward. Man, your husband probably hears some crazy stories from you."

I smile, "I'm not married."

"You're kidding right?" I nod my head. "WOW, well dang girl, you walk around like you're under management or something."

"Why does everyone say that?!" I'm now officially blushing from semi-embarrassment

"Its the way you carry yourself, like you have a man on your side or something."

The conversation carried further. I still don't know why every man I encounter in person assumes I'm married just by the way I "carry" myself. I think I'm pretty friendly...at least with men that are not Muslim in an attempt to show them that Muslim women are not stiff prudes as we are often portrayed as. I smile, I joke, I laugh and am also not afraid to have a decent conversation with men. So why is it that men always think I'm married?

1 comment:

SoulSeek said...

Take that as a compliment!

A women who's able to carry that responsible demeanour, it speaks volumes about them :)

When people make such statements they base it on all those things we look at when we communicate with any human being. Attitude and the ability to communicate effectively. There's a number of things attributed to these qualities.

Just like perfume. There are those notes of cedar that attract a persons sense of smell or there's that really ikky one that makes you puke.

Just don't go around making anyone puke ;)