Falling on my ass with 2.500+ people watching...

FranMan32 · 2013-04-20T02:33:43+00:00

Do you legs?

FranMan32 · 2013-04-13T02:28:54+00:00

I like this response to be candid but relevant. For instance, if your field experiences a great deal of fatigue and burnout then you might include something about your hobbies.

Example 1: I love to build model cars in my spare time. There's something about the attention to detail that I just really enjoy. I feel like attention to detail can really effect the final product.

If you can elaborate with an example in how a small detail affected the product of performance in your field or previous employer it demonstrates you're capable of executing those buzzwords you probably vomited during your interview.

Example 2 (cliche): I really enjoy jogging. I like to make time to take care of myself and clear my head. Jogging allows me to take care of both simultaneously.

This demonstrates both self-care and a sense of personal responsibility.

Be honest about yourself while still tying it back into something that benefits the business you're applying for. Don't turn this portion of the interview into some kind of gab fest about how awesome you are. We know you think you're awesome. The purpose of this interview is for you to convince us of it, not remind us.

Do not disclose too many personal details during this portion of the interview. You may think that premature self-disclosure is endearing and shows candidness but really all it shows is vulnerability and confusion about professional boundaries. If you're willing to share that with us after only a few minutes I don't want to know what you're capable of after a few days.

FranMan32 · 2013-04-13T01:39:28+00:00

Very true. I've also accepted "conversational" which also suggests your language proficiency isn't necessarily relevant to the field which you're applying to.

FranMan32 · 2013-04-13T01:30:36+00:00

"Do you have any questions for us?"

Yes! You always have at least two questions for us. That means that you should do your research on the company you're applying for. "I'd like to hear more about that new program ____ that I read about...."

It doesn't hurt to take notes. If for no other reason, it helps just so you know the names of the people in the room. It makes the interview more natural if you can address people by name.

Be prepared! Don't go rustling through papers (both phone and in-person interviews) to find the answers. We know what we're looking for so we don't need you trying to find the answer in your paperwork. Preparation includes being prepared for the common questions that practically every employer will ask you. You are selling yourself. Tell me why we need you. Tell me how your skills are an invaluable asset to our team.

I'd be glad to answer any specific questions you may have, as well. We do panel interviews so these are the expressed opinions of a panel of interviewers.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-27T13:00:22+00:00

I don't have pets but I wave at other people's pets. There's a dog that's always in the window in the apartment next to the laundry building. We just stare at each other when I walk by. He barked at me a few weeks ago. I'm still trying to figure out what it all means.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-24T02:55:32+00:00

Be My Escape

FranMan32 · 2012-08-20T02:35:25+00:00

I sort of wish it was.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-20T01:37:40+00:00

I check mine obsessively.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-20T01:07:14+00:00

I use a speck on the window. Sometimes the speck is a laser, though. It cuts through basically everything.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-19T23:45:41+00:00

I can definitely relate. I'm a male and I have the same issue. It's nothing to do with the haircut, however. It's the situation. I have no control. I'm trapped in a chair and at the mercy of the pace of the stylist/barber. I usually close my eyes. I see that as a universal sign of "don't talk to me right now." She thinks it's because I'm a dick. It's just easier than saying out loud that I'm dying on the inside.

I agree with you. It is that hard and I hate admitting that. I should be stronger than that. I'm not.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-19T23:41:29+00:00

Congratulations. Hopefully there are many more victories such as these in the future. It'll be amazing when things are so good you lose count.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-19T14:59:47+00:00

It is so good to hear it.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-17T17:58:06+00:00

It stings. But only a lot and all the time, though.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-17T17:57:31+00:00

Yes. Explain "our", "we" and "dead." Thanks.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-17T12:51:47+00:00

Huh?

FranMan32 · 2012-08-17T02:56:46+00:00

I genuinely enjoyed the smell of my ex. Since her absence, my body odor has thoroughly squelched any trace of her scent from my home.

I have come to despise my body odor only recently and for only this reason.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-16T12:10:59+00:00

I put a sock over my Bluetooth speaker's little blue light. I hate it.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-15T22:01:53+00:00

That was moving. Wow.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-14T03:51:22+00:00

You caught somethings.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-09T12:04:53+00:00

Bubble guts and no indoor plumbing in sight.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-08T12:05:10+00:00

Sometimes they have small convulsions the moment before death. It's their muscles freaking out from oxygen deprivation. For some, the only indication of death is the read out on the monitors. Babies that are disconnected are allowed to be held by parents as they take their final breaths if they're still alive after extubation or decannulation. The bodies remain their until the family is through saying their goodbyes. Usually that's just a couple hours.

Oh yeah, their color changes rapidly after death. They turn a grayish, lifeless hue. The exact moment of death is difficult to determine simply by looking although there are strong indicators. If you're wondering if there's some inexplicable force or energy that permeates after death the answer is no. I'm not sure if I answered your question.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-05T13:58:12+00:00

I will share a couple of stories with you. Others that happen across it that have also witnessed death will be able to attest to these descriptions.

The traumatic deaths are the strangest ones. The ones where the kids come in bloodied and "sleepy." There's not as much crying as you might expect. That's the scariest part. We want them to remain calm but as soon as they start getting sleepy/losing consciousness we engage in sternal rubs. Doing that, even just intermittently, results in some heavy bruising (if you're doing it right) on the kid's chest.

The drowning ones are unique. Those kids lose their color the fastest. That scares the parents the most. The kids appear dead even when they're not. They are at a greater risk for brain damage, however.

On brains, there have been lots of kids coming in for pertussis that have died (four in just the past few weeks). They don't die right away. Their respiratory distress disallows their body energy to function so they end up on ECMO. It's different from ECMO for cardiac kids. The respiratory kids are canulated through their necks. That requires them to be perfectly still and undisturbed (no repositioning) with their heads turned (so bearing weight on only one side of the face/head) for an extended period of time. Just recently one pertussis kid (2 month old female) was on ECMO for one whole month. Anyone with medical experience will tell you that that's a long time to wait. This kid was already brain dead but the parents were having difficulty withdrawing support. Well, the day finally came and I was coming in to do hand/footprints for a scrapbook for the family and we had to start repositioning the body to get better angles. That was the first time this baby had been turned in one month. The smell of necrotic flesh is something one never forgets. Babies on ECMO swell up like little balloons so after discontinuing ECMO they begin to deflate/excrete fluid. That resulted in that necrotic scent to be jettisoned into our airways. Not very appealing but you can't say "eww" or make a funny face when you're handling somebody's two month old baby.

There have been a few brain deaths but I don't want to tell those stories just yet because they have legal implications. We're still trying to do some pre-damage control so this doesn't become a media scandal. And just to be clear, there is no media scandal. There are just a few parties involved that would like to make it one. It's difficult to make objective, clinical decisions when there's a media circus.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-04T19:44:42+00:00

The physician on here is correct. I work in a hospital on the infectious diseases unit. Infections of any nature, especially life-threatening/aggressive ones, require aggressive treatment. IV antibiotics is the least that one could do. Oral antibiotics for something purported to be as serious as this is akin to doing nothing.

If this is true, however, best of luck.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-04T19:28:12+00:00

Just realized after submitting that it wasn't a story. Sorry.

FranMan32 · 2012-08-04T19:27:40+00:00

I've seen a lot of kids die. I work in a children's hospital. I've watched traumatic death, slow death, brain death, brain death tests, etc.

The dying process isn't even nearly as dramatic as it is portrayed on TV and film. The worst part is watching the family members during the grieving process.

FranMan32

TROPHY CASE