New Girl in the Hospital

Having just completed my first week in the hospital, I guess I'm growing out of the "New girl" pupa. Hello friends! I'm Dr. Aishwarya Iyer, the brand new (maybe not so shiny) vitreo retinal fellow at AJEH. I joined the AJEH family on August 22nd 2020 - initially beginning with a virtual "work from home" setup and physically joining on Sept 9th 2020. Usually very confident and robust about everything, for the first time in my life, I was nervous about a new workplace. The aura around the hospital exuded efficiency and clinical competency. I wondered how I will fit in here - me, a totally inexperienced surgeon, fresh out of medical school, armed with nothing but a couple of degrees (MBBS, MS). But boy was I in for a surprise. Everyone at the institute was nothing but kind, helpful and friendly. I was made to feel so welcome by the most humble, sincere and wonderful person - Dr. S. Natarajan. Have you ever heard of the MD and chairperson/founder of an institute giving the juniormost member a grand tour of the hospital? That's what I had the pleasure of experiencing. I started my day at the Aditya Ganapati temple, and after completing all HR formalities, was given a cute little desk in the Big Boss's own room. The rest of the day went by in a hot daze - learning multiple new things such as the hospital protocol, checklists, policies, dos and don'ts, etc. which over the past week have become easier to grasp, with the help of my good friends Divya, Prachi, Dr. Sandhya, and all the other supporting staff at AJEH. The other consultants here are also so friendly, and so welcoming that I was immediately made to feel comfortable and at home. Slowly, and steadily I can see myself being a more integral part of this institution - to give it my all, and reaping some of the best rewards that this esteemed place has to offer.