Acting

I have had a lot of fun at work yesterday and today, not just a "good" day, but fun.

I assisted the Public Safety department with two drills. Yesterday, they ran a violent patient drill in Outpatient Rehab. I got to play an agitated head injury patient on the verge of violence. The rehab staff knew it was a drill, but the employees responding to the Code:Grey call did not. Even though some of them recognized me, they thought it was real and that I was really freaking out. One lady told me I was really scaring her. I was pacing around yelling, "This is bullshit!" and "You can't keep me! I just want to go home!" A few people told me I need to go into acting. Only if I can just take the role of agitated patient, though. I was just copying all of the people I've had to babysit at the hospital while doing security. It was a great stress reliever, though. I was imagining all of the things that make me mad and channeled that. Everyone should get a chance to be an angry, confused person.

Today, the drill was a baby abduction and I got to be the kidnapper. I put on street clothes, my jacket, took my glasses off, and put on a baseball hat pulled low. A girl from patient accounts, Ann, was the mom. The nurse manager took us into a room and gave us a baby doll. Ann put on the gown. My job was to get as far as I could with the baby. Ann gave me a brief head start and then went to the nurse's station and told them that she went into the bathroom for just a minute and when she came out her baby was gone. Apparently she gave a very convincing act with tears and all and the nurses started freaking out. For my part, I made it out of the building in about a minute without being apprehended. I walked by a few people that know me but did not recognize me. I had the doll hidden under my jacket and walked with a purpose but not too fast. I walked to the end of the parking lot and sat down and waited. After almost two minutes a few staff members started surrounding me because my description started to get out and someone had seen me go out. If had a vehicle, though, I would have been long gone. I had a lot of fun and I helped identify some weaknesses in our system for preventing baby abductions.

Both drills were a blast. I can't wait to help with another one.