Through the looking glass.

[deathpixie]

It's hard to believe that only a couple of months ago, I was so bored at work I was contemplating a Phantom of the Opera-esque descent into madness, complete with sneak attacks on my co-workers with a stapler and a series of post-its with "Bwahahaha!" written on them. The last two days in the back office have been... well, insane is a good word. The first two business days after a four-day weekend, funeral directors out the bloody whazoo... I've nailed the procedure for releasing bodies, BTW. Mainly because I personally must have done at least fifteen. Although it was only in the afternoon that I remembered I needed to go and physically check the ID card on the body to ensure we were releasing the right one. Apparently mix-ups have happened.

I'm not sure why it is, but seeing the bodies, even the three small children who were burnt beyond recognition in a car fire... it doesn't upset me. There's something in me that just distances itself. It's almost like they're not human - I think once I deal with the families a bit more that might change slightly, but at the moment, with the funeral directors and the lab technicians so matter-of-fact, it seems unprofessional to be affected. Even if it's possibly not exactly sensitive.

There's so much to learn, though. I'm just exhausted tonight, and I'm hoping things calm down a bit tomorrow - the phones just wouldn't stop ringing, and it really messes with my ability to concentrate on what I'm doing. Once I'm more confident, it won't matter, but right now I need to focus or I forget what I'm doing or where stuff is. But yeah, covered releases, also took four initial contact calls - three from police officers (one industrial accident, one car accident, one suicide) and one from a country doctor (another suicide). Those are tricky, since you have to make sure you get as much information as you can while at the same time inputting stuff on the computer. I missed out on identification again - that's where someone comes in the view the body through the observation room window and confirm the identity. Other stuff came up every time we had one, which was frustrating. I'll make an effort tomorrow to make sure I don't miss that again, 'cause it's important.

I mentioned to Geoff, my manager that I wanted to come in late a couple of days this week and stay later so I can see what the after hours stuff is like, but of course I forgot to mention if today. Maybe if I call... *hmms* 10:45-7 should give me a good range.

I love this job so much, even if I'm so tired I can barely see straight...

Comments

[one-bat.livejournal.com]

Hey. Stumbled into your LJ by randomness. Surprised to see someone from Australia, then astounded to see someone working with cadavers. Used to work with Police Forensics myself, ran the Central Queensland unit for a few years. I agree, you can, and actiually IMHO must, distance yourself from it all. Let the Funeral Directors deal with the families. If you start getting involved with the families, you could find yourself taking on a bit of the sadness and pain. Over time, that all builds up. Can be a great job tho. Hope it works for you.

:-)

[deathpixie]

*nods* Oh, I know the distance is important, I just don't want to lose any remnant of sensitivity I have. Especially since working in the Coroner's Court, I have to deal with families, whether over the phone answering inquiries, or when they come in to ID folks. But yeah, thanks for the advice. :)

And welcome, btw. Not a regular updater by any means, but fellow Aussies who get the humour are always welcome. :)

[mitai.livejournal.com]

::snugs all up!:: I'm so glad you've found an aspect of your job that you really enjoy! You've been bored and working at far below your potential for so long, I'm sure it's such a joy and relief to actually feel like you've accomplished something challenging at the end of the day. I don't know about the Aussies, but Americans take almost all their life satisfaction from how they feel about their job - whether we think we're good at it, whether we feel valued by our boss.

I hope you enjoy it as much in a month as you do now!