Posted by Lieutenant Alexis Bonner (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in pre-sim Bonner checks in with Walker

Posted by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) in pre-sim Bonner checks in with Walker

Posted by Lieutenant Alexis Bonner (Assistant Chief Medical Officer) in pre-sim Bonner checks in with Walker
Posted by… suppressed (1) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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“Jarvis? Definitely. How he continues to have a license to practice medicine is astounding to me. He redefines ‘mad scientist’, mostly because he doesn’t have the requisite crazy white hair.”

Unfortunately for this Jarvis, this news did not sit well with Alexis at all. She would be making a full review of his medical practice to determine whether he needed his license put on hold for a further review. If Walker was joking, it was too bad that Alexis was far to serious when it came to her work to grasp that right away. “I will look into that Cmdr. Research is essential to our work, but it must be done ethically.”

He gave her a small half-grin. “I’ve been handling almost all of the ship’s family medicine jobs myself for the last six months, much to the neglect of my actual job, because the last proper family medicine doctor we had up and left. It’s not my primary specialty, either, but needs must and all that.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis smiled brightly. She loved family medicine. She could do just about everything, but that was her first passion in medicine. “Well I am more than happy to take over that responsibility for you. Family medicine was my first specialty and has always been why I became a doctor. I’m happy to take over that.” What she really wanted to know though, “I can do anything medical, all day long. But what exactly are my duties specifically as the Assistant Chief Medical Officer?” When she had asked her previous CMO he had shrugged at her. He’d told her he’d never worked on a hospital ship, or any ship, that was big enough to need an AMO, so she would have to ask when she got there. Of course that could have been his way of making Alexis actually engage with her new CMO rather than be the insufferable know-it-all she sometimes appeared to be. Being so much younger, and so much more skilled at the same time, had made her an annoyance to some of the crew on her previous postings. Now though, she was older, and she should probably learn to socialize more.

“Well, on the Owie I would say you would be responsible for managing the Primary Sickbay. It’s a bit of a misnomer, since it’s actually the smaller of the ship’s two Sickbays, but it is the closest to the Bridge. But I’m given to understand we’re getting a new ship that’s laid out a bit different, though I’ve yet to be given actual specs for her,” Brad began. “So we’ll put a pin in that, seeing as we’re going to be station-side for a while to come. While we’re here, I’m going to expect you to liase between our staff and the station’s medical staff, find out where our people can be best put to use alongside theirs. And if that sounds like I’m dumping off a lot of my job on you, I am, but only because I’m at least three months behind on my paperwork. Give me three un-interrupted weeks to clear that out, and we can re-assess what I expect you to do.”

Alexis nodded. “I can take care of that. And if it’s three weeks you need, you’ll get it.” Alexis tended to take things like that quite literally. So if Dr. Walker needed 3 uninterrupted weeks in his office to work, she would make sure no one bothered him, for anything. Unless it was the Cpt or XO. “I do have a question though, Sir. Who am I assigning jobs for? Is it anyone that could be considered attached to medical? Like the counseling staff and medical researchers? Usually counseling is it’s own department and medical researchers are sometimes assigned to the science department. Or is it just strictly medical staff? I don’t want to over look anyone or step on anyone’s toes, as it were.”

“Medical staff only,” Brad clarified. “In a pinch, you could probably order around the counseling staff or the researchers, but they’re technically out of your purview. Both do report to me, but I’m junior only to the Captain and XO.”

Alexis nodded, making note of that. “I will leave them to you then, Cmdr. I might be chief but there is no need for me to step on toes.” And without trying Alexis usually did. She was a good doctor and she was young, and had a self confidence about her work that often set people on edge, though she wasn’t always aware of it until after she’d stepped on those toes.

He fixed her a look. “First and foremost, while the first word in your job title is ‘Assistant’, I want you focused on the second, which is ‘Chief’. You’re learning how to be a supervisor and manager here, the basics of commanding a top-tier medical department; whether that’s on board another hospital ship in the future, a station’s Infirmary or even a planetary installation. I’ll be giving you opportunities to learn things it took me the better part of a decade to pick up, and thought it may seem like I’m expecting you to sink or swim, even failure can teach a lesson.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis took in his words and smiled. “I am happy to hear you say that Cmdr. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m not afraid of failure. It can chafe to not always get things right, especially in medicine when it affects someone else’s life and well being, but I never make the same mistake twice.”
Lt. Bonner, AMO

“That’s equally good to hear, although I’d imagine you wouldn’t have advanced as quick as you have if you weren’t devastatingly competent.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis actually liked that wording, devastatingly competent. She was, and she knew it. “Thank you Cmdr. I hope to live up to my reputation.” Of course she had no doubt she would. She’d worked hard to get to where she was and to earn her spot on Ogawa. She intended to prove she deserved to keep it. But unlike her previous assignment keeping this position does not rely on her amazing set of medical skills, but her ability to work and lead others. And the biggest group she had led to date was a surgical team. She’d never trained for command, in any capacity and she knew there would be a strict learning curve that she would have to scale quickly. “Any immediate advice, Cmdr?”
Lt. Bonner, AMO

“Stand your ground once you make a decision,” Brad said. “Some of our staff like to argue, if an instruction isn’t specifically to their liking.” He was obliquely referring to Marshall and Jarvis, here, but he figured she was bright enough to pick up on that. “Some of them are equal in rank to you, some are junior, but they all have a doctor’s ego and don’t like being told ‘no.’ If you give an order, stand firm and don’t countermand yourself. The only one in our department who can countermand you is me.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

Alexis chuckled, “No problem there, Cmdr. I haven’t met a brick wall yet, that could stand up to me.” She’d actually had a professor write that about her once, and she’d found it immensely accurate and funny. The problem with being a child prodigy was she was always right. Well 98% of the time. And it had been a long time since she was wrong. “My last CMO worked hard with me to curb my tendency to jump to an answer, a diagnosis, and to double check myself. He worked with me on listening to other experts on board. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but I had learned the value of it. I intend to make good use of that lesson while I’m here.” Alexis examined everything, even her own habits and behaviors from an intellectual point of view. And, well Alexis, was a stubborn as any room full of stodgy old doctors from a teaching hospital.
Lt. Bonner, AMO

“Good,” Brad replied. “And at the same time, I’m going to issue you a caution about some of the expert opinion you’ll receive here. From the aforementioned Dr. Jarvis in particular. He’s an expert in cardiology, but while the information he gives you may be technically correct, there may be a whole host of moral, ethical and even legal issues in implementing any advice he offers.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff
Even the One He Wishes Was Not On His Staff

This was the 3rd time Dr. Walker had mentioned Dr. Jarvis. “Cmdr. if he’s such a problem, why is he here? Why is he still being allowed to practice medicine? Should he have a psychiatric evaluation done to see if he is fit to work? He might be brilliant but if he’s not safe....” She let the question trail off. So far nothing that had been said about this man made her want to work or even consult with him. And if it wasn’t moral, legal, or ethical how could she in good conscious let him around patients.
Lt. Bonner, AMO

“He’s here over the objections of both myself and Captain Taylor. He was in prison for illegal experimentation, and some moron of a counselor got convinced he was rehabilitated and deserved a second chance, and got him released on the condition he join Starfleet. The Admiralty looked at his qualifications and assigned him to the Ogawa. He is not allowed to perform any procedure, no matter how mundane, without supervision, and that’s as restrictive as I can be without being hauled before the brass for insubordination,” Brad explained with a grimace.

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff