Posted by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) in Pre sim- Reporting to Chief of Staff

Posted by Lieutenant John McCandless (Head Nurse) in Pre sim- Reporting to Chief of Staff

Posted by Commander Brad Walker (Chief Of Staff/Second Officer) in Pre sim- Reporting to Chief of Staff
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
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John nodded and shook Brad’s hand firmly. His father used to say:”Whenever you shake a man’s hand, be sure to stand Johnny boy, and grip firmly. But not too hard mind!” John smiled at Brad.
“Apparently so.”
“Thank you Sir, it’s good to be hear. I’ve heard great things about the ship and crew.”

“We do try,” Brad said, releasing the grip and gesturing to a seat across the desk before resuming his own.

“So, what brought you into the medical field?”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John took some time to answer the question, using the time it took to sir in the chair before responding. He sat with his hands in his lap looking over towards Brad.
“Well, I was always fascinated by medicine and with the desire to do something to care for people. I want to make a difference, do something that matters. Caring for those at their most vulnerable, when they need me the most.”
“My father was a Doctor and he really showed me what a difference a good physician and nursing team could make.”
“I feel like too often Doctors and Nurses work at odds with one another. If we could only get past that, we could accomplish great things. At least, that’s been my experience so far. I’m sure it’s different here.” John replied, interested to hear Brad’s take on the medical staff on the Ogawa.

Lt John McCandless, Head Nurse

“I won’t say we haven’t had any clashes of ego,” Brad said, gently. “But it is generally a collegial atmosphere here, and any disagreements over diagnoses or treatment plans are usually settled without things rising above indoor voices.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John nodded appreciating Brad’s honesty.
“Well that’s good to hear. I’ve come from some pretty tense working environments so that sounds....refreshing.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been aboard the ship Sir?” John asked.

Lt John McCandless, Head Nurse

“Four years now, I think,” Brad said after a moment’s thought. “I came aboard the old McCoy-class Owie for a couple of missions, then we upgraded to this new ship after a right nightmare of a trip through some sort of anomaly or other.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John raised his eyebrows.
“Are we expected to be in the thick of the action a lot Sir? I assumed that wouldn’t necessarily be the case.” John replied.

Lt John McCandless, Head Nurse

“No, that was… well, anomalous,” Brad said with a wry grin. “We remain a rear-echelon posting, but you never know what you can run into in space.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John nodded.
“Hopefully it’s not something that will happen too often.” John replied with a smile. “I’m looking forward to starting. This is my first posting on a starship. It’s rather…exhilarating. Not knowing what to expect.” John stated.
“Is there anything I need to know Commander? Anything I should be aware of, anyone to look out for?” John asked.

Lt John McCandless, Head Nurse

“The one Doctor I’ll tell you to look out for is Dr. Marshall. He’s the head of the Emergency Department and our chief Surgeon. If you’ve been doing this for a while, I’m sure you know how surgeons can be. He’s very picky, generally has one nurse that acts as his left hand and prefers not to use others. He’s much more mellow than he used to be, but still, keep an eye out.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

John raised an eyebrow at the mention of Doctor Marshall. He appreciated Brad being upfront and honest. John knew full well that Doctors could be very particular sometimes and have some funny ways, especially surgeons.
“Thank you Sir, I’ll be sure to bare that in mind and adjust the rota to ensure the nurse is on shift with Doctor Marshall. I certainly know how Surgeons can be. I worked with one who would only operate with a particular set of tools and they all had to be lined up and inspected by him personally, if it was exactly how he liked them you’d better watch out!” John replied with a chuckle.

Lt John McCandless, Head Nurse

Brad chuckled as well. “Well, Drake has never been quite that bad, at least in my experience, and as I said, he’s matured a great deal over the past few years. I’m not going to ask you to prove yourself to him, but merely show him that others on our staff have the skills he looks for in an assistant in the surgical theatre as well.”

Cmdr. Dr. Brad Walker
Chief of Staff

“Of course Commander. I’ll do my very best.” John replied. He was keen to show that he could do a good job in running the department. He knew he didn’t have anything to prove but he still wanted to make a good impression.
“I’ll make sure to wean him off gradually, no reason he should go cold turkey.” John added with a smile.

Lt John McCandless, Head Nurse