Posted by Captain Rende Asam (Commanding Officer) in Meeting the Captain

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Leah Hart (Nurse Practitioner/Counseling) in Meeting the Captain

Posted by Captain Rende Asam (Commanding Officer) in Meeting the Captain
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻
With her earlier inquiry about the Captain, Hart was hoping to gauge how to approach this meeting, but as she figured it the best policy was honesty. The way Leah saw it, she wasn’t here just for one person, even if that had prompted her transfer. No, her assignment was far bigger than that and she wanted to establish an understanding between her and the captain to avoid confusion with the crew. They wouldn’t know what prompted her arrival, but she wanted support making sure her role here was accepted… as much as possible in any case. Hopefully with that established, she could then talk about her primary case before her.

Walking with Rand, they approached and she let the yeoman take the lead here.

Rand pressed the chime on the captain’s door and waited for the door to open.

Rende was expecting the chime, and had instructed Rand to bring Hart after her tour. The captain opened the door, “Rand, come in.”

She stepped inside once they were invited in.

~Leah Hart, NP

“Captain, this is Lt Leah Hart.” After the brief introduction she left to continue the rest of her duties.

Yeoman Rand

“Welcome, Lt. Hart. Thank you, Rand.” As the door closed she waived to the chair next to her desk. “Have a seat, Lt. How are you settling in?”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah couldn’t help but laugh as she took a seat, crossing her legs at the knee. Her white nurse’s jumpsuit was impeccable and her boots without a scuff. “Ask me in a few days, or maybe a few weeks, Captain,” Hart said honestly. “I was on six ships in two weeks, and I’m just getting the lay of the land here, as it were.”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende smiled, “Rand is very efficient at her job, and Dr. Kreed assured me that you and your particular talents were very much needed on board. She made all haste to get you here as fast as possible. Now I imagine you have questions.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah nodded slowly. “I do. But first I feel we should chat about my role here. I understand fully that my presence was requested because of a specific crew member. But now that I am here, I don’t want you thinking that I am not committed to the ship and crew as a whole. I know how Starfleet Medical feels about what they consider extraneous staff on starships, but I for one think it’s crap,” she said bluntly. “I don’t want to be stepping in when things have gotten dire. My goal here will be to help prevent the kinds of issues that send people to Starfleet Medical for treatment and or end their careers. I also know that my psychiatry background is just a portion of my skillset, so I fully intend to use my emergency medicine background to help Dr. Kreed wherever I am needed.”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende glared at her. “Let’s make one thing clear, Lt. If I felt your skills were extraneous, then you would not be here. The officer in question would be on their way to earth via a star base. No matter what Kreed may think. So let’s remove that chip, shall we.” Rende took a moment to sip at her water and relaxed her posture. “Now, as far as your duties go, that’s up to Lt. Kreed. I don’t micromanage my departments. You’ll find plenty to keep you useful. I also suggest that you check the auxiliary office in sickbay. Before you came, we had a second Lt. Farquharson, who was also a nurse practitioner and an excellent counselor. My Yeoman assures me he left all his notes. So as for your role as a counselor, you will find this crew will be quite used to having someone fill that roll. Does that inform you as to your roll here?”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah was nonplussed at the captain’s reaction. “It does help, yes. And I assure you, Captain, there’s no chip here. I’m excited to be here. My concern is that regardless if you’ve had someone in the role before, a crew can sometimes resent someone like me showing up. I want to be seen as part of the team, not some interloper here to make things more difficult for folks, because the reality is that my presence will make things more complicated for some, but only because I want to help.”

~Leah Hart, NP

“That applies to anyone, in any position, Lt. That also sounds like an obstacle you will have to overcome. I can order people to make appointments, but that will just make them resentful. That won’t help you. This is a good crew, and close. They’ve been through a lot. I’m sure you have what it takes to find your place with us.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

She sure hoped so. This was very different than working at a hospital and while she was nervous about it, Leah had been careful to keep that carefully under wraps. As much as her mother was incredibly difficult, her whole ‘never let them see you sweat’ perspective came in handy in her line of work. “I will certainly do my very best to do so, Captain.”

Leah shifted her leg down and folded her arms on the edge of the desk. “Can we talk about my first patient? I’d like to get your perspective on what you’ve noticed and the like. The fuller picture I have before I meet with him, the better I can evaluate all the variables.”

~Leah Hart, NP

“Cmdr Alden? He’s an upstanding officer, young, ambitious, and dedicated. He’s moved through the ranks quickly. He kept this ship going on his own through 2 inept captains and long spaces in-between with no captain. He’s a stickler for safety regulations, but he’s fair. The crew likes him and trusts him. I’ve hear a few making humored comments about his adherence to regulations, but if something is wrong they go to him without reservation. I am really surprised that command didn’t just promote him to captain. He’s earned it.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Hart nodded, taking this all in. “And you had no concerns at all leading up to recent events? Any signs there was something more going on?”

~Leah Hart, NP

Rende took a deep breath. “I suspected he had an aversion to sickbay. He missed his physical and when I mentioned that I expected him and myself to show up for ours before the rest of the crew, to set the example, he hedged on it. Then of course I knew when Lt Kreed brought me into his office to discuss things. I’ve seen Cmdr Alden’s file, and I’m not surprised that there are lingering difficulties. However, we don’t know each other well. I’ve only been here at a month, and we work closely together, but we don’t know each other yet.”

Cpt. Asam, CO

Leah was thoughtful as she worked through everything in her mind. These pieces Rende gave her made sense and it was hard when a working relationship was new to know when to push or to even know the signs for a particular person. At length, she nodded. “All right, thank you for your input.”

She gazed at the captain, her deep brown eyes filled with determination. “I want you to know that sometimes my methods can be a bit unorthodox, but I always have my patients well being in mind when I do anything. The problem I have right now is that the commander and I don’t have a rapport yet. So we’re doing intense work immediately without that rapport. That complicates things, but it’s a situation I have a lot of experience with. The thing that is important to know is that I’m not here to fix anyway. I’m a guide. I take people down paths they are resistant to treading and can’t go down alone. And I can walk alongside them, but its their path, their journey. So long as they are willing to take each step down whatever path we end up on, there is hope for a good outcome.”

~Leah Hart, NP