Gearing up... Two days of work left

So perhaps I haven't clarified my exact timeline.... to be clear, today is July 8, 2008 and I begin medical school orientation on July 31, 2008. My last day of work is this Friday (only 2.3 days left!!!). While I'm on the subject... how about a little discussion about my job. So technically, I am the syphilis epidemiologist for the state. I'm supposed to recieve and review every case of syphilis that is reported in the state, verify that the symptoms and testing history actually meet diagnosis criteria, and then to report whatever various performance numbers to the CDC. Unofficially, I am really just a data entry bitch. I mean really, do I need a Master's degree for this? How difficult is it to learn the progression of syphilis (maybe a learning curve of half a day), and to look over a case? Does this person have symptoms? Check. Positive lab test? Check? Sex with someone who had syphilis? Check. Ok it's syphilis. And if it's not, treat them anyway just in case.

Now as easy as this may appear, I, apparently am pretty high on the food chain around here. When I asked my boss about potential promotions for the future... she kinda laughed and asked me if I was trying to scope out her job. Huh? There must be like 50 people that work in my department. What the hell do they all do?? Working for the state is quite the phenomenon. I'm glad I had this experience before I committed to 5 years working for the government in some crappy hospital for partial loan forgiveness as a physician. I really can't believe the rigamoral that comes with working here. Here's a quick summary Below:

1) They don't give a rat's ass if you actually work or not... just as long as you show up and pretend to work. I could work my ass off to finish a project in 3 weeks that normally takes 4 months and no one would ever notice or praise me. But I show up ten minutes late twice in a week and we're having a meeting.

2) There is essentially no incentive to work... because promotions are just based on how many years you've been sitting in your cubicle conducting random searches on Craigslist. For example, here I am merrily blogging away. Nobody gives a damn.

3) People are truely morons that work here. Here's a perfect example of what I mean. This conversation took place between myself and the supposed syphilis expert during a syphilis training. We were discussing verticle transmission of syphilis.

Ella: So in verticle transmission do the treponemes actually cross the placenta, or does the mother have to have a vaginal lesion in order for transmission to occur?

Syphilis expert: Uh. What do you mean? Syphilis is in the mothers blood and it gets in the baby's blood.

Ella: Stare Ok well, the actual bacteria has to get into the fetal blood system somehow. Can treponemes actually migrate across the placenta?

Syphilis expert: The blood is mixed. So the baby gets syphilis.

Ella: I know I should stop at this point. Well, syphilis expert, as I'm sure you know since you have a degree in biology, human maternal/fetal blood systems don't mix under normal circumstances. That's why mothers and children can have different blood types, and why mothers must be tested for RH factor to ensure that their blood doesn't attack their fetus. What happens is the maternal capillaries get thinner and thinner (yada yada)... oxygen and glugose can cross.. (yada yada)... no actual mixing....

Syphilis expert: Well I've never heard that.

Rest of classmates: In unison That doesn't sound right to us.

Syphilis expert: Let me ask someone

Enter syphilis expert #2

Syphilis expert #2: So what's your question? (I repeat my question)

Syphilis expert #2: Well, the baby gets syphilis from the mothers blood. (I repeat my explanatation... and this is the second moment I should have ended this)

Syphilis expert #2: Where are you getting this information that the maternal and fetal blood don't mix.

Ella: exasperated beyond comprehension Um, science? It's a fact.

Needless to say, this conversation didn't get any better.