Today, I was able to perform!!!!!! I mean, really perform!!!! I was so excited to have had the opportunity. My program manager sent an email to me and one other of my co-workers asking us to be a part of a "Code drill". It was a clandestine effort and we were not to let anybody else in on it. The plan was to call a Code Armstrong (staff member in danger) and a Code 7 (patient elopement) at virtually the same time!!! It was exhillerating! I felt like Kevin Hart when he describes the day his mom gave him permission to curse his teacher out.
"It's about to go down".
All day, I waited for 7 o clock to arrive. I looked at my phone every couple of minutes - brimming with the excitement that only comes pre-performance.
Here was the plan:
My program manger was to call me on my cell phone, which would activate the entire drill. I was then to call my co-worker, Brian, who would then tell his expressive therapist, Caroline, to go and get his rock climbing harness from his car. As soon as I saw Caroline, I was then to gather my children up who were outside on the playground, send Charlie* to do an individual session with my intern and then tell Caroline that Brian just called and said she needed to call a Code Armstrong immediately! A couple of minutes later I was to "notice" that one of my children (the child I sent to do an individual session with my intern) was missing and I was to find someone to call a Code 7.
Here is what actually happened:
Brian called me first. He was so excited, he could barely stand it. While he is on the phone with me, my program manager, Meg, called. The plan was now activated. I saw Caroline walk out to get Brian's rock climbing harness from his car, I had my children line up to go inside from the playground, I sent Charlie in to do an individual with my intern and had them enter through the adult program door. As soon as Caroline approached. phone in hand, I said, "Brian is on the phone. A fight broke out in the gym. We need you to call a Code Armstrong immediately!". Her face went flush. She handed the code calling off to the program nurse and said, "I need you to call a Code Armstrong to the gym". But the nurse heard, "I need you to come with me to the gym". So the code Armstrong was never actually called, but of course staff raced to the gym. A few minutes later I am running down the hall looking for someone to call a Code 7. I can't find anyone because everyone ran to the gym to help with the Armstrong. So, I give my patients to my dear colleague, Tiffani, and call the code myself. I then leave the floor and run outside "looking for" my eloped patient. Meanwhile, a real fight breaks out in one of the group rooms. Somebody goes to help poor Jennifer witht the two real life aggressive boys, Caroline comes running back to help me find Charlie, and then I see every MHT they have on inpatient staff filing out to help. So, I let Caroline off the hook, told her it was just a drill and everybody went back to business as usual. But now Caroline is upset! She thought that we were all playing a trick on her. Meanwhile, poor Charlie is in his individual session with my intern, and hears the Code 7 with a near perfect description of him, and he says, "That sounds like me. Don't I have on black pants? I have on black shoes with blue shoestrings and a black and grey striped shirt" and then the person announcing the code said that the child was 7. So, Charlie says, "Oh that's not me. I am 8".
Hillarious!!!! Another great day at the WB!
We had a debreifing afterwards with senior administration and security. They said the code was necessary to help us identify holes in our processes, and yes, there are holes. But overall we did well. They were impressed with our staff, but more importantly, they were impressed with my description of the days events and more than that, they were impressed with my acting chops (it was my committment to the role they said). Because clearly that is what is important here! They want to use me to stage more drills. How funny is that?!!!!
*patient name was changed to protect confidentiality.
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