Army Hospital (R&R)

Working in the Department of Anesthesiology at the Army Hospital (R&R) is a bit different than other parts of the building. We are tucked away in a section that stays fairly quiet, which is helpful for the kind of work we do. It’s mostly about prep work and keeping a close eye on the monitors. The rooms are filled with a lot of tubing and machines that beep at different rhythms. It can be a bit overwhelming for someone just walking in, but for us, it’s just the office. We don't have windows in most of our work areas, so we rely on the bright overhead lights. The air feels thin and dry because of the ventilation system. Most of the staff here have been doing this for a long time. We have our own little corner for jackets and bags. Sometimes the coffee is cold by the time we get to it, but that’s just how it goes when things get busy. We don’t have a mission statement hanging on the wall or anything like that. We just focus on the task right in front of us. It’s a lot of double-checking dials and writing down numbers in charts. The floors are scrubbed every night, so they stay pretty clean compared to the main entrance. It’s a serious place, but we still find time to joke around a bit when the shift is almost over.