A Day at the Office

Last Monday was anything but a typical day at the office, but that being as it was, it makes it a typical day.
I am working in Langley, BC right now, and for the next eighteen months. When there seemed to be a lack of northern contracts, I contacted two practices near Vancouver and asked them if I could work with them. Both responded yes. This one was closer to my home in Maple Ridge, and with the new Golden Ears bridge, it was only fifteen minutes from my home to the office in Walnut Grove. It seemed ideal!
For the last six months I have been part of this four midwife team.
Last week two Midwives were on vacation. Two was okay for covering the work, as we had fewer clients in August, knowing there would be vacations. Only, the second Midwife I was working with suddenly became very ill. It meant that I was alone, taking care of the women booked for four of us.
This had happened to me previously, when I was a lot less experienced and we were working in a group of three. Interestingly, at that time a Midwife from Manitoba had visited me while on vacation, and said, oh well, that means you are only taking care of what, forty-five or so women. We counted them. There were about ninety clients. She was quite shocked.
In this practice there are many more. We had few deliveries for August, having booked fewer, and having some go in July, but we did have three women overdue.
I did not have a delivery on Sunday evening and was very thankful. Went to the office on Monday and immediately things started going awry.
Messages on the phone had to be answered, as usual, but this day there were more than usual.
The second client in said to our receptionist, "you must have a mouse in that cupboard because there is a lot of squeaking and scratching going on".
Receptionist was very daring. She said, "in this cupboard?" and then she opened the door, and closed it just as quickly. She said "I can see it there". She was asked how big it was, and she showed us about four to five inches in length, with her fingers.
I said "It sounds too big for a mouse, I think it might be a rat". The fear of God was now within all of us!
Then she asked me what we should do. My suggestion was to call the property manager. Man, did she do it quickly.
The next two clients were overdue, and due the next day. They were standing in the office commiserating with each other, while I was answering another page, when the "bug men" got there.
The most hilarious thing was looking at the door of the cupboard and seeing that a piece of cardboard had been taped over the door, just in case there was enough room for the "mouse" to crawl out.
While the two clients were talking, and the receptionist and I were talking the "pest control guys" looked in the cupboard. They said it was a rat, and it was in the trap and banging it from side to side trying to get out.
I quickly took the next client into the consult room. No point in having to watch what was going to happen.
However, it always happens that there are lots of people around when things are going a little off. Another client arrived, and everyone is talking and casually watching what the exterminators are doing. They took various things into the cupboard, and then casually left. They did mention that they had reset the traps, and also said that the rat had to have come in from the roof, in order to get where he was.
There was no more scratching or banging.
Within a few hours though, the question became, "who was going to check these traps?".
We have electronic charting in our office, and one of the perks of the program is a message system. The messages started flying. The property manager was contacted again. She has arranged for the traps to be checked once a month. I am waiting for the stench of a dead rodent that has been left in the heat for a month!! Realistically though, the office would know if one had been there more than a couple of days. Pregnant women notice smells.
The rest of the day flew by. Lots of interesting "low risk" women, with lots of "high risk" problems.
It was a fun day, with no births, but lots of appointments, and lots of fun, with this "rat" incident.