‘Hello; you’re through
to the Middleton Hospital, good morning.’ If Sarah had said that once, she had
said it ten thousand times. She had been the senior telephonist at the hospital
for many years. It was a job she loved, and she prided herself on her
efficiency.
‘Get
me Davies, will you,’ instructed the caller.
Surprised
by the caller’s tone, Sarah paused before replying.
‘We
have a couple of gentlemen in the hospital called Davies, which Mr Davies do
you wish to contact?’
‘Davies
on the medical unit.’
‘Oh
you mean, Doctor Davies,’ Sarah replied, emphasising the word Doctor. She held
the hospital’s senior physician in high regard.
‘Yes,
Dr Davies, and be quick about it.’
The
caller’s tone upset Sarah. ‘May I enquire who’s calling, please?’
‘My
name’s irrelevant. Now hurry, will you? I’ve not got all day!’
It
was Tuesday morning, and Sarah knew that Dr Chris Davies would be seeing
patients in the Out-Patient Department and wouldn’t wish to be interrupted
unnecessarily.
‘Perhaps
you could tell me the nature of your call?’
‘No,
I can’t; damn you. It’s confidential. Just put me through!’
Sarah
was not accustomed to being spoken to in this fashion but remained
professional. ‘Please hold the line, and I’ll see if he is available.’
She
put the caller on hold, and then rang the clinic where Dr Davies took the call.
The minute the line was cleared, she rang the clinic again where the consultant
picked up the phone.
‘Hello,
Dr Davies,’ she said, ‘this is Sarah from the switchboard.’
The
consultant knew her well. She was a longstanding colleague in the hospital and
had been a patient of his as well.
‘Hi
Sarah, what can I do for you?’
‘I
wonder if you would tell me whom it was that called you a moment or two ago.’
Dr
Davies frowned; it was an unusual request.
‘Why
do you want to know Sarah?’
‘Really
to let you know that he’s the rudest man I’ve ever had to deal with, in all the
years I’ve worked here.’
‘Oh
dear, Sarah. I’m sorry if he upset you. His name is David Bartram-Smythe. He’s
an applicant for the vacant consultant job we have in the Medical Department.’
‘Would
that be the Dr Bartram-Smythe who worked here as a junior doctor a couple of
years ago?’
‘Yes
it would; do you remember him?’
‘I
certainly do, and at the risk of speaking out of turn, may I say I hope he
won’t be appointed.’
So do I, Dr Davies thought, though he
held his words in check. ‘Thank you, Sarah,’ he said, ‘that’s useful feedback.
I’ll bear it in mind.’
Later
that week, Chris Davies and his consultant colleagues, amongst them Jim
O’Connor and Frank Taylor, met to discuss the forthcoming appointment. Chris
opened the meeting by relaying his conversation with Sarah. This surprised
no-one. They all remembered Dr David Bartram-Smythe, or DBS as he was always
called. Though academically brilliant, his time working at the Middleton had
been a disaster. His superior demeanour, and his rude and dismissive attitude
towards those he considered inferior had caused endless trouble. Several times
he had been advised as to his behaviour, but it had made little difference.
Everyone had been pleased when he left for a post at a prestigious London
teaching hospital.
‘Our
problem,’ Jim remarked ‘is that on paper, he’s a very strong candidate. He has
an excellent CV. He has a higher degree, he’s done some important research, and
his references have been written by some high-flying people, a couple of
professors amongst them.’
‘That
may be true,’ Frank replied, ‘but when he was here before, he caused endless
trouble with his arrogance, his ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude and his rudeness to
the nurses. If you remember, there were disputes about the duty roster and
arguments about holidays. Worst still, he upset patients on numerous occasions.
I don’t want him to return, especially as a permanent member of staff.’
‘I
agree,’ Jim said. ‘This has always been a good hospital in which to work. It’s
a friendly place, with a pleasant atmosphere. Most of the staff are local,
they’re loyal, and everyone gets on well together. We’ve worked hard to build
that reputation, we mustn’t risk destroying it.’
‘Then
we must make sure he’s not appointed,’ Chris said. ‘I’ll find out who will be
on the interview panel, and see what I can do.’
Dr
Davies’ enquiries, however, left him more pessimistic than ever. There were to
be seven members on the interviewing panel; a professor of medicine from
London, representatives from the University and the Royal College, two lay
members, one of them acting as chairman, and only two, Chris himself and the
hospital’s chief executive, from the Middleton.
Chris could envisage exactly
what would happen. Bartram-Smythe would turn on the charm and sweet-talk the
lay members, and then impress the academics with his research achievements.
When it came to deciding on the appointment, they would lose the argument by
five votes to two. At a stroke, the happy, sociable atmosphere that existed in
the hospital, and particularly on the medical wards, would be destroyed.
Meanwhile,
the matter was widely debated on the hospital’s grapevine, and it became
obvious that the possibility of DBS returning was causing considerable
disquiet. One of the ward sisters even said that he upset patients so much that
she would leave if she had to work with him again.
Three
candidates had been selected for an interview; DBS and two others, either of
whom Dr Davies would have welcomed with open arms. But as the date of the
appointment approached, he had a deep sense of foreboding. At the interview, he
could stress to the other members of the panel, the need to maintain the
pleasant atmosphere and harmony that existed within the hospital, but he knew
that such a soft argument would count for naught with the majority of the
panel.
The
big day arrived, and as was usual, the candidates were to be interviewed in
alphabetical order. DBS would be seen second.
The
first candidate was called into the room. The interview lasted some 40 minutes,
but at its conclusion, there was no sign of Dr Bartram-Smythe.
‘Obviously,
he isn’t interested in the job.’ Chris Davies remarked, clearly hoping that his
application could be dismissed, ‘I suggest that we proceed without him.’
But
the chairman was having none of it. ‘He’s probably just been delayed by the
traffic,’ he said. ‘We’ll see the third candidate next, and interview him
later.’
When
the third candidate had also been interviewed, and DBS still hadn’t arrived, Dr
Davies, now beginning to feel slightly more optimistic, again suggested that
his application be discounted. The chairman, however, asked that he be
contacted, to determine his whereabouts.
It was his wife who answered the
phone. ‘Oh
dear,’ she said, ‘didn’t he let you know? He decided to withdraw his
application.’
To
Dr Davies’ great relief, the committee appointed the stronger of the two
remaining candidates. He left the room with a huge smile on his face and
immediately rang the switchboard, to contact his colleagues to tell them the
good news. It happened to be Sarah, who was on duty.
‘Are
the interviews over?’ she asked eagerly. ‘Did that dreadful man turn up?’
‘No,
as it happened, he didn’t. But what made you ask that? Did you think that he
might not attend?’
‘I
just thought he might be put off by the rumours that are circulating about the
Middleton being downgraded to a cottage hospital; you know, losing its
maternity, paediatric and emergency departments, and so on.’
‘But
that’s nonsense. There aren’t any such rumours. It’s the very opposite, in
fact. We’ve been selected for development. Ten million is coming our way for a
new pathology lab and x-ray department.’
‘Oh
dear,’ Sarah said innocently, ‘I must have have misled the poor man. I bumped
into him when he came to look round the hospital a couple of weeks ago. For
some reason, he thought I was the hospital’s general manager. I’m very sorry,
Dr Davies; I’ll make sure those rumours about becoming a cottage hospital go no
further.’
J'ai trouvé un exemple réussi de cette vérité à travers ce blog. Je vais utiliser ces informations maintenant.
ReplyDeleteViagra générique
Ce blog est absolument bon.
ReplyDeleteAcheter propecia
Sono grato a questo blog che mi offre una conoscenza unica e utile su questo argomento.
ReplyDeleteComprare Propecia Senza Ricetta
Teilen Sie großartige Informationen über Ihr Blog. Blog ist wirklich hilfreich für uns.
ReplyDeleteCialis ohne rezept bestellen
Dieser Blog ist wirklich hilfreich, um aktualisierte Angelegenheiten über das Internet zu liefern, was wirklich einschätzbar ist.
ReplyDeleteViagra mit Dapoxetine Deutschland
La sugerencia impresionante y poderosa del autor de este blog es realmente útil para mí.
ReplyDeletemodafinilo comprar
Leí tu blog ahora comparto gran información aquí.
ReplyDeleteComprar accutane online
Very interesting. Your article is so convincing that I can never stop myself from saying anything about it. You are doing a great job, thanks for sharing such a great blog. Hospital in Bryan
ReplyDeleteGreat blogs learned many things about medical equipment’s from this article, very informative.
ReplyDeleteNeonatal Warmer
Neonatal Incubator
Delivery Table
Baby Warmer
labour table
neonatal cpap
Exceptional blog with perfectly crafted content and which is also why i really appreciate this one a lot. Also, the topic choosen is very high on demand hence, good choice. " digital marketing agency"
ReplyDelete