A Most Perfect Thank You

Yet another class of new hires has already wrapped up...I continue to be amazed at how fast time is flying in 2011 (and that 2012 is just 2 weeks away). This group was pretty fantastic, I have to say. We had a lot of fun with them, and they made our jobs very enjoyable. In trying to think how best to describe this group, I kept coming back to one specific example that I think sums them up very well.

One evening last week we were playing the emergency department game, where they work in teams to manage 4 hospital departments for a fake 24 hour period. Normally the groups come up with some fairly interesting and creative ideas of how to better play the game...but this group came up with the best one I've heard yet. This was the exchange:

Group - "Are we allowed to run our ER like a military hospital?"
Me - "...I'm gonna need more to go on than that...what in the world do you mean?"
Group - "Well, you know at military hospitals they treat patients in the hallways...they don't have to be in hospital beds. Can we do that here? As long as each patient still has a doctor and we log/pay for all the hours?"
Me - "Wow. I can't believe I've never heard that one before...interesting."
(Pause. I ponder the question, and consult with JP.)
Me - "You know what? It doesn't say explicitly that you can't do that in the directions, so go for it!"

So they did it. They started moving their patients (blue beads) into the hallway from the waiting area, and moving hospital staff (white beads) out with them. And this is what their ER looked like at the end of the game:
Note that they're only given 25 beds for the ER...but they are also treating 15 patients out in their "hallway." I've got to give them credit. It was a damn fine idea. And they ended up winning the game...though there was an "accidental cheating" situation in one of their other departments...so we're a little unsure how that affected everything else. The jury's still out. But they do get an A+ for creativity and "thinking outside the box."

And just when they couldn't get any better, they gave the instructors thank you cards and gifts. How very sweet of them. And very well chosen gifts. Remember how I coveted this Justin Bieber doll back in New York at Dave & Buster's?

Well the gang hadn't even seen that, but learned enough about me this week to give me these thank you gifts:

Hi-lar-ious. I absolutely swooned when they presented it to me this morning. To the class - you guys are too much. Thanks for being awesome, and for fueling my Bieber Fever fire even more.

They'll probably be happy to know also that my little Bieber doll will now be accompanying me everywhere I go. I will be capturing photo ops with him as he travels around the country with me. Here's his first one, post-being-let-out-of-the-package:

Biebs already made a friend at LM's place in Santa Monica! He's a little jealous of his friend's ability to grow facial hair though. And also a little peeved that his friend could totally kick his butt, should he so choose.