I took over making the work roster from my colleague out of camaraderie. The previous MO who did the list was a lovely colleague whom I knew had been taking the punches for everybody for the many years I have known her at work. I believe that the moment she approached me to take over, she was already at wit’s end. At the same time, I think she knew that I was a person who could accommodate everybody else as much as she did to ensure that both clinical services and each medical officer’s personal matters were taken care of.

To become a roster maker, you could choose to be empathetic or a bitch who doesn’t give a shit. Since I started arranging the schedule last October, I’ve found that my colleagues are rather colourful behind the scenes. They are a mix of positive and negative traits but never too evil or goody-two-shoes all the time. They can be mischievous, and at times, when I am able to see through them, I would let them off the hook if it is not much of a nuisance. Otherwise, most of the time, my superior would sniff it out based on the whistleblower’s information. Yes, we do have a mole amongst us.

Anyway, back to my colourful MOs. There are the:

• ones who think the world revolves around them ONLY. The schedule has to fit them and their priorities ONLY. There is very little room for discussion and negotiate the demands of clinical work and other MOs. Dia je yg nak gi CME. Dia je yang nak itu dan ini. Time kita bagi, tetiba ada hal tu la, ini la. Bila tak dapat, mesej bos. what the fish.
• ones who have requests but are also accommodating of other people’s needs. Meaning, they provide back up plans with other negotiable dates, with clear objectives that allow me to provide my ideas of how to make the line up for work effective for everybody. I like this type of people. They are assertive in their scheduled and others.
• ones who go with the flow. While it may seem easy for me to place them anywhere, it does put me in a spot where I need to practice conscientiousness on my part. This is because I do not want to exploit this particular group of MOs. I do not want them to be burnt out. In fact, I would put this people on my watch list. Because they can either remain docile, turn rogue in a jiff or commit suicide. I am putting myself on this list as well.

To celebrate my one year anniversary, I will order an iced coffee today. Ha ha.