Receptionist

WARNING: severe wordage and no pictures ahead! proceed at your own risk
(in other words, this is a boring post)

My first day at my new job as a receptionist Kim (the office manager who is training me) got sick at lunch. She went in her office, turned the lights off, and told me to ask her if I had any questions about anything. I had roughly four hours of training. I had a million questions! The next day Kim didn't even make it in to work and I was left with my four hours of training to run the entire office. On top of Kim being sick, Whitney (the second assistant) was also sick.  Sheena (the healthy assistant) was phenomenal as she did the work of two assistants and still found time to help me up front. That was an intense day, to say the least.

Last Friday, Kim was gone again. This time, however, it was a completely different experience. Sheena only had to help me a few times, people were asking me how to do things, and even more impressive, I was actually able to be helpful! There were still a few things that I saved for Kim, but for the most part I was able to handle everything that came at me. It was good for me to see how much I really could do!

Now I find myself wondering, "Is this really what I want to be doing?"

For thee past four years I had the incredible experience of working as an orthodontics assistant. I loved working with patients, assisting with a variety of appointments, and constantly being busy. I love the energy and the adrenaline rush of a busy afternoon and trying to manage three appointments at once.

Being a receptionist is a very different world. I knew it would be, and I wanted that different world. Whenever we had downtime at the orthodontist, I would always be up front wanting to do receptionist things while Tenille would be a good assistant and clean up the back or set up for the next appointment. I loved scheduling appointments, taking payments, and being able to help people on the phone. Now that I actually have that position though, I miss the energy and activity of the back. I am left to wonder if being a receptionist is really what I want. 

Saturday, I was reminded why I wanted to be in the front, rather than the back. We had a wisdom tooth that we ended up having to refer out to a specialist. You could feel the tension through the whole office. I was stressed and I wasn't even working on it! 

I remembered all those times when I had to take eight impressions before one was good enough to use, or I couldn't get a wire to fit, or my legs would literally be shaking for fear that my patient was going to throw up as I tried to keep the rest of my body still and appear calm, or I just did something stupid in the back. I would have that horrible sinking in my stomach and it would stay for the rest of the night and even continue to the following days. 

The great thing about Saturday was that I left work with no sinking feeling! I felt bad, but it wasn't the same as actually being involved first handed. I still get fulfillment when I am able to make appointments, take payments and help people on the phone. I love being able to interact with the public and being "the face of the office." It is definitely different, and I definitely miss working in the back, but at this point in my life, the front is exactly where I want to be. 

New season, new position. Both are good, just different.  

:)