The Inbox Banana

A small part of my job as a unit clerk is to give reports and medical records to the hospitalist. (There’s always so many papers in their office. I feel like I’m entombing them Cask of Amontillado style).

They’re the doctor and I’m the secretary so I try to be unobtrusive. There’s this corner of their desk that I can drop stuff on without interrupting the doctor’s work.

One day, earlier this week there was a banana on the corner. I think I actually looked at the doctor and went “er… you want these here?” <gestures with papers at banana>. He said yes and I put the records on the banana and left.

The next day, the banana was still there. I put the imaging reports on the Inbox Banana and left.

Day 3, we had a new hospitalist on rotation. I thought the outgoing doctor would have taken his banana with him or the incoming doctor would have thrown it out (or maybe eaten it? I’m not a doctor and I don’t like bananas so I’m not sure how these things work). But the banana was still there so I put the papers on it and left.

Day 4 (yesterday) was the second day of the new hospitalist’s rotation. When I brought the morning rounding list the banana was still there so I put the paper on the banana and left.

I’m off now but on Day 4 the banana was getting a lot of spots on it. I think some people like it when their bananas have spots? I’m not sure, but I hope the Inbox Banana is gone by the time I start up again next week.