Hey Everyone,
Yep - this is going be a more professional post than some, but I will give some highlights of what October will hold in terms of running for me - not to worry!
October is the month for many things, but the one I choose to discuss is National Medical Librarians month. Specifically, I will debunk or support 10 myths about my field and my area of expertise. Ready or not, here we go:
10) All librarians - especially medical librarians - own cats or dogs.
Nope - I am highly allergic to cats and, despite enjoying well behaved dogs, I will not have ever have an inside dog. They also have this horrible tendency to chase me, while running, and I even got bitten one time. So - I happily follow people on instagram with these pets. I may at some point have another inside pet, but given that I travel and work quite a bit, this pet is going to have be ok with being on its own.
9) Being a member of the Medical Library Association is a required for being a Medical Librarian.
Most definitely no - I joined in 2007 and, with a few exceptions, I attend the annual meeting each year. For the past year or so, I have been leading one of the groups (Educational Media and Technology Section). The conference rates keep going up, but I feel it is important to attend, even if it means self funding part of the expenses. If you cannot justify the cost, state or regional health science association meetings are a great place to "test out" the conference scene. They usually are more affordable and it is fun to meet many people in a smaller setting.
8) What does AHIP mean? Why should I bother?
AHIP - Academy of Health Information Professionals - is a way to keep up with the trends in the field. I delayed joining, because it is much easier to renew at a higher level. I entered at the Senior level in 2014 and I will be moving up to Distinguished in the next year or so. Not all medical librarians are part of it, but it is a good way to show your dedication to the profession. It is also a lot less painful and cheaper than getting a second masters degree or a doctorate.
7) Umm...I have issues with Blood, which means I cannot be a medical librarian.
While most medical librarians do support health care professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc), we rarely end up dealing with blood. Yes, HIPAA training is required, although most clinical faculty members do not discuss patients at all, even if they know you have the training. I respect this. So - no - if you are afraid of blood, this is still an area to consider.
6) All medical librarians do research and publish.
This is so decidedly not true. Most librarians - maybe more so medical librarians - do not ever publish. Some decide to do it, but this is usually as part of a tenure track position or for promotional purposes. Then again, a group find it interesting and decide to do it, because they want to do research.
5) All librarians knit or crochet.
HAH - this is so not true. Although, I do no knit and sometimes I attempt crocheting. I prefer knitting and usually have a couple projects on hand, because it is fun to switch and do different ones to get past the "oh my...I have xxx repeats to do and it is making me insane!"
4) I will learn everything I need to be successful in my Masters program.
This is one of my major pet peeves. The masters program is highly theoretical and, quite frankly, I sometimes wonder why it is necessary. I decided to get experience - with little help from my program - and did 2 internships and a practical experience at three places in the DC area. Each one taught me what I did not want to do and assisted in determining the setting that would eventually work best for me.
3) Library School
If you want me to be ready to yell, scream, and likely loose my temper, just mention the words, "Library School." It is a masters degree. Yes, it might be (quietly like is) easier to get than many, but it is still a requirement for most professional positions. If you don't have one, then promoting and career advancement are tough. The first step toward becoming acknowledged and well respected as a profession is to quit referring to the program as, "library school."
2) Tenure track positions are the best. All librarians should be required to get tenure.
I am 2 years and nearly 3 moths into a tenure-track position. Whether or not I get will determine if I must quickly seek a job (after 6 years) and explain why I did not get it. If I get it, then it does ensure some stability. I am quite sure it is easier to get a doctorate degree than it is to achieve tenure. Most likely - whether or not I achieve it - I will write about this topic in detail, but first I want to get through it.
1) Why would I need a librarian? Google has all the answers. Let me just "google" it and prove it to you!
Librarians use Google just as much as everyone else, but we should not be threatened by Google. Why? Medical databases, technology, an the practice of health care are always changing. People do not receive adequate training, get stuck, and resort to Google. If we, the professionals, quickly demonstrate a more efficient way of retrieving the "information" by not Googling, then the person will respect our position, talk favorably about the library, and return with more complicated questions. Don't fight Google. Instead use it as a conversation starter and a way to encourage people to use databases for more effective searching.
In late September 2007, I started my first professional position and I graduated with my masters degree in December. The journey to where I am now contained more twists, turns, challenges, and fun than I could have anticipated. Should we all become librarians? No. Do I still prefer to be "incognito" and introduce position as, "I work for the College of Medicine or I am an information professional." Yep - you see, the term "librarian" gives people the wrong impression. And so - I confuse 98% of people with my description of what I do and, those who work with librarians or keep current, - figure it out and start asking good and specific questions.
I will be in Cleveland next weekend and then in Traverse City and Mackinac Island the following week. Two weeks after that, I will be running my first trail half marathon on Mackinac Island. I think that I have found trail shoes, which will keep me vertical, but I will test them a few more times to be safe.
Stay happy, keep running or exercising, and high five the medical librarians - they need it, even if you might not guess it by the smiles you see during the month of October.
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Sunday, September 23, 2018
It's been...two months and 18 days, but I am finally posting. Alert - this might be lengthy!
Hey All!
If I claimed the past 2 months and 18 days were dull, then I would surely be lying. Instead, I travelled to-and-from Chicago for a week of training. Then, the weekend after that I drove to Indianapolis and completed my first relay. I have decided relays require more planning than I gave my first one but they are kind of fun.
Two weeks later, I ran a 5k and managed a 28:45, which is the fastest 5k time I have seen in many years. It's not quite my fastest ever, but I was ecstatic.
Then, I did a 5 mile trail race and volunteered for about 6 hours after it with people I had not met previously. Going into it, I had a bit of tough night, rough morning - I was thrilled they let me participate and I will be happy tp race and volunteer again with this group. It is the most fun I have had volunteering in a non-professional circumstance since moving to the Northwest Ohio - Southeastern Michigan area.
The past 26 months professionally have taught me a lot. If I am required to do research (yes, it's part of the job!), then I am going to find a way to make it meaningful to the community and people I support. My masters program was theoretical enough that it took me a while to figure out how it applied (or didn't in many cases) to what I do. I no longer feel ashamed for doing the work at the office and, in fact, it assists in determining how I allocate the funds under my purview. It is also a fantastic opportunity to better understand how those I serve think and feel.
After a brief six week stint - I concluded that running my own business or being a contract/consultant on the side is not for me. To do it, I need a definite start and end date. Does more to this "story" exist, of course - but given how trusting I am of technology, the lack of evidence about this latest adventure should tell you a lot.
Health wise - my fitness continues to improve and I am getting a bit gutsy. Trail racing fascinates and scares me. My first test of trail shoes led to achy feet and a crank shin. Those shoes are going back the store and thank heavens they have a 30 day return policy. The problems I expected to have never appeared. Instead, I went to my local running shop, asked a bunch of questions and posed the one, which still confuses me about different wear patterns on my shoes. I am hoping this next pair of trail shoes works. I am definitely a size 8 (don't try to put me in something else or my shoes flop like chicken wings when I attempt to accelerate).
Do I still have health questions? Yep. Did I fear for about a month of being the, "Patient from Hell?" Yep - I have been informed that advocating for my health and getting a good response from the doctors (i.e. they moved up the appointment!) are good things. I am not stopping until I get some answers but I also hope to lace up my newly acquired trail shoes for the Great Turtle Trail Half Marathon at the end of October.
My professional association is restructuring and, being a leader of a group, it means lots of extra meetings, talking, and sussing out what the group wants. I am fortunate to have a good supporting group of people and many others are willing to give me opinions. How this plays out? Well - it's all going to happen in the upcoming months regardless of whether or not we can reach a consensus. I only hope - at the end of it - my group emerges with a renewed sense of purpose and desire to continue pushing the association members to try new things, be innovative, and yet find the fun in what we do.
Technology - if used properly - can be good and hold the attention of the audience. We are running the, "My Favorite Tool," session for the second time in May 2019. It will be fun, fast-paced, and a bit different. The rockstar judges know that I will protect them from contestants and the contestants know I am not judging them, because face-it I could not do so with an unbiased perspective. I only hope that we get a good turnout, some volunteers to keep up the Twitter commentary, a web conferencing system that allows for instant voting and tallying, but most importantly that everyone (audience, contestants, judges) have fun. It worked last year and we have a chance to make this next round even better.
Until next time - which should occur before 2 months have passed - keep your chin up and don't forget to find the fun and bright spots, even if they both play the disappearing game.
If I claimed the past 2 months and 18 days were dull, then I would surely be lying. Instead, I travelled to-and-from Chicago for a week of training. Then, the weekend after that I drove to Indianapolis and completed my first relay. I have decided relays require more planning than I gave my first one but they are kind of fun.
Two weeks later, I ran a 5k and managed a 28:45, which is the fastest 5k time I have seen in many years. It's not quite my fastest ever, but I was ecstatic.
Then, I did a 5 mile trail race and volunteered for about 6 hours after it with people I had not met previously. Going into it, I had a bit of tough night, rough morning - I was thrilled they let me participate and I will be happy tp race and volunteer again with this group. It is the most fun I have had volunteering in a non-professional circumstance since moving to the Northwest Ohio - Southeastern Michigan area.
The past 26 months professionally have taught me a lot. If I am required to do research (yes, it's part of the job!), then I am going to find a way to make it meaningful to the community and people I support. My masters program was theoretical enough that it took me a while to figure out how it applied (or didn't in many cases) to what I do. I no longer feel ashamed for doing the work at the office and, in fact, it assists in determining how I allocate the funds under my purview. It is also a fantastic opportunity to better understand how those I serve think and feel.
After a brief six week stint - I concluded that running my own business or being a contract/consultant on the side is not for me. To do it, I need a definite start and end date. Does more to this "story" exist, of course - but given how trusting I am of technology, the lack of evidence about this latest adventure should tell you a lot.
Health wise - my fitness continues to improve and I am getting a bit gutsy. Trail racing fascinates and scares me. My first test of trail shoes led to achy feet and a crank shin. Those shoes are going back the store and thank heavens they have a 30 day return policy. The problems I expected to have never appeared. Instead, I went to my local running shop, asked a bunch of questions and posed the one, which still confuses me about different wear patterns on my shoes. I am hoping this next pair of trail shoes works. I am definitely a size 8 (don't try to put me in something else or my shoes flop like chicken wings when I attempt to accelerate).
Do I still have health questions? Yep. Did I fear for about a month of being the, "Patient from Hell?" Yep - I have been informed that advocating for my health and getting a good response from the doctors (i.e. they moved up the appointment!) are good things. I am not stopping until I get some answers but I also hope to lace up my newly acquired trail shoes for the Great Turtle Trail Half Marathon at the end of October.
My professional association is restructuring and, being a leader of a group, it means lots of extra meetings, talking, and sussing out what the group wants. I am fortunate to have a good supporting group of people and many others are willing to give me opinions. How this plays out? Well - it's all going to happen in the upcoming months regardless of whether or not we can reach a consensus. I only hope - at the end of it - my group emerges with a renewed sense of purpose and desire to continue pushing the association members to try new things, be innovative, and yet find the fun in what we do.
Technology - if used properly - can be good and hold the attention of the audience. We are running the, "My Favorite Tool," session for the second time in May 2019. It will be fun, fast-paced, and a bit different. The rockstar judges know that I will protect them from contestants and the contestants know I am not judging them, because face-it I could not do so with an unbiased perspective. I only hope that we get a good turnout, some volunteers to keep up the Twitter commentary, a web conferencing system that allows for instant voting and tallying, but most importantly that everyone (audience, contestants, judges) have fun. It worked last year and we have a chance to make this next round even better.
Until next time - which should occur before 2 months have passed - keep your chin up and don't forget to find the fun and bright spots, even if they both play the disappearing game.
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