Is there a Doctor in the House - Part 2
Posted on 09 Feb 2014 @ 12:02pm by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal & Lieutenant Atri Bi'trell
1,504 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
M11: Feet to the fire
Location: USS Achilles
Da`nal's little trip to Starfleet Medical had opened the proverbial flood gates as the Achilles had received a massive amount of inquires and interest in the Chief Medical Officers position. Lance had done an excellent job, as always, in narrowing down the field but Da`nal and Lantiq had still spent most of the afternoon reviewing personnel files and conducting interviews.
As the most recent interviewee left Da`nal rose to refill his coffee. "Well I won't be doing that again..."
"Don't tell me another one wanted to start you on a course of tranquilizers again?!" Lantiq asked, looking up from reading one candidate's thesis on "Four ways to treat EVO suit boot toe fungus".
One of the previous applicants had stated that they had always found Klingons a little aggressive and thought that a mild sedative would be appropriate. Then offered to write the Admiral a prescription.
If Lantiq and Nelson had not intervened the interviewee would have been demonstrating their trauma handling capabilities, on themselves!
Deciding to pass on the toe fungus writer, Lantiq looked over the record of the next candidate for interview, one Atri Bi'trell. The woman had a routine start to her Starfleet medical career, training, first posting to get her hands bloody, but then had moved into research Now she wanted to get back out into space.
"How do you feel about the color blue?" Lantiq asked Da'nal innocently, just as the chime went on the door.
Picking up the next PADD as the door chimed. "Another Andorian?" His question went unanswered as responded to the chime, "Enter." As the doors parted a female Bolian stepped in.
Atri quickly finished straightening her uniform as the door slid open. The great array of possibilities that she'd been holding at bay until now, suddenly flooded into her mind as she made eye-contact with the Klingon Admiral and his First Officer.
~ Smile and respect. Smile and... honor? He's Klingon. How do you smile with honor? Do Klingons smile? I should have looked this up. Bajorans smile... maybe not so much this one. ~
Atri smiled brightly at Da'nal before coming to attention and announcing, “Lieutenant Atri Bi'trell reporting, sir," as the possibility of a stray cat fur on her uniform came to her mind.
Da`nal looked to Lantiq briefly; one didn't need Klingon senses to tell she was extremely nervous. There was a temptation to bait her but that would be dishonorable. "Take a seat Lieu...do you prefer Lieutenant or Doctor?"
"Oh, yes, of course," she said rapidly as she sat down. "I'm sorry; all of my superiors are Doctors. The research department just goes by rank... I guess I've gotten used to it."
~ What was that, Atri!? ~ She yelled from the back of her mind; acutely aware of her strangely elevated heart rate.
She was usually much more comfortable under scrutiny, and especially when meeting new people. Maybe it was the Klingon, or maybe it was her excitement at getting onto a starship; either way, it wasn't going to help her to titter and twitch her way through the meeting.
She took a deep breath and let it out somewhat slowly.
"Let's try that again," she said, regaining her composure. "'Doctor' is fine, sir."
Lantiq sat quietly observing for the moment, as was his way around new people, his gaze hidden behind his dark glasses.
Da`nal glanced at Lantiq. It was quite obvious that she was nervous, but was her nervousness based on being called before a flag officer or was it something else?
When it came time for Lantiq's input he asked "Chief Medical Officer on board a starship is quite a change from undertaking research in a laboratory, are you up to task?"
Atri smiled. "Research in a laboratory is child's play compared to a Chief Medical position," she said. "But I think my experience on Starbase 134, combined with the additional academic experience I've gained here on Earth has more than prepared me for the responsibilities of the position. I'm up to the task, sir."
"Very well, let's see" Lantiq leant forward "There's an accident in the armory. A phaser rifle power pack overloaded. The rifle misfired and cut the leg off a Marine below her knee. She's down, screaming her head off and bleeding out. The Armorer tried to shut the rifle down but it blew up in his face. He's lost three fingers on his left hand; two of them are laying on the floor alongside what's left of the Marine's leg. He also caught a face full of plastic shrapnel, including fragments in both eyes and another chunk in his chest. What do you do Doctor?"
Atri took a deep breath.
"Report the medical emergency," she said. "Then, I would most likely give priority to the Marine suffering the amputation, depending on a visual assessment of the other Marine. She is conscious, breathing, and in pain. Risk of shock is high. Barring a differential diagnosis by tricorder scan, I would administer 10 milligrams Lectrazine, followed by specific application of Autosuture and Vascular Regenerator to the fibular and tibial arteries. Continue observing for shock and secondary symptoms to ensure Lectrazine catalysis. Then, depending on a few factors, general Vascular Regenerator therapy on the wound site."
She gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, and added, "It would also be possible to adjust the Autosuture for Weibel-Palade body regeneration."
She looked between the two officers in front of her as she explained, "That would create a weaker bond than the Vascular Regenerator, and would require mophenolog therapy, but has the potential to ease the reattachment of the lost limb, or a biosynthetic one."
She took a breath and thought for a moment.
"As for the male Marine," she said, "if he's not dead already, then the outlook is generally pretty good. Throughout treatment of the female, I would try to keep talking with both of them to keep them calm. If necessary, I could talk the male patient through self-administration of bicaridine for his pain. At this point, I would hopefully have a medical team arriving to assist, since a medkit isn't going to have to tools I would need to remove any particularly deep shrapnel wounds."
Lantiq had seen more than his fair share of injuries in his time, and while no medic, he had patched up plenty of combat wounds. He turned and nodded to Da'nal, "She knows her stuff"
Then turned back to Bi'trell, she'd focused in on the situation and forgotten her surroundings. An easy mistake under the circumstances and not one to be held against her at this interview. "However, don't forget you aren’t alone in a lab here. The Achilles is a Prometheus Class, we have holo projectors throughout the ship, and you can call up the EMH to assist on site. Or you could have had the casualties inter-ship beamed to sickbay."
During the entire treatment explanation he had wondered why the EMH or transport of the injured hadn't been mentioned. She had focused on the injury itself and not the situation as a whole. Da`nal was bothered by that, "I don't know... As a Chief Medical Officer one need to be able to see and use all their options and do so quickly. Especially on a ship that is design for combat and will sent into harms way more often than other starships. Tell me something Lieutenant, just how long have you been working on research?"
"A little over two years, sir," Atri said. "I'm sorry; I suppose I was more focused on the academics of the scenario than the potential reality. As I'm sure you know, in a research environment we typically deal with events in a vacuum, and so I didn't think beyond the immediacy of the question. I have dealt with medical emergencies on Starbase, and am capable in trauma situations."
~I guess I have a little dust to brush off.~ She added silently to herself.
Atri hadn't known why she was uncomfortable, having had a similar interview before being placed at Starfleet Medical, but now it was clear: deep down, she felt her time on Earth had softened her, and now she had herself and a Klingon Admiral to convince that it hadn't.
Pulling at his beard Da`nal considered her reply; she had identified her oversight and countered it. All that aside there was something else that was siding in her favor; what that was he could quite put his finger on but it was enough to tip the scales in her favor. Looking to Lantiq he nodded, "What do you say we get her some quarters?"
Lantiq agreed "Welcome to the Achilles Doctor".
Atri did her best to contain her grin in a somewhat sheepish smile.
"Thank you very much, sirs," she said. "I'm sure you received a lot of applications for this position; I will ensure that you made the right decision."
Rear-Admiral Da`nal
CO
LtCmdr Lantiq Ryal
XO
Lt Atri Bi'trell
CMO
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