*Melissa*
I’m a bit of a germaphobe. And I’m realizing that my kind are a bit pampered in the US. The first thought that pops in to most people’s mind at this point is the obvious question of the career I’ve chosen. But forget all about that for a moment.
I enjoy the average day – the same things you do. I go to the gym, I do grocery shopping, I sometimes have no choice but to use a public restroom. I have a job where I use a copy machine, I deal with papers that are passed around through many sets of hands. And, I am unlucky enough to rely solely on public transport.
I have never realized how much I take for granted most of these “daily life” tasks back in the states. The sliding glass doors open for me walk in to the grocery store. A metal stand beckons with the current weeks ad. I grab one, simultaneously retrieving a wet antibacterial wipe from the plastic tub on top of the rack, before fetching a shopping cart or a basket.
Nothing is more nauseating than a bench freeing up at the gym, only to walk over and see a shimmering layer of sweat and oil left behind by the last man’s shoulders/back/chest – or the worst – buttcheeks. Back home I could speedily spray a quick layer of cleaning solvent over them, and wipe it vigorously with a towel before letting my own skin touch the cushion. I find my eyes are furtively pining for those cleaner bottles each time I go to the gym; I have had to buy my own cleansing wipes, and try to use those where I can (don’t even get me started on how black they often are after cleaning the grips on pulley-bars and row machines!)
Even the silly and often frustrating ‘ass-gaskets’ are amiss here, and after sitting in on a frightening conversation with one of the doctor’s, I have found myself returning to my childhood days – where Mum stood outside the stall doors saying “Did you cover the seat with toilet paper?” The doctor had made a valid point – in a country where “superbugs” are rife, and the most common route is transference through the excretive digestive tract - dirty toilet seats are a primary trasmission spot. Gloves, hand sanitizer, gowns: none of those protect you from the toilet seat, and all seems to be forgotten when it comes to the stalls.
To top it all off, I did the one thing germaphobes probably shouldn’t do – I watched ‘Contagion’ – happily bringing the word “phomites” to a broader audience than Professor Gary Zimmerman’s classroom at OIT. I personally recommend that everyone see this movie, if simply to bring awareness to germ transmission among the greater population, but it didn’t do much for this bus-goer, aside from making me cringe to sit in shorts, and create some interesting expressions when the bus-driver takes off before I’ve sat down, forcing me to brace myself by grabbing one of the poles (watch the movie!).
As for that timely question of the career field I’ve chosen – being constantly surrounded by germy things, and interacting with buggy patients daily, being touched by and having to touch: wet things, squishy things, slimy things, sticky things, smelly things, bloody things, rotting things (think diabetic toes) – I prefer to focus on the artistic side of the job. That delicate balance of black and white, the challenge of first-time perfection on every shot, and the excitement and suspension of hearing some of the most bizarre and incredible stories of injuries you could imagine. THAT is why I chose my career field.
And look at it this way: at least in a hospital environment, there is a greater focus on cleanliness, and a wider availability to those oh-so-lovely sanitizing agents, glaring back at you from every angle reminding you to de-bug your hands. After all, I may wash/clean/sanitize my hands and my work surroundings 15-50 times per day… how many times a day do you clean your keyboard, and scrub between your fingers?
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