Warrior

The Bag Ladies (Clinical Analysts). Ballpoint pen on my Moleskine ruled notebook

They go to work carrying bags. A bag for the computer, one for their papers, a purse, perhaps a lunch bag and always there is another to catch all. Sometimes they have it streamlined and they only lug a bag or strap on a purse. During project implementations they arrive en masse. Someone has been dispatched ahead of time to make sure there are enough snacks and pleasure food set up for the entire week. Managers rearrange their schedule to bring hot breakfast. There will be shifts and rotations, much like their schedule when they were in the front lines. This time they are everywhere. They are in the front lines and back. There will be so much stress and tension. They will be tired and sleepy. They will be loud and quiet. They will concentrate while working on a resolution. They will break to chat and laugh. There will be huddles and telephone conferences. They will walk the halls or sit glued to the computer. A lot of coffee, pots after pots and diet Coke at 3AM; 24 hours a day for as long as the implementation last. Shoes will come off, blazers come off, by the third day some may wish to come in their pajamas. They teach, guide, assist. Someone may yell at them. A doctor or nurse may scream at them. They just stand there maintaining their calm. They understand the tension and they care. They were once just like them, in the front lines. Today they are clinical analysts and they are supporting a major clinical application implementation. They are warriors but they did not come to battle. They came to build and establish.