Christine Wilson – Operation Booking Clerk
Before the plastic surgeon elects an operation time to make someone look beautiful or to repair major damage, they must verify the schedule with one of the most important people in the unit, operation booking clerk Christine Wilson.
After having a family I returned to work in 1990. I have been working at the Waikato Hospital ever since, organising booking schedules in an attempt to streamline surgical registers within the plastics unit.
The ward now operates on 20 or more patients every day. To me, accuracy and timing is essential.
People interaction is what I love about my job, so I try to be the friendly face that welcomes plastic surgery patients as they walk through the department doors. My official job is to allocate surgery times to patients to meet hospital schedule demands. My career first started in Invercargill as a hospital receptionist and since my move to the Waikato I’ve taken on a pretty vital role as head of booking for elective plastic surgery.
The pressure that comes along with organising surgery makes me a big believer in being patient and tolerant. These are some of the key factors that I think works in keeping things above board and running smoothly. Patience and tolerance have aided me in dealing with difficult patients and has helped me to deal with the setbacks you usually get with elective surgery: cancellations; budgets, nervous patients, hysterical family members.
One thing that seems to be quite consistent about my job is the phone abuse, but my experience in the field, along with a calm attitude, has helped me overcome that type of confrontation. I do my best to please everyone but I can’t stop surgeons being sick from time to time. New management systems and extra theatres along with the improvement in services has meant the abuse has somewhat dropped off the past few years. The hospital in recent years has rapidly developed into one of New Zealand’s leading hospitals. Its reputation in plastic surgery has increased with hospital growth. With the growth and expansion, management structures have changed as well. I have gone from one manager to many other managers; this has enforced a large workload for me but I enjoy the challenge change brings to my job.
My job description also varies along with the hospital changes. One day I’m a booking clerk the next I’m an acting personal assistant. I try to organise the doctors on a day to day basis, which isn’t easy.
My job is to keep the department running smoothly. Changes have been hard but they are constantly improving the delivery of services within the unit. I guess that’s what I love about the job, you don’t know what’s around the corner, but the unexpected excites me.
