Just the Fax, Ma'am
(With apologies to Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame ...) No joke - April Fool's Day, I got a voicemail from Vicki the clinical trial nurse. Her voice carried a note of controlled panic - could I please call her as soon as possible; there was nothing wrong, but there was an administrative problem that we needed to take care of as quickly as possible. So I settled in for some phone tag, feeling a mite less than reassured.
When we connected in late afternoon, she explained: she'd heard from the company sponsoring the trial. Tuesday, April 7 would be the first day for enrollment of new patients. As we would be in competition with several other institutions for the remaining spots in the trial, could I please, please fax the signed consent form to her no later than 9:00 a.m. on that date? I assured her that we'd figure something out, and set about lining up a fax machine for the proper date.
I mentioned this at the renal cell group meeting that evening. One of the caregivers responded, "FedEx Kinko's is open 24 hours a day." Well, geez, I'm not quite that clueless! It avails me nothing: there's no FedEx Kinko's facility in Marion, Ohio, and I'd have to drive 50 miles to get to one. We have an Office Depot, but it doesn't open until 9:00 a.m.
Fortunately for me, my credit union opens at 7:30 a.m.; when I put the question to them, they were more than happy to oblige me. I've been a member there for nearly 20 years and know everyone in the office pretty well. I sent my fax, and Vicki called to tell me that she'd received it and to thank me for complying with her request. Good heavens, I thought, I should be thanking her for making sure the way forward was as smooth as possible!
We do tend to take things for granted, don't we: "Doesn't everyone have ..." Starbucks? A multiplex theatre? Whole Foods and Trader Joe's? Or medical insurance? Good doctors? Prescription coverage? Adequate care facilities?
When we connected in late afternoon, she explained: she'd heard from the company sponsoring the trial. Tuesday, April 7 would be the first day for enrollment of new patients. As we would be in competition with several other institutions for the remaining spots in the trial, could I please, please fax the signed consent form to her no later than 9:00 a.m. on that date? I assured her that we'd figure something out, and set about lining up a fax machine for the proper date.
I mentioned this at the renal cell group meeting that evening. One of the caregivers responded, "FedEx Kinko's is open 24 hours a day." Well, geez, I'm not quite that clueless! It avails me nothing: there's no FedEx Kinko's facility in Marion, Ohio, and I'd have to drive 50 miles to get to one. We have an Office Depot, but it doesn't open until 9:00 a.m.
Fortunately for me, my credit union opens at 7:30 a.m.; when I put the question to them, they were more than happy to oblige me. I've been a member there for nearly 20 years and know everyone in the office pretty well. I sent my fax, and Vicki called to tell me that she'd received it and to thank me for complying with her request. Good heavens, I thought, I should be thanking her for making sure the way forward was as smooth as possible!
We do tend to take things for granted, don't we: "Doesn't everyone have ..." Starbucks? A multiplex theatre? Whole Foods and Trader Joe's? Or medical insurance? Good doctors? Prescription coverage? Adequate care facilities?
Labels: clinical trial, life in general
posted by rcclive at
9:08 AM
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