Our team of NILMDTS photographers decided upon an on-call rotation to help break up the work amongst ourselves — the 21 of us. So now, we are on call 1x per 5 months (approximately).
For the last 1.5 weeks, I’ve filled in on-call because part of the week was mine and part was for a photographer that dropped out at the last minute due to a family emergency.
In any case … I was called *8* times. 🙁 Three times, it was after hours or the family was undecided or something kept me from going. That means five times this week I went … first to WakeMed, then to UNC, then to Duke AND UNC in one night — keeping me out until 1:15 am and then finally to UNC again.
Yuck. Yuck for the families, Yuck for the hospitals and staff and yuck for me.
One of our photographers is a former photojournalist for Reuters turned Social Worker. She works for Alamance County but lives around here so she supports both. She’s new to the group but keeps in touch with me and asked to shadow me on a session when I next week. We couldn’t connect during the week for her to go, but hearing I dealt with so many she emailed me offering her shoulder if I needed personal support (the emotional side of things).
I said I didn’t because I’m often a bit “remote” to the situation and where they affect me I generally can let it go (I think it’s a faith thing 🙂 ). She said it sounded like I had been trained in social work to be able to let it go like that. That made me feel good — let’s me know I’m doing this right! 🙂
In any case it was a rough week and even last night — before the 10pm deadline, I had yet another possible call to Duke. Turns out, our on-call person that started today took that call early this morning along with a 2nd one at the same time.
When it rains, it pours and right now, it is pouring sorrow for these families. 🙁