Writer's Block, Idea #235

Describe the most boring job you've ever suffered through.

In the summer of 2004, between junior and senior year of high school, I was a paid intern at St. Luke's Hospital for approximately six weeks. Each week, interns were rotated between departments in order to get a broad idea of what happened in a hospital. It was a stupid concept, and I didn't learn anything. Except how to properly fold towels.

The week spent in the sterilization department in the basement of the hospital was the most dreaded time for all the interns. Midway into the internship, I was designated the sterilization intern. I saw how surgery tools were sterilized in industrial-sized machines and in the small microwave-like machines immediately before they were sent up to the operating room. It was kind of neat how all it seemed to take for good sterilization was a crap-load of steam. On the first day, they allowed me to sterilize for a few hours. The rest of the day and for the rest of that week, I was stuck in a room by myself with a large load of towels.

Imagine a hamper on wheels that was about 5 ft x 4 ft x 5 ft full of freshly washed and dried faded, navy blue hand towels. I stood at a large metal table, rolling a lint brush on every single towel--both sides-- and folded each twice into a neat rectangle. Most had blood stains that hadn't come off in the wash.

The best part of folding the towels was knowing that they were going to be unfolded for the sterilization process. See, the surgical tools were folded in towels, then put in the sterilization machines. Towels with tools stuffed inside them would be sent to the operating room where everything would be stained with blood, then sent back down to the basement to be cleaned. Tools and towels separated. Tools sorted. Towels folded. Tools go in towels. Tool towels are sterilized. Tool towels go to operating room.

One day, they forgot about me until the last half hour of the day. They let me leave early to take lunch.