Page 35 - The Early Life and Times of Bob Card

My First Medical Job: Becoming an Orderly

fter completing my first year of medical school, I returned home for the summer, and my father suggested I gain some
Areal-world medical experience. He arranged a job for me at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Hamilton as an orderly.
I had never held a job before—no paper routes, no part-time work—so this was a completely new experience. On my first
day, I was introduced to the tasks of an orderly, which included duties like male catheterizations. At just 18 years old, that
wasn’t something I felt particularly prepared for, nor did it seem to have much relevance to my budding medical career at
the time.

It was a humbling start, and I was eager to dive into the world of medicine, even if the work felt far removed from my
vision of being a doctor. Little did I know how drastically my summer plans were about to change.

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