This happened on July 17th
Armed with proof of my immunizations and a physical I head back to Little Creek. I have retained my form from when I was at Immunizations before and do not have to fill it in again. MINOR SUCCESS! The immunization guy looks at my previous paperwork, my transcribed shot records (they did this last time) and my titre results. He reassures me that I do not need the PPD. Take note, this is twice now I've been told I don't need it. Immunizations guy signs my paperwork.
Immunizations Boss DEFEATED! (or so I think)
I have a folder bursting with paperwork. I go back to my favorite desk, Primary Care B, and tell them I need to see the Overseas Screening lady. I'm going to finish this this time I think. Silly me is almost giddy. They tell me to have a seat and someone will be with me shortly.
I wait.
I wait some more.
I'm beginning to think they forgot about me when a nurse comes out and tells me that the Overseas Screening lady is out of the office and won't be back until sometime next week.
UNACCEPTABLE! roars rational me. "Next week?...oh...thank you." I say instead.
Level Failed! - Medical Screening Failed!
I go and sit in my car. Feeling bemused. Well now what? There are two other clinics in the area. I can try to go to Oceana, but it's pretty far away. Should I just try Norfolk? Rational me is trying to come up with an answer. Silly me is giggling hysterically in the corner. She has cracked. I am trying to ignore silly me. I finally decide to go to Norfolk to see what happens there. Maybe at this point being at a bigger clinic will be good and someone can sign off on my paperwork and I can go on my way.
Upon arrival at the Norfolk clinic, I once again have no idea where to go. This time there is the kindly ID check guy who points me in the correct direction. It is again, upstairs. At least this time I can find the stairs without going on a quest for them.
At the top of the stairs is a glass walled waiting room with a sign that reads "Aviation Medicine." That's not right. So I wander around the glass waiting room and around a corner where I see a small sign that says "Operational Screening." This seems, somewhat, more promising, although it looks like I'm going into an abandoned office.
Signs everywhere say "No PRIMS No Appointments!" I have no idea what PRIMS is/are. I am just hoping that I have them. I fill in the sign in sheet and sit down waiting to be called upon. I am the only person not in uniform. I wait, innocently, thinking I'm doing the right thing. Then this happens:
Hey, you. You just signed in?
"Me? Yes, I..."
Why are you here? What do you need?
"I'm trying to finish my medical screening."
Let me see your paperwork. I hand it to him and he shuffles through it. Did you start with us?
"No, I..."
Where did you start?
"I started at Little Creek."
Why didn't you finish at Little Creek? We aren't supposed to do this. If you start some place you have to finish there. Is your PCP there or here?
"Because their Overseas person is gone until next week and I was told I needed to get this done ASAP."
Hmm. Where is your PCP?
"I don't have one."
What do you mean? Are they here or at Little Creek.
"Neither, I don't have one."
How do you not have a PCP?
"My dad is a physician. I just call him whenever I need something checked out and he tells me what to do."
[Laughter] Oh man, alright. I'm going to look this over and someone else will be with you in a minute, but we're not supposed to finish what got started elsewhere. We have different forms and requirements.
I am somewhat thrown by this interrogation. Wait. Did he say they have different forms and requirements? Isn't this supposed to be an across the board type thing? Why would they have different forms and requirements? rational me starts up. Silly me is still giggling in a corner somewhere. I just sit and wait for the mysterious other person to call on me.
Eventually she calls me to her desk. I get told again that they're not supposed to finish this paperwork if I started somewhere else. I decide to play dumb. I tell her "I'm sorry, my husband is deployed and I've been left to figure this whole thing out by myself. I was just told to get this done as soon as possible and it's taken me weeks to get to this point." She just sort of nods and looks over my paperwork.
We need our Immunization people to sign off on your records. You don't have a PPD. That's required.
"....I was assured several times" (okay twice, but hush) "that I wouldn't need one."
Who told you that?
The Immunization people at Little Creek.
I don't know why they told you that. Everyone has to have one. You can't go today because they're closed, but go first thing tomorrow morning to get one. Then on Monday come in first thing to have it read.
We need to schedule you an appointment for your final checks.
Final checks? There's ANOTHER part to this? You've got to be kidding me. Be quite rational me, she's still talking to us.
....earliest is end of August. Oh wait, there's a cancellation on Monday. Can you come on Monday?
YES! Yes, I can come in on Monday. Thank you cancellation!
This isn't even my final form yet!
(Yes, I know this is DragonBall Z and not a video game and totally messes with the whole quest concept. But there are a bunch of bosses out there that you thought you had beaten and it turns out they had another form. C'mon, cut me some slack.)
I go home and scramble to make sure I have everything together for the Unaccompanied Baggage move that is happening tomorrow.
