working full-time

i've gotten a few inquiries about my new job, so i'll say it right out loud... it's great! the work seems like it will be really interesting, and i'm well into my first project now. i'm doing a study evaluating the use of workplace absenteeism data as part of a pandemic flu plan, as well as for normal infectious disease surveillance. i have a few other things (ok, lots) on the horizon, but i'm still getting eased in.

one thing that will take some getting used to is getting used to the way that my new workplace really values epidemiologists. it's pretty clear that i will not be expected to do tasks that are below my skill level, and my manager actually refuses to allow us to do work that she doesn't think is a good use of our time . as an example, at my last job i had to enter data, analyze it, interpret it, write reports, and disseminate the data. now... all of that work is split between me, a clerk (who does data entry), and a health information analyst (who cleans the data, manages the databases, pulls data for analysis, and creates figures and graphs as requested). so now i get to focus on the more creative aspects of the work, which is amazing.

and other than the actual work, my colleagues seem really smart and and friendly. the topper is that everyone who works there absolutely raves about my manager - which is certainly something new. so for now, i'm pretty happy with my new job... but ask me again after the next big outbreak when i'm working zillions of hours. actually, you should all read this post again & save me some work.