Blogging can be such a fickle thing. My own blog has gone through winters of dormancy and then bloomed with post after post, only to fall off again when I realized I had nothing more to say. So it is with this poor, unfortunate health care blog--so lonely, so neglected.

Except there was good reason this time. A month ago, I made the jump from one of the last independent community hospitals in Chicagoland to a hospital that is part of a large, swanky system.

Now that orientations are winding down, and I've learned to associate at least a few names with a few faces, I'm ready to carry on with this health care blog experiment.

Some differences betweeen There and Here that I've noticed so far?

A.) Professionalism: I have a head shot that was done in a studio. It looks, I think, nothing like who I really am, but they wouldn't let me dress down in sweats and a concert t-shirt.

B.) Passwords & Usernames: At last count, I have about 14 discrete usernames/passwords for various systems. I have tried to memorize them, as I fancied myself Will Hunting. But what has happened instead is that I've become intimate with IT support, who keeps issuing me new passwords. I should probably should start writing them down.

C.) Flexibility. Among certain populations at the old hospital, the idea of a Big System (or Corporate) meant handing over your personhood at the door to your new Corporate Overlords. I have not found this to be the case. Everyone has been welcoming, helpful and willing to explore new ideas. (Still, let's keep this blog between you and me for now.)

D.) People. I am trying to break myself of the habit of tagging all of the new people in my head as all of the people I used to work with at the old hospital. (Like, "Oh, that's the new Marie Smith.") Everyone is an individual. However, I'm still referred to as "The new Vince" (the guy who was in this position before me).

E.) I'm now That Guy. At the old hospital, whenever a new leader came on board from another hospital, we would joke about how often they'd start a conversation with, "Well, at my old hospital, I used to..." This is what I've become. It's difficult not to say that, but I'm trying to break myself of that habit, too. Still... At my old hospital, I was in charge of all of the web marketing and social... Sorry, sorry.

So, hopefully, I can get back on a good schedule of random posting. And maybe even build an audience again. Until then, thank you, mom, for reading The Pulse.