The Familiar Foundling

Illustration by Lynda Richardson

As each explorer progresses through their studies into the healthcare habitat, they will doubtless become acquainted with a number of other explorers, at different stages along their expeditions - some only just getting started, and others closer to the end of their time as explorers.

It is the latter group that this article will discuss, for this group of explorers will one year be seen by their younger counterparts as fellow explorers, but by the next they will have undergone a profound metamorphic change, becoming foundling members of the doctor genus. These individuals that have been by an explorer observed as both fellow explorers and newly emerged doctors are known as Familiar Foundlings.

A fairly typical species within the doctor genus, individuals are most commonly spotted on wards, particularly on ward rounds and going about the routine tasks of the local ecosystem. Familiar foundlings can vary drastically in terms of personality and their approach to explorers that they encounter  in the healthcare habitat, with the prime determinant being their pre-metamorphosis nature as an explorer - if they were friendly and had a pleasant relationship with an explorer prior to their transformation, chances are they will remain friendly and pleasant towards the explorer post-change.

The recognition of a familiar foundling whilst on an expedition can be advantageous to an explorer in a number of ways.

1.       Having just completed their own explorer training, these individuals are the most likely to empathise with the hardships of explorer life, making them more friendly and inclusive to those trying to make the most of time in the habitat.

2.       The foundling will have gone through the same course as the explorer, giving them a better understanding of an explorer's tasks compared to a doctor that had trained as an explorer in a different location. This can be more accommodating, in terms of receiving opportunities to complete said tasks.

3.       Having a bond prior to an encounter on the ward can help both parties feel more comfortable with one another, eliminating the awkwardness of first encounter introductions, as well as providing the explorer with additional information regarding the foundling's extra-medical interests, allowing conversation to continue more easily despite both groups having run out of medical-related topics to discuss.

Of course, working alongside a familiar foundling does have its risks, in particular in terms of an explorer getting too comfortable. An explorer must remember that a FF is still a member of the doctor species at their place at work, and though many will not mind be addressed by their first name (best to find out first though), it is probably best to avoid calling them by their politically incorrect nickname, especially in front of patients or other doctor species.

At the same time, one should avoid over-hassling the foundling, for they have only just undergone their transformation and may still be feeling the pressure of life as a doctor. Being too much of a burden, particularly when they are busy, could have adverse effects on their willingness to assist and altogether weaken the underlying bond between both parties.

A friendly foundling, if treated with respect and not over-demanded, can be a valuable asset to an explorer's training. Explorers are encouraged to build healthy relations with as many senior explorers as possible, in order that they too become FF doctors in the future, thus augmenting their prevalence and increasing likelihood of these advantageous encounters in the future.

However, an explorer should aim to build bonds with not only the old but also the young, for he too shall someday undergo the transformation, and those less experienced will from then on see him as a newborn familiar foundling. With this the cycle shall be complete, allowing future generations to reap the benefits of such relations as we did before them.