I had a call with my new P&T paperwork mentor today. Depending on how you count, I’m on either my 3rd or 4th one, but one was only assigned to me for about 2 weeks so I think 3 is the number we’ll go with.

What does my P&T paperwork person do? Gives me deadlines mostly. They are assigned by the P&T committee to oversee the dossier preparation process and make sure that the files and forms are all completed and the t’s crossed and i’s dotted. This is in addition to my research mentor, who tries to keep my writing focused and me from losing my mind.

It’s a little easier this time, I’ve done the full dossier once and so I only have about 24 months of material to add on at this point. And I have two annual reviews to add to my 3Y documentation, which will hopefully trigger memories of what I’ve been doing.

So we’re on target to meet every two weeks until my 5Y paperwork goes in. I have my first assignment. The plan, I’m told, is to focus on one major piece at a time. And also she gets to sort out all of the strange questions I have–today’s was “I have had someone offer to write me a letter of recommendation, to whom should they address it (the Dean?) and to whom should they send it and by when?”  Letters aren’t a requirement for our dossiers but I’m told they certainly aren’t a bad thing.

Over the fourth of July weekend I’ll be updating my “list of accomplishments” –a bullet point list of all the major projects I’ve tackled, things I’m most proud of, and the shiniest sequins I’ve sprinkled around the place.  Right now I’ll make it as comprehensive as possible, we can always whittle it down.

I’m pleased to have someone else watching the deadlines for me. It’s just too easy to let my own work go to the bottom of the pile when emails are pouring in, meetings never seem to stop, and the only time I’ve had off recently was a couple of days where something of the sinus/chest persuasion meant I slept and coughed and not much else. Give me a deadline and I might not sleep the night before, but at least a draft will get done and we can work with that.

December 1 is coming awfully fast.