The last weeks of 2014 and the first weeks of 2015 were long and tedious. My chief objective when I accepted the position at Stonewall Memorial Hospital was to prepare that accounting records for the annual financial audit. Before I accepted the challenge, I spoke to a high-ranking member of the audit firm about what I would be getting myself into. He described a mess. Later, after I had been working there part-time for a few weeks, I learned that hospital management was concerned that the firm might resign from the engagement if there was not significant improvement.

The team arrived on the morning of January 19. They completed fieldwork on the 21st and were able to depart before a forecast snow storm (that turned out to be mostly rain) rolled in.

Before they left, the lead auditor noted improvements. She urged me to design processes that an employee without an accounting background could use to prevent losing too much ground after I leave.