This is an account of a normal day in medical (oncall day). Wake up at 6, ask myself – why am I waking up in sure ungodly hour. Sigh. Bath, brush my teeth and got ready. Drink my coffee. Head to the ward. By 6.30-7.00, in the ward, do blood taking for the cases that was suppose to the taken (hemato patients), try to do ward rounds before my MO arrives. (never in my medical posting I was able to finish my own rounds. I had 30 something patients). By 8am, my MO and my specialist arrived. We start ward rounds. Round and round and round the ward we go. I would take care of the patient that was admitted that day so between calls I would disappear to attend to the new cases. At about 12 to 1pm, finally round finish. Next was the blood taking. Quickly grab the specimen bottles, lab forms, fill them up and start the blood taking. Sigh…. Most times it would like take 1 to 2 hours just to complete the taking (I was good at blood taking. No matter how hard the vein was, I will get blood somehow, don’t ask how). Quickly run the blood to the lab, quarrel with the lab staff, I need the results fast. (typical argument that occurs everyday). Rush back to the ward to do referrals to other departments. Get scolding and undermind by other MOs but as long as they come and see the patient my job was done. Then carry out complicated procedures. (this was the best part) lumbar puncture, chest tubes, peritoneal dialysis, IJC insertion and etc. Everynow and then there will be patient decided to collapse on you (die)… rush, call the anas, start CRP, intubate, start the inotrope. Frankly hoping the patient dies so that there is beds for other patients. After half an hour of resuscitation, pronouns dead then continue my work. By 3 to 4 pm, we start pm rounds, hoping the results are back from the morning rounds. In between grab a bit or a drink. Very seldom I get to eat a proper lunch. After the pm rounds, maybe 6 -7 pm quickly bath and eat dinner and get ready for hell. Check the list, who is my MO oncall today. Complete my blood taking. Get handovers from my other colleges, what to look out for, what investigations needed to take or to be trace after office hours. And pray, pray very hard. Never wear red underwear. So as the night goes on, do rounds on acute patient, get referrals from nurses and do referrals. Attend to the new cases. Being medical ward, cases will come in almost every hour until the ward is full. Try to get pockets of sleep in between cases. Try to last until the morning. Try to keep patient alive until the next morning. Just keep trying to do the best I can.
Come the next day, blow a sign of relieve seeing my colleges arrive at the door step. What a relieve. Go take a bath. Go eat breakfast. Start my ward rounds then wait for my MO and specialist to come. Once my bosses arrive, again ward rounds starts. The cycle repeats itself. The only difference, I don’t have to attend to new cases admission that day and I can go home after pm rounds. Of cause I was working at half or maybe a quarter of my capacity (depending on my calls – still remember one of my calls.. had 2 lumbar puncture, 2 CRP, one lumbar puncture and one peritoneal dialysis – all of them were after 10 pm – the next day was a walking zombie)
That’s my typical day in medical. Somehow at the end of the day, yes you feel tired, yes you feel drained, yes you feel numb and you just want to hit the sack and go to wonderland but I don’t know, as a houseman, I felt I was doing something, I was helping, I would give and give and give. And if I am down, I would give somemore. I don’t feel angry, I don’t feel sad, I don’t feel taken advantaged of. I think if you ask me to continue to do calls I would do it. (weird and dumb). Why???? I guess at that time I was inspired via my specialist, my MOs, my colleges. ( I had great great great people around me)
I was tired but happy.
No comments:
Post a Comment