last night i worked my longest shift yet: 11 hours. yeah, i used to work 12 hour shifts regularly both as a hospitalist in cambridge, massachusetts and in the south county ED. even though those were longer hours, it was way easier, mostly because in the university hospital ED, the work never stops.
as a hospitalist, i could sit down and think about each patient individually. i managed cases one-by-one. even if i had a list of 7 people to admit, each got seen and dealt with in turn. with this new job, there are always (to use an overworn metaphor) an impossible number of balls in the air at any given time. even in my old ED job, there usually was a significant lull toward 4 AM where I could grab something to eat or take a moment of rest.
despite the lack of down-time, i do like working in the university ED. the attendings, nurses, and other residents are all good people, and it seems like everyone (most of the time) enjoys learning together. i had some nice interactions with all the residents i spoke with last night: from radiology to surgery. i did not have the pleasure of speaking to any of my orrthopaedic or anesthesia colleagues, which reminded me of this:
procedural update: i got to do my first lumbar puncture (spinal tap) as a resident last night. i'm still honing my technique for some procedures, but frequently, i get a little boost of confidence doing them. it's a nice reminder that i do know what i'm doing and that i can spend my time developing myself in focused way. frequently, i feel unclear about what to do with medical cases. in contrast to that uncertainty, its' nice when there's a procedure to be done and i realize that i function pretty well on my own.
so i'm a slack runner. i slept all afternoon yesterday and didn't even put my running shoes. this afternoon i'll do my long run, finally. training schedule (see bar on left) has been revised to reflect this.
in the meantime, i'm enjoying my espresso and my ciabatta, cheddar, egg and avocado sandwich, reminiscent of my beloved hovey from darwin's ltd in cambridge, MA.
2 comments:
hi, i'm not in the medical field at all, but that lil movie was hilarious! i found your blog from the shu box and like your laid back style; it's admirable that you're pursuing a second internship to refine your skills. have a great day!
balancing all of the patients at once was the hardest thing for me in the ED! it was hard for me to find a good flow.
LPs are the only procedure i consider myself good at. actually, i consider myself pretty awesome at them - especially in wriggly babies! (i cannot intubate AT ALL, suck at IVs, and am not a particularly talented phlebotomist - but i really will miss LPs!)
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