I know that it has been quite some time since I posted but a lot has been going on. First of all, I am done with the ER, and thank god for that as I can now really work and not just feel like a student. I have been in the ICU for 2 weeks now and I am not only loving every minute of it but I am exhausted.
I have to be in the hospital by 6am which means I have to get up at 4:30 and leave by 5. Then we sign out to the overnight crew at around 6pm and it takes about 30 minutes to go through each patient and give the night team an idea of who the patient is, if the patient is new to the unit, what happened during the day, and what needs to be followed up or what needs to be done. Sometimes it even takes an hour if we get paged. I have a 6 day work week. Last week I worked 89 hours and this week I will be pushing 75.
We get an incredible number of sick people. From heart attacks to strokes, to terminal conditions. I have had to speak to patients about their illnesses, talking to families about their loved ones and communicating with other doctors. Everything I have been experiencing has substantiated my decision to go into medical school late in life. And because I am older and have been in the workforce, I know the politics of work and I have the emotional intelligence to react or not react to things that are said.
In about a month, I start clinic hours and I get my own census of patients that I will be following for the next 3 years. This is just getting better and better.
Till next time.
