Payday

Feels good. Quite good, actually.

Time to go and enjoy it now!

Post-call

Exhausted, slightly disoriented and feeling woozy. We just cooked up a big breakfast and I think now that we're digesting we're slowly falling asleep.

It was cool, two of my friends were on call with me last night so we got to go through it together. It ruined our weekend, in fairness. Saturday call means 9am to 9am on Sunday. You have no vacation between the two work weeks and no day to sleep in and recharge your batteries. Its cool having a friend or two on call with you because when they're done their work or you're done yours, you wander over and help clear each other's boards by doing the menial (and annoying) little tasks of re-charting drugs and taking bloods. It lets the guy working the ward focus on the bigger issues such as working up a patient with chest pain or low blood pressure, or admitting and ordering pre-op tests for a patient coming in for an operation.

Being on call is a totally different experience to normal work. You cover a few wards on your own and depending on your luck it could be a good night or a bad one. I had a good night last night, managed to sleep 4 continuous hours (unheard of!). When I woke up at 6 I thought my pager was busted. I hurried up to take a few bloods meant for 6am and I found out that all the patients had slept quite comfortably through the night. Even that one guy who was de-sating (desaturating, in terms of blood oxygen saturation levels) had had a reasonably quiet night. Lucky me.. still makes me worry that the next one is going to be a bad one. Things tend to work out like that.

What's going on in Lebanon anyway? I've been so wrapped up trying to strike that balance between work and play that I've been cut-off from the world. Hope that shit resolves itself soon, its too complicated and depressing for me to even follow on the news.. that's why I'll just put my head down and keep on working I suppose.

Mon Dieu!

Oh Zizou.. what were you thinking? I'm quite sad to see one of the best players I have ever had the privilege of watching end his wonderful career in such a shameful fashion.

Congratulations to Italy. The wait's been long, but it just makes it oh so sweeter. Too bad you'll all wake up with a hangover and question marks over your jobs, but hey.. might as well enjoy it now.

Zizou, Zizou.. pourquoi mon ami?

NCHD

My job description in 4 letters.

Non-consultant hospital doctor.. alllriiiighhhttt..

Just watched the 2nd semifinal.. can't believe we only have two more games of this World Cup to go. I actually have to wait until 2010 for the next one?!

Today was my third day of work. The first two days were impossibly hectic, starting at 7 and ending at around 9 in the evening. Very exhausting, very confusing and certainly very terrifying. The senior doctors don't appear to be sensitive to the fact that the interns change in the beginning of July of each year (or they just blatantly ignore it) and keep on working and ordering things as if we've been there for years. Its hard enough getting lots of things done at once, its even more difficult when you have no idea how to - for example - take out a central line using standard aseptic protocol. "Mohamed, will you go on and do that for Ms. Murphy then? Alright, moving along." And it doesn't stop there, it keeps going until you have a list full of things you've never done before and just don't know how to do.

"But Sir, umm, how am I supposed to fill out a form, print out a sticker, get the form signed by a consultant radiologist, order the scan on the computer, go down and speak to the radiographers to get it done asap? I'll figure it out? Okay. One more question though, where exactly IS the X-Ray ward?"

I didn't eat lunch on the first day. I stayed alive on a bowl of cereal consumed at around 6.30am and a bottle of water at around 2pm. Within three days I've streamlined my work and become much more efficient. I got home at 5 today (light workload also being a factor), but I'm starting to enjoy it at least now that I know what the hell is going on.

At least I'm earning my paycheck. Actually, at least I'm getting a paycheck. Getting paid will definitely feel nice at the end of this month.

Alright, time to go sleep. Have work tommorow, more patients to admit and work up, more scans to chase and more bloods to draw. Take care everyone.