Ya wanna know why....

I decided today that there are a LOT of frustrated doctors wondering around the hospitals. Tired, hungary, irritated, frustrated doctors. Yes, there are some who are just plain hateful and its not necessary but, the next time you encounter a "mean doctor" consider this....

*as third and fourth year students, we're the only ones in the hospital NOT doing an important job, or atleast getting paid to do it. We do a lot of work, simply for the purpose of learning. And we recognize this. We realize that we are often in the way, that things take a little longer with us around, and it takes more effort to teach us than to not have us around at all. we get that. But you don't have to treat us like we are completely a nuisance. We're just trying to take care of our patients, and learn as much medicine as possible, before we are responsible for actual lives in 2 years. We work really hard to adjust to the fast pace of being in the hospital, while attempting to please our residents, get good shelf exam scores, study so we don't look like idiots in front of our attendings, scrub in properly and excessively worry if we are going to be that stupid 3rd year med student that breaks the sterile field and has to re-scrub/gown/glove, etc., we spend half our day attempting to not piss of the nurses, and the other half worrying weather or not we getting on the interns' nerves by following them everywhere. So have a little pity on that cranky doctor next time, because he/she prob suffered through years of everyone around them recognizing them as and treating them, like they are at the bottom of the food chain. I'm not saying you have to take crap from people, because really no one benefits from treating other people like poo. Just cut them a little slack.

Daily frustrations from the algae at the bottom of the food chain [that'd be me]

1. I get to the hospital about 1 hour before my intern so that I can get all my vital signs, and labs off the patients charts and evaluate my patients progress over the past 12 or so hours, and finish my report before the intern gets there. When i get there, I see my patients do physical exams (yes they love that i wake them up at 4am!) and then its around 430-445 and I write down all my patients' medicines, and then look for their vital signs on the charts and their lab results on the computer. HELLO! These are important, and they are supposed to be done throughout the night but how am i supposed to evaluate how patient is doing with out them???? And what gives someone the right to get mad at me for getting there early?? ARRRgghhHH. You don't have to roll your eyes, or snap at me when i POLITELY ask to borrow the chart, or ask for my vitals. So i guess this is how its supposed to play out:

Resident: so you saw Mrs. XYZ this morning how's she doing?
ERin: uh well i saw her, she was talking to me and she was breathing, heart was beating. But other than that I can't tell you her blood pressures overnight, i can't tell you how much pain medicine she used, i cant tell you if she had a fever ever, what her heart rate was, or her respiratory rate, if she's on oxygen, how much urine output she had, what any of her electrolytes were, if she needs to be transfused or not, if her coumadin is being controlled, if her sugar is too high......uh I really cant give you any of that. cause it wasn't done.

See how that could be frustrating??? Ok I'll step off that soap box. Next,...

2. I sit and study while everyone has dispersed to their respective surgeries, mine is not until noon. I study in the doctors office on our floor in the hospital (its where we keep our stuff all day, and write in patients charts, look things up, etc.) When another team comes in to do their rounds, we get booted out on a daily basis and have to find somewhere else to read. I'm ok with this, i'm flexible.

2. I relocate to the nurses station, to look up labs on the computer since its been about 3 hours since they've been drawn and i still dont have the results. A "disgruntled" employee tells me I can't have a drink without a lid on it. Ok. Fine. I go in search of a lid because i dont want to get in trouble. Cant find one, so I ask someone who works on the floor on a regular basis..."excuse me, where can i find a lid?" the response i get...."oh a lid? we dont have any lids up here."....what the crap?! Ok so i head back the computer where i was working, my drink and book have been relocated because...well because it apparently was in someone's way. Ok so clearly I'm in the way again even though there are 5 empty computers around the room.

3. So i get up and walk to the break room where there's no employees and i dont need a lid. I read for awhile, two classmates join bc they too are not sure where to be "out of the way". Then disgruntled employee #1 walks in and loudly states to her colleague "yeah well be rounding in here in about 10 minutes" my good friend responds (in a friendly manner) "is that our cue to leave?! :) " response "well yeah. we need to be in here in 10 min." ok we get the picture. relocate again to sit at the end of the hallway.

4. I'm over this so I head downstairs to check on the status of the surgery going on before mine. I'm in the elevator which stops about 3 floors above the one where I'll get off. I see medical equipment so I hold the door open to let whoever step on to the elevator. A lady walks in and goes "OH! I have a patient. you need to step on out." (um, ok since you asked so nicely)....booted again.

5. You know what? whatever. I ended my day with a 4+hour surgery where we removed an incredibly painful cervical mass the size of a grapefruit, and a uterus from a young woman who will be feeling much better in about a week, and who will leave the hospital knowing her tumor was NOT cancer!..... so nah nah naaa na naahh naahh! :P My day was cooler than theirs anyhow.

Hmmm....revenge of the nerd.