Saturday, January 27, 2007
Venting Off... Part Deux
Yesterday, we had a toxic patient in the private division, and I was surprised at how slow everyone was. I thought most nurses and aids were lazy in the charity wards because they we're dealing with non paying patients, I didn't know that such behavior was prevalent in the pay division also. If I needed to get something done for our patient, I had to do it myself. It's also frustrating that a lot of materials and instruments were not unavailable even in the private division! There's another reason not to seek treatment at PGH when you can afford to seek treatment elsewhere. So what if the doctors are better trained? With such lazy nurses attending to your needs, with a lot of materials unavailable, I'm surprised the mortality rate isn't skyrocketing. At those rates, you'd expect better service. Who cares about that employee discount? If ever I need to be hospitalized, I'd rather have myself confined at a place where I'll be getting my money's worth.
Adapting
I'm surprised my previous post made sense... I did that during one of my half awake-half asleep states. lol.
Today I got home at 8 PM... which is a small miracle, it seems so surreal. Got to sleep for 6 whole hours! I feel so refreshed. I guess we're learning to adapt... we can manage to sneak an hour or two of sleep each day, unless we're on duty on weekends when everyone seems to have an urge to be violent. On weekends, there's a never ending line of patients with stab wounds, gunshot wounds... and yeah, a lot of vehicular accidents. The drivers always deny that they're under the influence of alcohol, even though you can smell alcohol from their breath. On weekends, we're lucky if there's are minutes when we're not doing anything.
During the first two weeks of January, we didn't go home until 11 PM at the earliest, because when we're we are the ones on "off" duty, we help the others in their work. Now we want to go home early when we're off, if it's possible. We'd rather not receive help when we're on duty knowing that we'll have a day of rest, than getting help during our duties yet there's no real "rest" day because we'd still have to work late even on that one day that we're not on duty.
One month is almost over. It doesn't seem that hard now that I'm getting used to my unphysiologic schedule. working for 72 straight hours, with or without sleep in between those hours doesn't seem too long... Especially when you don't sleep, 3 days seem just like one long day. You'd be surprised that it's the fourth day already and you can go home in a few hours. I can't believe it's almost February. Time moves so fast, In a few months i will be saying I can't believe it's December already.
One good thing about residency training--- I get to appreciate the simple things. I get contented with just a few hours of sleep... just let me sleep and i'll be happy. I can't help but smile when I see my bed at home, seemingly waiting for me with open arms. For one night i'll get to sleep for a few hours, actually lying down, and not sitting on a chair at some random ward unaware that I'm slowly dozing off... Just give me a decent meal and I'll be happy also. Each day I look forward to our occasional lunch or dinner outside... even if it's at some nearby fastfood joint, take me out of the hospital for a few minutes and I'll feel rejuvenated. There's no real urge to go out and party. The absence of social life isn't really a big deal, except during those times when I talk to friends in the outside world who are just bumming around, or who's work schedules allow them to have real breaks from work. Not that I 'd really want to go out and party, I'd rather sleep during my free time.
I'm getting used to the routine. Im starting to realize that it's actually possible to get through this. Just like when I finished high school, college, and med school... 4-5 years doesn't seem like long time.
Today I got home at 8 PM... which is a small miracle, it seems so surreal. Got to sleep for 6 whole hours! I feel so refreshed. I guess we're learning to adapt... we can manage to sneak an hour or two of sleep each day, unless we're on duty on weekends when everyone seems to have an urge to be violent. On weekends, there's a never ending line of patients with stab wounds, gunshot wounds... and yeah, a lot of vehicular accidents. The drivers always deny that they're under the influence of alcohol, even though you can smell alcohol from their breath. On weekends, we're lucky if there's are minutes when we're not doing anything.
During the first two weeks of January, we didn't go home until 11 PM at the earliest, because when we're we are the ones on "off" duty, we help the others in their work. Now we want to go home early when we're off, if it's possible. We'd rather not receive help when we're on duty knowing that we'll have a day of rest, than getting help during our duties yet there's no real "rest" day because we'd still have to work late even on that one day that we're not on duty.
One month is almost over. It doesn't seem that hard now that I'm getting used to my unphysiologic schedule. working for 72 straight hours, with or without sleep in between those hours doesn't seem too long... Especially when you don't sleep, 3 days seem just like one long day. You'd be surprised that it's the fourth day already and you can go home in a few hours. I can't believe it's almost February. Time moves so fast, In a few months i will be saying I can't believe it's December already.
One good thing about residency training--- I get to appreciate the simple things. I get contented with just a few hours of sleep... just let me sleep and i'll be happy. I can't help but smile when I see my bed at home, seemingly waiting for me with open arms. For one night i'll get to sleep for a few hours, actually lying down, and not sitting on a chair at some random ward unaware that I'm slowly dozing off... Just give me a decent meal and I'll be happy also. Each day I look forward to our occasional lunch or dinner outside... even if it's at some nearby fastfood joint, take me out of the hospital for a few minutes and I'll feel rejuvenated. There's no real urge to go out and party. The absence of social life isn't really a big deal, except during those times when I talk to friends in the outside world who are just bumming around, or who's work schedules allow them to have real breaks from work. Not that I 'd really want to go out and party, I'd rather sleep during my free time.
I'm getting used to the routine. Im starting to realize that it's actually possible to get through this. Just like when I finished high school, college, and med school... 4-5 years doesn't seem like long time.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Longest Week
Last week felt like the longest week ever.. or maybe one very long day that stretches on and on... it feels like that for me because i didn't sleep for a week. Each day, i get to eat once a day because of the huge workload... there were days that I didn't eat anything at all, yet I barely noticed that I haven't been eating. Oh yeah, I haven't taken a bath for a week already. If i wasn't itching at certain parts I wouldn't mind not taking a bath. I also shelled out for a lot of patients, close to 7000 bucks! Funny how everyone assumes that all services are free in a government hospital--- we end up paying for everything they can't afford, else we suffer the wrath of our seniors... having no money is no excuse for not proceeding to do an operation. I can only imagine how some of my co-residents feel. I know a few of them aren't well off... in fact, they say they chose to work at that hospital because the salary is bigger... yeah right. After spending a fortune for your patients, you'd be lucky to have a few cents left.
Yeesh. No sleep, no food... no bath, no money! there seems to be no incentive to keep on moving along this path that I have chosen. There's no sense of fulfillment.
Yeesh. No sleep, no food... no bath, no money! there seems to be no incentive to keep on moving along this path that I have chosen. There's no sense of fulfillment.
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