Everyone says this is the calm before the storm.
Its midnight:30 and I'm in the emergency room. My 6pm to 3am shift happens to fall on the hottest, sweatiest, most climatically uncomfortable day that Portland has ever experienced. I assumed that this meteorologic insanity would also lead to insanity in the emergency department; I was bracing myself for a saturday night in a slammed ER, filled with angry, impatient patients whose medical (and/or psychiatric) conditions were driven to the breaking point by the heat. Heat does weird things to people. It makes people anxious. It makes them less tolerant of pain. It makes them want to get drunk and get on motorboats and crash into things.
But tonight the anticipated frenzy has not occured. YET. Believe me, if there was a morcel of wood within a 20 foot radius of this computer, I would be vigorously knocking on it right now. Everyone says that this is the calm before the storm. We'll see.
I had a patient this evening who I had come in the last time I was on. He was so excited to see me again that he repeatedly shook my hand and told me that "you and me - we understand eachother." Apparently we had made quite a connection at his last visit. Then he extended his fist for me to knock, in a sign that we were "tight", and told me I was pretty. You know you've made it when crazy drunk people give you props and then hit on you.
I feel like I am home.
Live blogging from the emergency room! I love this entry.
What happened next? Was there a storm of heat-strokes and boating accident homies?
Fiona,
I love your insight into medical school. I have been reading your blog for about a year now and find your perspective refreshing and hilarious. I hope that it is OK that I added your site link onto my blog. If not just kindly let me know...
Anyways, good stuff. Keep it coming.
Do you get a lot repeats in the ER?
Saturday night ended up suprisingly uneventful, and I was sent home early (early as in 2am instead of 3am). It was nothing like last night (monday) which was an effing zoo. There were trauma patients lined up in the hallways.
And yeah, you do get a fair number of "frequent fliers," as they're called. Unfortunately, these tend to be the folks with substance abuse and/or psychiatric issues who often come in looking for narcotics. AKA "drug seeking." Or itinerant folks who use the emergency room as a primary care office. For this we have our amazing U.S. medical insurance system to thank.
I'm glad you had a nice night. My last night in ER was last night - the doctor that works in there is great but notorious for attracting crazies and/or the super-sick. But it was a nice relaxing night of insect bites and rashes for some reason. Bug bites - I ask you. Now that's the way to end a rotation with a bang. ;)
So, I'm going to med school and I've been reading your blog (and some of its archives). I really enjoy it. I noticed you majored in Spanish or Hispanic studies, one of the two. I'm a Spanish major as well. I just thought that was neat, seeing as how I pretty much just made the decision to go to med school. (I'm a sophomore in college, by the way.)
Anyway, keep writing. I love to read about your experiences.
wow your blog is great I have been digging around in it for a few hours. I really appreciate being able to read about your experiences, I am not going to be starting medical school for some time but I am looking forward to it (perhaps stupidly, lol).. thanks again for sharing with us all online.
Oddly, my friends think I'll do fine in Med school, except when i read your blog I'm not so sure. There are times when I look at them, even though i haven't started and say, "I don't know guys, this might be beyond me." Still though, I look at what you've strugled through and i like to think that i have hope. :)