Confessions of an Intern

VI. Night Float and Office/Week Twenty-One

I'm working nights for two weeks. This first week has been hard in that I am exhausted, not quite able to sleep enough during the day, and not really supposed to sleep at night, with the idea of being readily available in the hospital if need be. It was also Thanksgiving week. I did a piss poor job of sharing my thanks, so I'll take a minute to do so.

I'm thankful for my husband and children, and the opportunity they give me to be part of a family. I'm thankful for my husband's support, even though he is insecure in 'us' as I am not around as much as I used to be, all thanks to my job. I prefaced this period I'm in, the second of six very rough months, with 'bear with me, it will likely be a little rough because I will be stressed, sleepy and away a lot'. I need to remind him of this frequently. And seriously, I'm thankful for my job. I could not be any happier in my work. I feel fulfilled more often than not, and reassured frequently that I am in the right job finally. I'm thankful most of all for the many blessings I've been given in life, for an understanding and forgiving God who will always be there, despite my waywardness.

Anyway, the last week, let's see...Nothing too profound to discuss, simply that I would say I enjoy nights once I'm in the groove for sleeping, as there is less hustle and bustle and fewer things to get in the way of being able to care for your patients. The environment is more peaceful and quiet. I've also had the opportunity to interact with more nurses on the phone and have gained an appreciation for those unnecessary phone calls :). I was a nurse for 12 years, I'm sure I've mentioned this, and I feel that I only called at night when it was necessary, and then when I needed to call on an issue that needed taken care of on my shift, but not necessarily in the middle of the night, I worked to organize myself such that the calls could be made either before ten p.m. or after five a.m. Invariably, there were issues that needed addressed inbetween, but I tried to get my stuff together.

So, it has been interesting to have this flip-side interaction. There are the nurses who page everytime a thought crosses their mind, regardless of the relevance of the issue to immediate patient care. If I were sleeping and needing to work the next day, this would really tick me off. Then there are the nurses who don't call, even when you have a critical patient and you are just grateful you happened to be scrolling through vital signs and labs.  Next comes the nurse who is new, and calls because you did something different than the other doctor she had a patient with the same diagnosis with. Ahem...there is more than one way to skin a cat, suffice it to say. One of my favorites...the nurse who calls and rambles on about a patient, telling this convoluted story with many players, building up to a deep breath when you think you will finally be enlightened as to what they want, and they say, 'Well, I'm not doing it. You can come do it, but I'm not going to.' Huh? Was there a question posed in there somewhere? Then comes the long question and you realize it is insecurity in a nurse who has been in practice for a long time, but who does as much as possible to avoid actual work. Ok, in all fairness, they are avoiding an uncomfortable situation.

Then there are those who call and give you information, and it does not warrant any particular action, and you say thank you, and you're asked "Do you want to do anything about it?" You feel put on the spot for a minute thinking they know something you don't. Then those who you give an order to, and they want to disagree and have you do something else. Now, I'm all for double checking and making sure an order is safe and correct, but if you call and ask me a question and I give an answer that is correct, please don't act like I'm putting you out.

Please don't crucify me if you are a nurse or love one. I put my time in the nursing trenches for 12 years, and have earned the right to hold an opinion and comment on issues I see.