It is 2:00 p.m. on the second day of my FMC 1 Radiology rotation, a non-call month with nights and weekends off and an 8:00 a.m. start at the hospital [… Y-E-S!]. Clinic is going relatively smooth for a Tuesday. All of my patients decided to show up for there appointments today. I had a colposcopy, 2 OB physicals, and numerous other patients with chronic medical conditions. I knew that the rest of the afternoon would be very busy with exam time as well as all the time needed for documenting patient encounters.
I am examining a patient when my pager goes off. It was the ER informing me that my patient needs to be admitted due to nausea and vomiting with gastroparesis due to years of uncontrolled diabetes. However, I’m scheduled to be in clinic until slightly after 6:00 p.m. I inform the ER physician that I will see her once I’m done with clinic. Of course, my first thought is “It is going to be a late night”. I arrive at the hospital at 6:45 to admit my patient, when I see the medicine team member on call. He asks, “what are you doing here so late?” I told him about my patient, then he asks “why didn’t you just call me and I would of taken care of it for you?” Although I did appreciate the offer, I thought it was my responsibility, so here I am. I perform the history and physical, staff with my attending, and input the orders for the patient’s care. Since I am already familiar with her history and I have seen her often it doesn’t take much time at all. I was out of the hospital by 8:15 p.m. I arrive home at 8:30 to find that my children are already asleep and my wife is just as tired as I am.
Once you have a patient in house, there must be a note on the chart by 7:30 every morning. But, I already promised my daughter that I would drive her to school every morning that month, so I wake up at 4:45 get to the hospital at 5:45 am. I see my patient, write a note and order some labs. I’m back home before my daughter wakes up. I make her breakfast and manage to get her to school on time.
I make it back to the hospital to start my rotation at 8:00 am. I spend the next several hours looking at CTs, chest x-rays, and assisting in several fluoroscopic procedures. I have lunch with my attending in the hospital and get back to work by 12:30. At 2:00 p.m. my attending looks at me and says, “why are you still here?” “Go home to your family, besides we’re almost done.” I get home just before my daughter arrives home from school. She and my son are totally surprised. I’m home late afternoon with no call to worry about and that night ahead to recharge my batteries and start all over the next day.
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