Sometimes much is asked of you. Sometimes it catches you unawares.
When it happens, it is not for you to fail. It is for you to rise to the occasion.
It is March, and with a new month comes a new rotation. This month I am on the team that covers Bariatric surgery, Hepatobiliary Surgery and Transplant surgery with some general surgery thrown in here and there. It is, as a whole, a random collection, a sort of catch-all of a team. I knew it was going to be a rough week. My chief is gone, she's away for a week. She left the day we all switched. She sent an email before welcoming us all and delineating expectations. In her last line she included the following concerning her time away, "During this time Christy will be in charge of running the service as a whole, and I will be available by telephone."
She included that line more for the other two members on our team than for me. She had spoken to me in person before hand.
So March 1st was geared up to be an awful day. I was to take charge of a brand new service with 35+ patients. I couldn't do official rounds in the morning because of a required meeting I had to go to off campus for the medical school. So I had to get in extra early to do lightening rounds and run the list with my intern to get him focused. (I've never worked with this intern, but I have not heard a single good thing about him from anyone who has.) And by the time I got back from that meeting there was a Liver and Kidney Transplant, patient in the room and waiting for me to jump into some scrubs and get going. But right before scrubbing I was getting paged about my patient's from last month, and seeing that they needed attention had to take a time out to fill in some gaps/paperwork. And last but not least, the fourth member on our team is a 4th year resident rotating with us to do transplant surgery from a program in Brooklyn. I basically wasn't around to welcome him, get him situated, etc. By the time I left the hospital late that night...I was just so thankful none of my patient's had died.
March 2nd...had myself all psyched up to be much better this day. Rounds not so rushed. Spend time with the med students. Make sure the rotator is comfortable. Get after the intern when appropriate and most potentially affective. But before long I get a text... the consult resident is out sick, you have to carry the 0298 today. And then not long after that I get another text. This one from another chief who is gone (same place as my chief). As her resident is out sick (the one supposed to be carrying the 0298)... can I see her patients for them and write their daily notes.
"Sure, no problem." I respond immediately to both. And I ment it, but within a short amount of time the weight of responsibility on my shoulders had suddenly become very... very... heavy.
There were three residents gone, and I found myself covering for all three of them. Two of them chiefs with their appointed services. And therefore, as a second year, I find myself not only acting chief for two different services, but carrying the consult pager as well.
I'm doing my best to fulfill what has been asked of me. Everyday is a new adventure. It takes me a long time to get everything done so the days have been extra long. The chiefs are coming back next Tuesday. I think I'm going to hug them, I'll be so happy to see them again. I just pray it comes before my knees give out, buckled from the weight of walking like this.
Much Love.
No comments:
Post a Comment