Estoy siéndome como una esponja.

A sponge, is how I can describe it. You must be a sponge to survive. Soak up the sleep when the opportunity presents itself. I feel like I am barely able to soak it up in time for my next call; when I’m wrung out dry once again.

When discussions were afloat about scheduling changes for this year, especially concerning night float, hot topic was who would present the following morning at morning report. When a night float was in existence the senior resident presented all events from overnight the following morning. All ex-patriots of that position expressed utmost importance for that role to remain in the charge of the pgy3, or ER senior on call. Having stood next to multiple of my seniors as they stood up to present I knew what it would entail, that does not however, make it any easier.

It’s like standing up in front of a firing squad. Nothing to hide behind. And no where to run. Every decision made over night, whether you actually made it or not, is your responsibility, and up for target practice. And you’re standing there, awake for 26+ hours at that point, ready to take it like a champ... or not. Taking responsibility of the surgical service of a large academic hospital is like conducting an enormous orchestra, so enormous it overflows into 5, or 16 or 22 different rooms, and yet you have to somehow figure out to keep everyone on time to the same beat, in key, and of course alive. Sound nigh impossible? Kind of, yea. But you’ll be asked about it the next morning, and so you try your best anyways.

So when the intern texts with another concern or question you respond immediately no matter how minuscule the issue, because you yourself can not physically be on the floor addressing every single Tylenol renewal the nurses need, and are therefore reliant on your intern escalating anything and everything out of their scope. Especially now, at the beginning of the year, an intern going rouge, off on their own beat, is the last thing you need.

Some morning reports are less painful than others. A strong and dependable on call team helps. A chief resident who is willing to help, and/or do cases overnight helps. And having some time in the morning to gather your notes and try to decipher your scribbles from overnight and remember what actually happened also helps. But whether you have those helps or no, you’re still wrung dry.

Here’s to surviving yet another senior call at the Chester.
Much Love.