4AM Night

It’s 4 AM. The hospital—once a lively and bustling place with residents responding to codes, nurses checking vitals, physical therapists helping patients walk—is now deadly silent. I stare out of the window into the darkness. Its eerily quiet. I think to myself, only 3 more hours until I am done with my night shift and get to crawl into bed. I am counting the hours. My phone beeps and I look down. It’s a message from my resident. “New admit in the ED with SOB. Interview the patient and present to me.” I chart and read about her history. She has breast cancer with extensive chemo and radiotherapy. I think to myself maybe it’s the Doxorubicin that’s causing her shortness of breath (SOB). I take mental notes to present pertinent information to my team. As I approach her room, I think of all the information I need to get from her to form a proper differential. What are her current medications? What is her cancer prognosis? What is her past medical history? Does she have any family members with cancer? All these thoughts pop into my mind as I walk toward her room in the ED. I knock and enter the room. “Hi! How are you today,” I ask, trying to sound enthusiastic and engaging. I enter the room, and abruptly stop. Before me, I see a frail woman gasping for air. Her eyes sunken in. She is unable to move. She is in distress. She is exhausted. This isn’t what I pictured when I read about her. Holding her hand, is her husband, who slowly looks up at me with...
Source: Academic Medicine Blog - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Source Type: blogs