Secret Diary of an Emergency Registrar

Age: Start or end of shift? Status: Caffeinated. Likes: Chest tubes. Wearing runners to work. Dislikes: Describing CT brains to neurosurgical registrars over the phone.An evening shift at St Anywheres…14:00h: Start shift. Feeling refreshed and energetic after 3 days off. Will efficiently plough through the list, yet give each patient the personal attention they deserve. Will be pleasant and professional in referrals while remaining a firm advocate for my patients and the department. Will write succinct, clinically relevant, legally ass-covering notes at the time I see the patient. Today is a fresh start. Anything could happen. A trauma! A subarach! A low back pain!.Asked how I spent my days off. Murmur non committal utterances giving impression of rock climbing, surfing, leisurely brunches with cool friends and live music. Omit to mention 11am sleep ins, laundering scrubs and binge watching Game of Thrones.Check roster. My nemesis, Allan the Super Reg, is on and has already picked up 3 patients. Make myself a coffee while waiting for computer to open.15:00h: make another coffee.16:00h: Hit caffeine sweet spot. Churning through patients. Department is humming. That’s what I’m talking about!17:00h: See a 55 year old man with back pain. Body habitus suggests my chance of a decent AA view will be moderate to low, nonetheless wade in optimistically, probe in hand. Am too heavy handed on the gel and the probe slides out of my hand, bouncing off his abundant abdomen onto the...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Education Emergency Registrar Secret Diary Source Type: blogs