Today is my first rest day since I started work as an intern. One thing that frustrates me is that shops and banks close at after business hours here in Sydney and I always wonder how the hell do working people organise their lives! I can't go the bank to apply for credit cards or go to the transport offices to get my driver's license or get my health/ road insurance and the list goes on... Unlike most other jobs, I cannot take leave as and when I want. My leave is already planned and if I hace to wait till my leave to settle all these well, that would be in Sept!
So can someone please enlighten me as to how they manage to organise their lives?
After working for the past 3 weeks, I have come to realise something. The amount of knowledge that an average intern require in terms of medical stuff is actually very little. It's not because people expect very little from you (which may be true to a certain extent) but it's simply because most of the time (I would say 99%) what an intern does can be easily accomplish by a clerk/ secretary. Let me iterate what a typical day is for me:
6.30am: Rush onto the wards and print a list of patient under my team's care. At the same time, scroll through all the results of all the patients and write them down. If the results is red in color that means something is wrong and something needs to be done.
7.00am: Ward round begin. Me and other interns scramble around looking for patients' charts. When we find them, we write what is being said by the more senior doctor and the patient. The we write down the plan for what needs to be done for the patient kindly supplied by the senior doctor.
8.00am-exhaustion: Ward round finishes and we the scatter to do the jobs. What are some jobs that we do? Call other doctors to come and review and suggest treatment for the patients. Call the GP to find out information about the patient. Call the patient's family. Call an interpreter. Call the social worker and so on. So most of the time we are on the phone. Occasionally we may be asked to review a patient who became unwell. You may think well that is something a doctor does but guess what?! After the review it's more calling and writing forms and notes. In my first 2 weeks of work I actually ran out of ink on a brand new pen. That is how much I write.
Having said that, the moments when I have to act as a doctor scares the shit out of me... For example, just into my second week a patient literally died in front of me. I was asked to insert a tube into a patient and I was unsuccessful. I hence pulled the tube out and was just clearing up the area with my back facing the patient when the nurse who was assisting me whispered,
Nurse: "Um...I think the patient is not breathing anymore...".
I was momentarily stunned.
Me: "Urrr... Are you sure?".
Nurse: "His chest is not raising."
Me: "Oh right...Um...Mr Poor.. can you hear me?"
I shook him gently first and then more vigorously...I then performed what we call a "sternal rub" which is essentially kneading your knuckles onto the center of the chest. It is as painful as it sounds but that is the idea. If someone does not even respond to the pain... the person is pretty much pushing daisies.
Of course Mr. Poor did not respond. I then went through the whole drill of certifying the death. Of course there are stacks of paperwork that needs to be filled out and lots of crying as well.
On a happier note, I bought first car and I got a new TV... I'm looking forward to getting them next week...Plus the fact that next week is pay day again! Yoohoo!
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