Love or Hate
So the ICU …I may…actually like it…at times. Like the weekend or at night. In general, I love being at the hospital when it’s late at night, or on weekend mornings. I love when no one else is there. Just you, your fellow residents, usually the more chill attendings, the nurses are a little less stressed, more likely to be crackin jokes. Its just you and the patients basically, you and medicine. Not all the administrative crap, support staff, extra people, visitors. It’s just quieter. No distractions. Even the beeps of the monitors seem quieter at night.
Posted on February 6, 2012, in Deep Thoughts. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Yes.
There is something less chaotic and rushed about late shifts. You can focus more on your patients and your team, rather than dancing and dodging around the other people. True, there are fewer specialists available to “just take a quick look”, but there are also far fewer people to (literally) run into.
I lovelovelove late swings and overnights. Later shifts, to me, mean more time to focus on patients and more opportunities to make a real difference in their care. Slower nights also mean in-clinic learning opportunities with the experienced/skilled staff; something that is HARD to come by on earlier shifts.
And less reverent, but still true: We night-walkers eat all the remaining candy/sandwiches/free food of any form that remains for the day shift. Hershey kisses, sketchy veggie tray and fresh coffee? Hello, second breakfast.