The ER

After getting to the hospital at 7am Friday morning, I found myself back at the hospital at midnight that night, for my first 8-hour Emergency Medicine shift. Running on adrenaline only, I was perfectly alert all night, because the ER is a fascinating place. I made my way around to almost all the patients, talking with them, asking the nurses to show me things, asking the residents to explain some things. I learned all about patient registration, the supply room, trauma protocol. I was impressed with how streamlined it seemed from the nurses and doctor's perspective. From the patient's perspective the number one complaint was how slow everything seemed to happen. They all wanted to either go home or be admitted to the hospital. I can only imagine how being in "ER limbo" must feel when you're sick and scared that it could be something really bad.

Overall I was very impressed with the professionalism of all the staff in the ER, from the person cleaning the rooms to the attending physician. I had the opportunity to participate in a trauma call, very organized, and thorough. I also cleaned and sutured up some lacerations for the first time (really cool).

Above all though, my favorite part was talking with all of the people and their families, hearing their stories reminds me of why I think that being a doctor is the best job in the world. It fires me up to realize that I have the power to make people's lives better. Even last night, I did my best to listen, educate when I could, and comfort always, and I think I made some people feel better. I was so impressed with all the staff in the ER, and it humbles me to know that I'll have the priveledge of working alongside these people when I head into my clinical rotations full-time in July.