Tired

Just finishing a week of 12's--2 nights followed by three days. As any ER doctor knows, a 12-hour is really a 13-hour shift by the time things get all wrapped up. So, it's a 65-hour week. I used to pull those all the time in residency--I'm getting soft.

I'm not so much tired as I am annoyed. For me, annoyance with patients is my first sign of burnout, a sign that I need a break. I caught myself several times getting bored as the patient is talking to me, wondering in my head, "why in the world are they telling me this? Do they really think I care? Why on earth is this relevant?" Which is sort of dangerous, because on more than one occasion, a patient has volunteered a detail I never would have asked about that's been the key to their diagnosis. The problem is, for every one of those facts that saves your butt, you have to wade through 20 ramblings about a patient's tingling sensation in their left pinky.

It's flu season, which adds to the fatigue. Besides having to listen to the same constellation of symptoms over and over (and over...), I end up having to tell them that despite the fact that they're absolutely miserable, there's really nothing I can do that they can't do for themselves by a quick walk through the pharmacy. And even after my lengthy explanation that their illness is due to a virus, they inevitably ask, "Are you going to write me for something?" Yes, "something" means an antibiotic.

Did you hear a word of what I just said? YOU DON'T NEED AN ANTIBIOTIC. I don't care if your doctor gives you a Z-pack whenever you get this. You could take a pack of jelly beans and get better just as quickly. Here...I'll even put them in a pill bottle for you.

As you can tell, I'm not very good at the kind doctor comforting thing. It's actually much more tiring to me telling 20 people they're fine (without ticking them off) than treating 20 MI's. Wow...it's really a good thing I switched residencies.

Good news, I have a good week ahead. Only two shifts. I love 12's.