Compliments, Confusion and Chocolate

Night shift is a bizarre thing.

Just you and half a hospital full of people trying to sleep (or get sick) under your careful watch.

Somehow patients who were otherwise ready for discharge turn into delirious geriatrics who think 'extreme bed falling' shoudl be made into a new sport. This phenomena is only exacerbated by the day team's instructions NOT to use any strong painkillers (despite a documented fracture) and of course the patient is well behaved during the day and so this never is a problem for them.

Last night I had one such 'darling old lady' swear at me and tell me I was in a gang of thieves who were trying to steal her money and that my parents should be ashamed of me. Then as I was taking her blood she struck me, knocking the needle straight into my hand. Thus ensued a trip down to Emergency to get blood taken just in case this 84 yr old lady was a drug user or hooker and had HIV or something similar.

Tonight the head nurse overnight was suprised to learn I was only an intern. "Oh, I thought you were a resident... you seem to have more sense in you than some of the others" I think that's a compliment right? Either that or the facial hair and bald patch are really making me look old.

To be honest it's pretty boring here as an intern on nights. They don't trust us to look after really sick people and so we get given the easy wards (geri's, neuro, rehab, psych, soft surgical pts, etc) whilst the poor resident is run off her feet with cardiology, acute surgical wards, renal and anything big. Maybe I shoudl be an intern again next year?

Speaking of which it's time to reapply for my job. In reality it shoudln't be too much of a problem to get my job next year, but it's more a hassle to chase down surgical bosses and ask them for references. I hate asking people for stuff and especially so when they are grumpy surgeons. Like they are really gonna be bothered to call them all up anyway!

Oh well 3 nights down, 4 to go!