Credit where it's due...

Ok I'll admit it... not all nurses are bad.

I know at times I can sound like an arrogant 1st year intern whinging about nurses cos that's just what doctors do.

But I want to be the first to admit that some (exact percentages are not yet available) nurses are really really great and make my job pleasant.

Such as the clinical support nurse on this evening... le Frenchman!

Le Frenchman's job is to go around helping wards out with stuff that they can't do but that don't always require the doctor. He will put in catheters, fix up APTTs that are too low and hit the veins first time in patients who even residents can't cannulate.

Often I will get called to do some procedural thing only to find that Le Frenchman has beaten me to the task and done it for me. Even better, sometimes he teaches other nurses how to do them so that they don't need to call the doctor next time.

Without him, my night shifts would be more like the hell-on-earth I experienced at Whoop Whoop where I ran around like a headless chook all evening chasing my tail to triage sick patients whilst stabbing people with needles.

Oh and the coolest thing is he is French. You don't meet too many frogs in this part of the world and he has a cool accent*.

And so I will end my nights here at this tertiary referral centre known as The Zoo knowing that I have survived these trials relatively unscathed and with only having to call 1 boss during his somnolence.

And so tomorrow as the dawn breaks over the Pacific Ocean and I enjoy the view from level 7, I will be content, having conquered all challenges bar ED (which will be the true test of mettle). And so what shall I do to reward myself?

I shall hop onto a plane this morning and fly to the Gold Coast for a week of nothing (all by myself)!

See you all in a week's time!

This is Dr J (signing off)

* Whilst French accents are cool, I must say the one that I find really attractive is a quality non-cockney British accent (Southern preferable to Northern or Midlanders). If I could find a Christian Asian girl with a British accent, I'd prob be engaged next week! Haha!