My First Day Back At Work After A 6-Week-Break | Housemanship Diaries
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I officially returned to work on the 2nd of October 2024.
Initially, I was stationed to work the morning shift at ward. However, a colleague of mine decided to take a sick leave on that day when she was initially stationed as the House Officer in the Emergency Department, ETD HO.
Being the Allocation Leader in this department, it is my duty to immediately look for a replacement and to update in the group with the medical officers. Not one person came to mind and I felt bad since it was a friend of mine who took a sick leave or did I feel comfortable dragging another person to cover this shift since it is a shift most people avoided.
Thus, I offered to be the ETD HO myself. It was during an anaemic House Officer period and there were only one House Officer stationed at the Emergency Department.
Hence, I went to work and stocked up my necessary supplies before meeting the post night House Officer in the Emergency Department to receive my handover.
Of all days, it had to be one whereby no coming mornings (bloods) were taken for the patients and there were a lot of active job-lists not being carried out. Not to mention scans to be requested the following morning.
Basically, there were a ton of “shits” being thrown to me and if I do not settle it myself or to push my post night colleague to help me, I would be in a mess for the day.
Imagine having just returned to work to this. Without thinking much, I started identifying the patients who had bloods to be taken and proceeded to take all of them and sent it off. After sending them off, I started preparing for scans and called the radiology medical officer oncall to present my case.
Finally, after I thought I was done, I decided to review the stranded patients.
Normally, the stranded patients should be reviewed around 7am as we would begin our morning rounds around 7:30am till 8am. Thankfully, it was the weekend and rounds began much later.
I went through my list of stranded patients and there were almost 20. 20 stranded patients at various locations.
Would I have the time to review all of them? What about the active joblists or scans? Can I rely on my post night colleague? What if there is a new case?
I remembered it being a rainy day and the referrals were initially from wards and not from the Emergency Department (ETD).
Perhaps it would be a slow day. I thought to myself.
But, I thought too soon.
Soon, referrals started piling up. My medical officer’s phone (MO) was blowing up with calls. Other sub-specialities kept reaching out for me to help them out and at one point, me and my medical officer had to split to ensure we got everything done to the best that we could.
I wished that I could literally divide myself but I couldn’t. On top of that, my right foot started to ache. I just came back from a 6-week-break. I can’t afford to go on anther few weeks. If I do, just when am I going to end this posting?
I recalled it being a terribly hectic day and I felt bad as I was mostly away, having been dragged away by other sub-specialities, escorting patients or carrying out the active job-lists. I could not really be by my medical officer’s (MO) side to see the cases.
Finally, the end of my shift approached. 7pm and my night colleague came for handover.
Despite it being the evening already, the fire was still burning strong, referrals did not stop coming in and I still had tasks to complete or I would be handing over “shits” to my night colleague.
Finally, it was around 8-9pm, I can’t really remember as I was following night rounds with the OT call medical officer and registrar. My medical officer told me to return home since the following day, I would be morning shift.
I remembered returning home that day, somewhat unsatisfied with myself. No doubt that it was a tough day, but I could definitely do better. If only my leg did not slow me. The pain seems to increase with every step I took and with every exertion I made.
However, as I remembered, I was blessed to have an angel as my medical officer oncall for that day. Instead of shaming me or being sarcastic or mentioning that I could do better, she simply thanked me for putting my best effort on the first day back and welcomed me back.
It’s angels like this who makes me want to try to be better the following day.
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