On autopilot

I'm tired. I know junior doctor's hours these days are a walk in the park compared to what they used to be but, still, I've worked 13 hour shifts for four days on the bounce now and I'm tired.

Luckily for me, I've got a holiday coming up and I'm really lookin forward to it. It's like a big beacon at the end of the tunnel and there were times this afternoon when dreaming of Europe was the only thing that was keeping me going.

Thankfully, this bank holiday weekend has been relatively quiet. I suspect it's because people are away from home and wanting to enjoy their holiday and so don't come into hospital with vague symptoms. I'm probably wrong about this but it suited me fine. The doctors and nurses on duty actually got time to sit down and have a cup of tea together, which is very nice and makes work a more enjoyable place to be.

Today, I clerked in

2 people with a urine infection
2 people with a chest infection
2 people with mini-strokes
1 person with a paracetamol overdose
1 person with an irregular heartbeat
1 person with worsening angina

It was a steady stream of patients that kept me occupied but it wasn't really a particularly exciting or interesting shift. I felt like I was on autopilot for most of it and I think that is due to the tiredness.

I'm going to bed.