Tuesday 19 February 2008

Dear Medical Students

Dear Medical Students,
I'm not ignoring you, honest. It's just that you always seem to pitch up when I'm covering emergenby theatres and I'm concentrating all I can on keeping the patient 1. alive and 2. asleep. I may be able to give you few factoids or pointers every now and then, but I appreciate that this isn't much use to you when you don't have a good grasp of how anaesthesia affect human physiology. Come back when I'm doing a day case list where the patients are healthy and I'll be able to talk to you more then and teach you about the practical stuff.
I know it's dull/depressing/annoying being asked to stand in the corner and watch when you're not really sure what is going on, but with me, when I'm doing emergencies, that's the way it's got to be. It's nothing personal, it's just that if I let my attention wander away from my patient, bad things can happen.
I hope you understand.

Yours,
Dr Michael Anderson (junior doctor)

4 comments:

Merys said...

I'm sure we can let you off. Besides, I'm usually far too busy being vasovagal to care!

Nurse Sandra May said...

Ha- oh dear merys!

The closest to theatre i've managed to get so far is peering through the window into theatre from the anaesthetic room- it was a knee replacement. It made me feel sick. I had a patient with me at the time asking me why i'd gone all pale.

Dear me.

Anonymous said...

The Fat Man's rule #11 in 'House of God'

'Show me a medical resident who only triples my work and I will kiss his feet.'

He means student/trainee here - Americans use funny words.

Anonymous said...

Hmm. My copy says "Show me a BMS who..."