The ER has been pretty quiet the past few nights that I have been in there. Majority of our patients have come in with complaints like chest pain, abdominal discomfort, migraines, etc., but there haven't been any trauma patients. My past stories that I have shared with you guys were from my shifts at the UH campus at Case Western, near downtown. Unsurprisingly, this ER is where the most excitement comes in.
Lately, I have been only working at the Geauga ER, which is in a much quieter area. As only a third of our rooms are filled with people complaining of aches and pains, we look at "the board" for downtown and see "GSW" (gunshot wound), "stabbing" or "overdose" across the board. My longing to be at that ER makes me feel so wrong...I shouldn't be eager to see people in critical conditions. As you read in my previous posts, I was having a problem with caring for the patients too much as it got in the way of treating them. I see myself slowly getting used to it and transforming into having the attitude that the other doctors have. I was disgusted by the way the orthopedic doctor aggressively and carelessly holding up the girl's broken arm objectified her, and I judged him as a jerk. However, as I am in the ER more and more and see patients come in and go out, I get it. I treat every patient with the same care, wanting to make everyone as comfortable as possible. However, there is something about the thrill of critical patients making your heart race and your adrenaline rush through your body that attracts you.
Its important to me that I never become the doctor who students look and and say is a jerk, but I can appreciate the fact that she was just another patient that he knew needed to be treated through the pain. I think it's important for the doctors to call each patient by their name and recognize their faces because feeling like a person who is cared about is immensely important when you're sick. The 19 year old girl sitting alone in her room holding her stomach because she's in pain needs to matter as much as the man who got in a car accident, despite the routine that doctors fall into.
Great post Cami! I completely get where you're coming from. There are some days during my project where I'm bored to death watching the nurses chart, and other days we're running around as if there's not enough time in the day. I definitely like you, always wanting to be moving and helping people, feeling that rush. Don't feel bad about wanting to see those patients, it probably just means that you really love to help people and know that the critical patients need the most attention.
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