Professional tidbit I'm putting in my pocket for the future

At my hospital, the residents man the medic radios, answering questions, giving the approval for meds, declaring codes, etc. There is a script for answering the radios that's usually followed by all residents:

EMS: "Medic Doc, this is County ES, how do you receive?"

Medic Doc: "ES, we hear you loud and clear, go ahead."

EMS: "Medic Doc, we have a 65 year old female complaining of tight socks, baggy pants, and a light wallet. BP is 120/80, pulse 72, sugar stick negative, no active bleeding, GCS of 15. Permission to give a bolus of saline and 2 slaps to the side of the head?

Medic Doc: "Thank you ES, I understand you have a 65 year old female, normal vital signs and hemodynamically stable. I agree with your plan of saline and slaps, what is your ETA?

EMS: "Medic Doc, our ETA is 5 minutes, over."

Medic Doc: "Copy ES, over and out."

Wasn't that simple and clear? Very concise? Easy as pie, not hard, no hassles, and most importantly, no confusion.

Alas, this is July, when the new interns arrive, either timid and hesitant, or full of ego and bullshit. So I shouldn't have been surprised when the new resident answered the radio like this:

EMS: "Medic Doc, this is County ES, how do you receive?"

Medic Doc: "clear."

EMS: "Medic Doc, we did not register your response, please repeat."

Medic Doc: "clear."

EMS: "Medic Doc, did you reply?"

MD: "CLEAR."  (As if volume was the problem.)

EMS: "Medic Doc, we have not heard a clear response, we're going to assume you hear us. We have a 45 year old male complaining of shortness of patience, pain in his sphincter, and itchy teeth. Request to administer 50 of ...

(Interrupting) Medic Doc: "I said CLEAR."

EMS: "... and a repeat EKG if you deem it necessary, over."

MD: "......"

EMS: "Medic Doc?"

MD: "Ok."

EMS: "Um, Medic Doc, is that an ok to... everything? Did you hear us?"

MD: "I said ok, I'm on the other phone."

EMS: "Uh, Medic Doc, we need clarification, please repeat our transmission."

MD: "........"

EMS: "Medic Doc?"

MD: "......."

EMS: "Medic Doc, how do you receive?"

MD: (snottily) "I hear you, yeah."

EMS: "Can you repeat please?"

MD: "I'll see you in 10."

EMS: "Medic Doc, we're pulling up right now."

MD: "See you in 10."

During this whole conversation, she was talking to someone else on another phone, carrying on the same type of conversation. Due to tone, I'm guessing she was the ego intern, not the timid one. Never get sick in July...

More July 1 fun

Me to the surgery Fellow: "Hey doc, I see you're the new surgery Fellow. I need you to fill out this paperwork for the patient's procedure." (hands him paperwork)

Fellow: "Uh, what do I do?"

Me: "It's just asking for your permission to give blood products, which you've already ordered, so we just need the paperwork signed."

Fellow: "Uh, am I supposed to sign it?"

Me: "Yes, every Fellow before you has. Plus you ordered the products, so..."

Fellow: "Uh, let me ask my Attending."

Me: (What the hell?! It's just a damn signature!) "Uh, we can't give the orders without your signature, so could you please sign?"

Fellow: "Give the products, but I'm waiting on signing it until I hear from the Attending."

Me: "Seriously?!"

So I stood around for an hour waiting for the Attending to come tell this person who has had 5 years of post-medical school training to sign for his own damn orders. Welcome to July.

Changing of the Guard

Two weeks ago I noticed that the patients' ICU notes were getting submitted to records later and later, finally culminating in never being in before 5pm. I was all, 'what the hell?!' since rounding starts at 7am and ends around noon. I was getting really annoyed, as I need those charts to finish my work. When I started here in December, I was done at 2pm-ish, now, the beginning of summer, I'm getting done around 6 or 7. It was really irritating.

Fast-forward to this past weekend- I realized that the ICU notes were now being done by 9am. I was *impressed*. I had to pick up my jaw from the floor. I was done around noon, basking in the sunshine, so happy for the fact that obviously the residents wanted to leave early too! Yay! That was until I looked at the calendar and realized that July 1 had passed. And then it dawned on me- the gradual increase in lateness matched the increase in apathy for being done with residency year. The sharp uptick in punctuality was due to new interns being eager to please their attendings. Oh well, that's one positive that comes from new doctors at the helm.

Post MCAT blues

So I took my test on July 2nd as expected. I had read all the chapters, done many practice problems, and completed every AAMC practice test. I felt reasonably prepared. I was getting an average of 28 on my practice tests, which was reasonable for me. My highest score was 32 (11/11/10) and my lowest, 23 (7/8/8). I have taken this test twice before, each time feeling ok, but not overtly bad about it. Until Tuesday.

Nothing had prepared me for this test. It was a beast. It was awful. It was all I could do, to not burst into tears during the PS section. I started panicking, rushing through, having all thoughts of being doctor evaporate before my eyes. It sucked. The verbal was ok- maybe even great. I started to feel a little better, thinking, okay, I always suck at PS, I'll get through the verbal and BS sections and I'll be okay. And then BS kicked my ass as well. I would have cried on the way home if it weren't for the fact that I was trying to keep a strong front on the phone with my family.

So I'm mentally trying to prepare for a 24 (7/9/8). God, it was horrible. And now I feel like all my hopes have gone out the window, that there is no chance for me to get any secondaries, much less interviews and acceptances (I already submitted my app on the 22nd.) God, this sucks. :(