One of the most hated parts of residency is having to call an attending at night about a new admission. In most programs this is required, and you don't have a choice. It consists of dialing up the senior doc on call, running a case by them quickly, and making sure they agree with what you're doing.
Generally you try and make it quick. You're busy. They're trying to sleep.
There was one doctor in my program, Dr. Flat, who was notorious for his rapid monotone. He spoke at warp speed, but his voice never changed, and he never strayed from business. If he had a sense of humor, none of us ever saw it.
One weeknight I was on call, and was admitting a stroke patient. It was about 10:00 p.m, and I made the obligatory call to Dr. Flat.
Dr. Grumpy: "So I'm admitting him to the telemetry floor, and started him on Aspirin. I've ordered an MRI, and..."
Dr. Flat: Mmmmm. YAWNNNNNN
Dr. Grumpy: "I'm sorry, sir. Did I wake you up?"
Dr. Flat:"No, my wife and I just finished having sex. What's his blood pressure?"
babybabyohgodbabyohgodohgod
ReplyDeleteAt least you didn't interrupt him! :)
ReplyDeleteWhy is that the most hated part of residency? The admissions were far more annoying than the calling the attendings part. Of course, we had a somewhat different system in PM&R: either we were at a facility that didn't get late admits, or we were at a facility where the attending actually had to physically see the patient with us (I guess for billing reasons).
wonder what his wife said to him when he got off the phone?
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Very funny.
ReplyDeleteUgh. TMI.
ReplyDeletemaybe the phone call is what finished them!
ReplyDeleteDr. Flat sounds like a scream. Maybe he was an IT person in another life...or had a little something going on in the frontal lobe.
ReplyDeleteWell then. Bet you never looked at him the same again.
ReplyDeleteSo when precisely did they finish? In the *middle* of your call? Because I am sure you told him the blood pressure before you said you admitted the patient... Now, I am capable of answering a phone and conversing, seemingly lucidly, while sound asleep, but having sex? It boggles the mind. As well as being TMI.
ReplyDeletewv: slytes. All lytes too low???
Or did he REALLY say "babybabyohgodbabyohgodohgodwhatwasthebloodpressure?"
ReplyDelete"Ummm ~ thanks for sharing that with me..."
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband and I were first married 16 years ago, we rented an apartment in an old Victorian house. We had part of it, the landlord had part of it, and the landlord's son lived in the basement apartment. The landlord's son had a girlfriend who was over very often. The landlord's son and his girlfriend really, really, really liked having sex. The landlord's son was a screamer. One day we were sitting in our living room and we heard the typical THUMP THUMP THUMP, 'OHHHH BABY BABY, OHHHHH YESSSSS' coming from the basement. Then we heard' 'DON'T PUT IT THERE, IT HURTS!'.
ReplyDeleteTalk about TMI. Hehehe.
I'm sorry. The landlord's son's girlfriend was the screamer, not the landlord's son.
ReplyDeleteAt least he didn't say 'Mmmmmmm, I was masturbating vigrously.'
ReplyDelete"Yes, sir. Was it good for you, too?"
ReplyDeleteHahaha, I think that's the sort of funny TMI that is allowed. :-) Even if he had no humor (or maybe it was just really, really, really dry), he can't have been the worst guy on call.
ReplyDelete(Heh, I was expecting a story about your time as the background on call (if you even do that as someone not firmly employed by the hospital on a full scale; you're more of a locum consult when the hospital has no own neurologist on duty, or if it's one of your patients getting admitted? Sorry, I'm not really familiar with the system overseas).)
HAHA, great! :D
ReplyDelete"Well I hope it was a good shag. 120/80"
ReplyDeleteSo that definitely does not fall under appropriate professional communication!
ReplyDeleteMaha:
ReplyDeleteBut it sure does cause some 'falling about' under 'rather inappropriate professional communication'!