Here I am, on call in ICU again. This time I'm not waiting for an X-Ray, though (I figured out how to access those faster, finally!) - I'm waiting for a patient who will be coming up from ER shortly. In the meantime, here I sit with a few minutes to spare (the first few minutes I've had all day). It actually hasn't been a bad day. I got all my progress notes done before evening rounds, which doesn't usually happen on weekends. We have to write daily notes on each patient in the ICU, and they're usually fairly long (1-2 pages, at least, handwritten). We have 16 patients in the unit. So that's a good 16-32 pages of writing. And then if there is extra stuff to do for people, that's even more. During the week it's not too bad, because there are a few of us around and we split up the work. But on the weekend, there's only 1 person on, and we have to write all of them. It takes many hours (especially because you're being interrupted every 2-5 minutes or so, which makes it very inefficient!), and people have known to be finishing their notes at 6 the next morning, because they've been so busy they haven't been able to finish them until then! I don't think I've ever been still writing them past 1 a.m. or so, but still...
ICU is crazy right now, all across the province. There are no open beds in all of Ontario! Yesterday a patient at another hospital in Hamilton had to be shipped to the US, because there was no room, and every ICU is functioning at OVER capacity. Scary! And frustrating.
However, we've managed to make room for this patient coming to us soon, and possibly one more. Sounds like this person coming is pretty sick, and will need to be started on emergency dialysis and the whole nine yards. The fun never ends! (Please read with sarcasm)
Friday night I was also on call (they like to put us on call 24 hours Friday and Sunday when they put us on for a weekend, which makes for a very tiring few days!), and it was pretty busy. It seemed like everyone who had been doing well was suddenly not doing well, and I was running from bedside to bedside, feeling pulled in 100 different directions all at once, trying to keep track of it all (and stay awake). I did manage to fall into bed at 5 a.m., after which it was actually pretty quiet. We'll see how things go tonight.
I only have a few days left in this block. Basically I'll go home tomorrow (Monday) morning, and then be back Tues-Thurs. I'm on call Thursday night again, and will go home Friday morning, and then that will be the end of my time in the ICU. Then my surgery is the following Tuesday. Time flies when you're having fun (and when you're insanely busy!).
I'm getting REALLY excited about my upcoming trip to Asia, too. I won't say much about it on the blog, just because anyone could read it, but I'm sure looking forward to it. I still can't quite believe that my Father has orchestrated that for me in the midst of my residency!
Well, better get ready for this admission. More later.
