Intern venting thread

[badgas]

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Favorite moments so far:

#1. Call at 3 am- nurse "i just wanted to let you know that mr.x's BP is 130/80. he just had a PVC and I think you sould take a look at him"
me "uhh... is he symptomatic?"
pt in background "seriously, can't I PLEASE go to sleep now?"
nurse "yes, he says he had chest pain"
pt in background "no i didn't"

#2. homeless man who decided that he liked to stay in our hotel... i mean hospital. faked a syncopal episode in an elevator on discharge. yelped out and fell in a slow enough manor that a man with a cane had time to catch him. statement from the guy who witnessed this episode in elevator... "what an dingus." then he found out that nurses were calling it a seizure so he just went ahead and pissed himself.

#3. 96 y/o M admitted for a fall. d/c'd all sedating meds due to mental status. found out that nurse likes to give ambien at 8 am daily post d/c of meds. same nurse calls to ask if she can give him scotch instead.

#4. crosscover call at 530. nurse "we have a critical lab value. creatinine 9.0"
me "what was it yesterday?"
nurse "i don't know"
me "can you look in the chart for me?"
nurse "i dont' know where it is"
me "can you find it?"
nurse "i tried already"

so I go down to find the chart myself. it is in the patients room. sitting right next to the DIALYSIS MACHINE that the patient is currently on.

#5-#92345346.... too damn many to list.

So who else has some good stories?

 

[lvspro]

Last year on call around 0300

Me: This is Dr. S, I was paged?
Nurse: Hi doc. I was wondering if you could write Mr X something for pain?
Me: Well, sure, but I need to know whats going on... is he ok?
Nurse: He seems ok right now, but I just wanna make sure.
Me: Whats he doing now?
Her: Sleeping.
😱😱
Me: Was he complaining of pain b4 bedtime?
her: No.
My Mind: WTF? What kind of cock-a-maimie, ****** request at this ungodly hour, coming from someone who obviously winds her a$$, and scratches her watch, is this?😡
Me: Well, how about we just wait until he wakes up then reassess in the AM.
Nurse: OK. Thanks!

 

[SexPanther]

Please tell us that the anesthesiology light at the end of the end of the tunnel makes this ****ty year worth it all! I'm already tired all the time, and we're only 2 months in.

 

[Coastie]

So true. What should we as interns expect to learn from our year? I don't feel like I'm learning much at all!

 

[Trisomy13]

So true. What should we as interns expect to learn from our year? I don't feel like I'm learning much at all!

you will learn how much it sucks, and will appreciate how much better it gets next July...


one of my favorite pages from intern year..

nurse: had to call you b/c the pt's MAP is 64 and we have orders to maintain above 65...
me: hmm. cycle the cuff again?
nurse: ok.. now it's 67.


i'm still trying to believe that i just dreamt that. 🙄 when working with brand new nurses out of school, try to have some patience and remember how you felt July 1st.

 

[UTSouthwestern]

You'll be learning more than you realize by the end of the year. Take a lesson from each patient you see, especially when you are working them up. How you evaluate your patients will be an important skill that you need to hone during this year to allow you to quickly but thoroughly evaluate your surgical patients next year.

Don't just "get by" this year. Throw yourself into your work. It is the best opportunity you will have to independently interview, evaluate, and most importantly, diagnose the pertinent issues of your patient. Don't waste the opportunity.

Ask questions, endure the crap you have described above, do every procedure you can get your hands on, and draw on the subspecialists whose fields you will need to understand to fully appreciate the decision making skills that you yourself will need to develop. If you go through this year without pushing your limits and developing your independence and confidence, you will likely enter anesthesiology residency with a knowledge and confidence gap that will take time to fill. That will put you at a competitive disadvantage to your classmates.

Think of how much of an impact pulmonology, cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, etc. has on our surgical patients and our field in general. Don't waste the opportunity to learn from highly specialized physicians in these fields and the opportunity to practice alongside them.

 

[deleted9493]

You'll be learning more than you realize by the end of the year. Take a lesson from each patient you see, especially when you are working them up. How you evaluate your patients will be an important skill that you need to hone during this year to allow you to quickly but thoroughly evaluate your surgical patients next year.

Don't just "get by" this year. Throw yourself into your work. It is the best opportunity you will have to independently interview, evaluate, and most importantly, diagnose the pertinent issues of your patient. Don't waste the opportunity.

Ask questions, endure the crap you have described above, do every procedure you can get your hands on, and draw on the subspecialists whose fields you will need to understand to fully appreciate the decision making skills that you yourself will need to develop. If you go through this year without pushing your limits and developing your independence and confidence, you will likely enter anesthesiology residency with a knowledge and confidence gap that will take time to fill. That will put you at a competitive disadvantage to your classmates.

Think of how much of an impact pulmonology, cardiology, nephrology, endocrinology, etc. has on our surgical patients and our field in general. Don't waste the opportunity to learn from highly specialized physicians in these fields and the opportunity to practice alongside them.

Well said, UT...much wisdom here.

 

[Coastie]

A bright note today: Code Blue right beside our team on rounds, got an emergent intubation because out of the interns and even int med residents nearby, I had the most intubations from my rotations as a 4th year. Good times, and cannot wait until July 08!

 

[UTSouthwestern]

A bright note today: Code Blue right beside our team on rounds, got an emergent intubation because out of the interns and even int med residents nearby, I had the most intubations from my rotations as a 4th year. Good times, and cannot wait until July 08!

I bet you were steady as a rock! 👍 It's one thing to intubate a person in a controlled environment like the OR, quite another to do so in a code. It forces you to develop your ability to remain calm, cool, and collected in the chaos that can surround a code.

 

[Laurel123]

I agree with UT - try to make the most of it. There are some interesting things to learn and actually I look back at my intern year fondly. I managed some very interesting patients, learned a lot and just to be warm and fuzzy,
i made a lot of good friends. It's a unique experience. When on call, a 2am cafeteria run to get cheese fries and chocolate milk will save the day. yummy. That being said, I am glad to never do that again!

Afternoon page

Nurse: Doctor, I think the PCA needs to be adjusted, the patient is complaining of a lot of pain.
me: OK, well tell me what the PCA orders are.
nurse: 1 mg every 6 minutes morphine (or something like that)
me: So, the patient is getting 10 mg of morphine an hour and still having a lot of pain?
nurse: Well no, actually she is only using the PCA 1 or 2 times an hour.

ugh

 

[TrustMe]

My first month was in the SICU which is managed by the anesthesia department. Great month, great learning, great nurses. Now I'm in the ED. Not quite the same experience. I am daily eyeing sharp objects and thinking "would it really hurt that bad to shove that in my eye in order to get out of a shift or two?"

#1 Nurse: Dr., that guys fingerstick is still 400 after the insulin.
Me: After x units IV?
Nurse: No, I gave it sub-q.
Me: But I ordered it IV
Nurse: But I usually give it sub-q.
Me: Let's try the same dose only give it IV this time (in my kindest, most instructive voice).
Nurse: Dr., that guys fingerstick is down to 150 (in a very excited voice).
Me(to myself, unfortunately): No s#!t!!

#2 Nurse: Dr., that lady just vomitted up the meds you ordered PO.
Me: Well, then she needs them IV.
Nurse: Does that mean I have to start a line? (staring at me anoyingly)
Me: Yes, please. (While thinking, I don't give a crap how you get it into her veins, it just needs to get there.)

 

[nutmegs]

absolutely loving an anesthesia month after a month of neurology and a month of rather hellish burn ICU/wards. burns would have been pretty cool- sick patients, lots of procedures- except I spent the whole month putting orders in the computer on 40 patients.

best moment? walking up to the floor today to do a pre-op and being immediately confronted by a nurse: "hey you're on burns. the guy in 53-" me: "no" nurse: *blank look* "the guy in..." me: "no, really. not on burns anymore. not my freakin patient!!"

 

[Noyac]

So the nut ball pages don't end after residency.

A few threads back I posted about the craziest page I ever got (that I care to remember). Did a big belly case under epidural and sent the guy to the floor after pacu competely comfortable at 3pm. Checked on him at 8 pm b/4 going home and he was resting comfortably and his wife stated that this was the best he has ever done post-op.

About 1 -3 am I get a page. The flippin nurse says that the pt has an erection and wants to know what to do about it.😱

Well you can imagine the thoughts that entered my mind. 🙄

I asked if it was painful? Nurse said "no".

I asked if the wife was present? Nurse said "yes".

I then said to leave them alone.😉

 

[Noble Gas]

So the nut ball pages don't end after residency.

A few threads back I posted about the craziest page I ever got (that I care to remember). Did a big belly case under epidural and sent the guy to the floor after pacu competely comfortable at 3pm. Checked on him at 8 pm b/4 going home and he was resting comfortably and his wife stated that this was the best he has ever done post-op.

About 1 -3 am I get a page. The flippin nurse says that the pt has an erection and wants to know what to do about it.😱

Well you can imagine the thoughts that entered my mind. 🙄

I asked if it was painful? Nurse said "no".

I asked if the wife was present? Nurse said "yes".

I then said to leave them alone.😉

True story:
"Doctor, there is a white discharge on Mr. Johnson's johnson. Can you please come and see him?"

I ask the patient, who apparently is just your garden-variety pervert "Is that semen?"

"Yes."

 

[diceksox]

18 y.o. with no PMH in for Psych issues on the psych floor with a consult to our service (she took 2 of Grandma's cardizem a week ago)
Nurse: The patient is tachycardic, so I gave the Benadryl
Me: Uh, why did you give benadryl if she is tachy
Nurse: I'm not sure.... in case she gets agitated
Me: (sweet Lord!!!) Ok what is the HR?
Nurse: 88