Click here for more articles & daily dose.
I fear a myriad of stuffs.
Perhaps, there is a reason why I suffer from anxiety.
Currently, my biggest fear would be if I were to handle the “on-night” shift alone in ward.
I mean the workload is basically just making sure you complete the coming morning bloods, which basically means to withdraw the bloods from the patients, send them to the lab and trace them in the morning before the morning rounds begin. However, there are certain bloods that are time sensitive, meaning you have to take them at a certain designated time. In addition to that, you are required to review the patients who have just completed their operation, clerk new admissions from the emergency department, attend to calls from the emergency department, complete the active plans given by them, post case which essentially means to present the case to the anaesthetist via phone call, refer to other department if necessary, liaise with the doctors in radiology for any scans needed in their department and also attending to patients who are unstable in wards and ensure that they do not well… die.
Personally, I feel better if there were two people handling a ward at night. Even though there are nurses around, they pretty much turn to you the moment there is an issue even though personally, I feel that they are better equipped due to their experience.
I personally do not know how my colleagues handle the stress and uncertainty that comes with being the “on night” person. I have only experienced working the night shift in the emergency department and operating theatre.
However, the wards? It scares me, it always does. Even during the day.
Perhaps, I fear that I may not be able to handle this which just adds on to my stress and anxiety levels.
So back to the question, my biggest fear? Being in charge of wards at night and having things go south which really terrifies me.
It’s odd as this seems like a rather manageable issue. However, I’m too much of a coward to go through this. I fear the inevitable. I would much rather avoid the issue than face it hands on even if it may not be as bad as I imagined it to be.
Click here for more articles & daily dose.
The Theoretical Doctor 