Oh dear

As I mentioned in my last post I'm having teething problems.

After today I'm not so sure they're just going to be a short term issue. The problem comes down to the usual shortage of resources and division of labour, i.e. there are only so many things I can do within a finite time period.

I manage my time well, barely get breaks and have a strong work ethic appropriate to my grade. If I can't get everything done when you ask me to then you either need more staff or a more senior/experienced doctor.

I'm not superhuman. I can't wave a magic wand and get everything done instantly, some things have to take clinical priority. Doing discharge paperwork when I have a patient with a very low blood pressure is not sensible. The bed manager might prefer it that way as they could end up getting 2 empty beds for the price of one, but I don't think the GMC would view it favourably.

Give me the opportunity to do my job and leave me to prioritise my tasks according to need. If you can't do that then feel free to muck in and help me.

Rant over

Teething problems

The reason things have been so quiet lately is mainly due to work problems.

The job switch went fairly smoothly initially but is now not working out so well with regards to logistical issues and job role.

It's all a work-in-progress and will hopefully sort itself out shortly, but if not, well, it's only 2 months until job change again.

The joy of nights

As an F1 some hospitals won't let you do nights. I wasn't that unlucky.

Nights help you feel like a real doctor - the kind that actually has to make decisions off their own backs.

As you can probably gather, I love nights. There are less relatives, less hospital management and generally less people to annoy everyone.

I'm also very lucky that I can switch from days to nights (and back) very easily. I know some of my colleagues struggle with nights, but I love them.

But then I guess nights are like Marmite - you either love them or hate them!