“Whatever you are, be a good one’’
–Abraham Lincoln
Oh my God! Its already 6am. I dashed off, had
a quicked shower, fumbed with toothpaste and hopped into my clothes. I
immediately mumbled a few words of prayers and scurried off with a snack, for
what should pass for breakfast. Gosh! Its either my alarm clock battery died or
my response to the blare is dying? ; , I thought to myself; but what did I
expect anyway, battling with Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for a patient
in Accident and Emergency Ward till 3
am. Straight from working a 17 hour stretch, thus, having barely 3 hour of sleep. Despite my alarm clock being
an hour late it should be awarded well
let’s leave by gones.
Emerging
from the tunnel that leads into the hospital from the back , I immediately
faced the path that leads to Paediatrics ward and laboratory.
I could not help but feel the rush of
Adrenaline just like a player in the
champions league emerging from the tunnel in the Allianz arena or the NOU camp
on to the field. Whether I was prepared for it or not, it was game time, the
day has started.
6:45am. I took right towards the laboratories ; I had some results I needed to
retrieve before ward round begins at 7am. I scanned through the results
available, but the result I was looking for was not there. I skimmed through
the roster, and yet it was not entered
in.
‘’Oga wetin dey happen na, i send
sample yesterday evening’’
I
asked the man at the reception,
the result never come out na? I added, “you
don check the roster?’’ he
asked. “Yes na,i don check am, e nor
dey’’ I replied,’’ you nor bring am na.’’ he retorted, almost carefree. I was
caught before a feeling of sadness and anger, but I was too busy to join issues
with the receptionist on a Monday morning for all it was worth. I had a ward
round to catch up. Between two evils , I will definitely prefer not to be late
for rounds, as though, I would return. I
dashed off to the ward and at 6:55am, I was at the patient bedside.
7:00am. As though the big Ben had struck over the hospitals gate, the registrar walked
in,’’Dr,where is the E and U for the patient’’, the replied hung in my mouth,
as one who have bitten more meat than he could chew, ‘I took the sample to the
Laboratory yesterday, but the result is not ready’’ I replied. How can you say that?’’ he fumed.
‘’I would go back to collect it’’, I added. The next 10 minutes before the rest
of the crew joined was filled with all manners of barrage, no explanations
sufficed. If only he was willing to understand that the delay was not my
fault. I only get away with a promise of
making sure the result was available by mid-day.
Afterwards,
rounds continued, with over forty patients to be seen. It finally ended
11:00am, we had a clinic to run and for me, more work to do- a list of patients
to be transfused, drugs to be given at different times, blood samples to
collect, result to retrieve and clinic to run. The day only got busier.
I
return to the laboratory and found the result I sort earlier. I discovered
them. The sample was erroneously added to routine sample as a back log from the day’s work. The only
price I had to pay for the mistake was patience. The result were only going to
receive at 3:00pm, I had no option, so I waited.
The
two successive beeps from my phone, alerted me to two text massages, one from
my mother, ‘’ Eva, have you forgotten me? It been two weeks and not even a
flash from you’’ .Heeey’, I screamed, my two hands interlaced, supporting my
occiput. My mom had called me and I had
told her to hang up, that I will return and call when I am less busy- that was
two weeks earlier. I felt a pang of guilt, but again I rescheduled her call.
I went over the next text, it was a salary
alert. I pored over the figures, did a mental calculation of my tithes and look
at the calendar’’ my next free weekend was three weeks away. Wow! That is when
I will most likely make church service again. I could count my attendance in
church meeting over the next three months with the fingers of one hands alone.
I usually plan to attend, but call duties and contingencies kept creeping up;
‘’ it is well’’, I muttered to myself. I went over the figure of the salary,
drew a budget and the entire cash was gone in minutes.
Iyiemwen’’,
a scream as loud as the sound of a decending airplane startled me out of my
reverie. I folded the paper with the drawn budget and slipped it over into the
less pocket of my ward coat. Well, the game they say continues, I have patients to attend to.
Indeed,
the full year internship programme can be quiet harmful. The idea of learning
medicine experimentally with the master can be more demanding than it seems.
However, such is life, the secret lies
in effective management of your time, resources and relationships. If you can
gain mastery of these you will still keep your head, which is very important.
If
I must say, in all of the busyness, do not lose yourself. The first casual
thing is your relationship with God especially and then man. As much as you
can, do your best to guard them jealously.
Everyday,
remind yourself on the essence of the programme.
Remember, whatever you do, by
all means, learn something, for goodness sake, that is the whole idea. It certainly
would not get easier, but you will only get stronger and wiser. On a final note
paraphrasing the word of Abraham Lincoln, when you become a house officer,
please, be a good one.
By
Dr Tom
Evaara MBBch
Dr Evaara
was a House Officer at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin
City, Nigeria between June 2013 –June
2014.
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