If you're not suffering from one of the above, you better drag your ass to work!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Calling in sick
As everyone knows, it's frowned about to call in sick as a physician, so we generally drag ourselves to work NO MATTER WHAT. The worst time to call in sick is when you're serving as an intern (i.e. the minions of the hospital). However, there are some instances when you have no choice but to call in sick....
If you're not suffering from one of the above, you better drag your ass to work!
If you're not suffering from one of the above, you better drag your ass to work!
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Yes. And I think most of us are still like that.
ReplyDeleteWell technically, if the appendix actually *flew out* of your abdomen before exploding, then it's a clean wound and you can still go to work, right?
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I'm so glad to know that some things won't change in the RN to MD transition...
ReplyDeleteFourth panel is awesomeness. I actually know a chief resident who would say that.
ReplyDeleteI called in sick twice during residency.
ReplyDelete1. Septic (I think - not requiring hospitalization) from mastitis. Missed a 5 autopsy weekend call.
2. Projectile vomiting all night from food poisoning - I was frozen and drawn up from lack of electrolytes on the bathroom floor at 4 a.m. It was my first day at the crime lab. I would not have been able to stomach it (hee hee).
One of the ER docs I worked with actually spent a shift seeing patients while hooked up to an IV before going in for his appendectomy. None of the other docs would cover for him.
ReplyDeleteHarsh.
Yea, it's ironic that the very people who are supposed to be sensitive to those who are ill, are themselves so out of touch with sickness when it strikes closer to home. This projection of denial is interesting, and more should be done to counter this overly duty bound, boot camp macho mentality... where you are merely fighting the enemy called 'disease.' This was historically the philosophy driving mainstream medical education (because the people who originally set up medicine, i.e very heterosexual, good old boy, competitive macho males were very much like this.)
ReplyDeletePerhaps they should study more Proust? :)
Yes, it IS ironic that the worst field to be sick in yourself is nedicine. And probably one of the worst residencies to be pregnant in is OB/GYN.
ReplyDeleteFizzy, no kidding. One of our professors said her entire residency cohort (6 women) took a pledge and gave themselves IUDs when they started. What the...?
ReplyDeleteThis RN used to have a pretty high bar before I would call in sick--until I gave my bad cold to a patient, and then he could not have his urgent CABG until it at least partially resolved. With viral illness, if it is early in the course of the illness, I keep my virus (and me) at home now.
ReplyDeleteHa! Pretty much he same for nurses. I remember one GI bug that had us all getting IV fluids in the med room.
ReplyDelete