How to on-call: i mean other than being there and answering calls and stuff.

well i am definitely not the expert and i am NOT the best person to give you this advice but i guess i can try. during one of my first on-calls I sobbed. at the nursing station. full blown panic attack, because a patient who was already dying.. died a little faster that night. the patient was hypotensive on multiple inotropes and i felt so useless and defeated, i called the assistant and she ran to rescue the patient and I, she gave me a hug (after saving the patient) at least for the shift. during that moment i realized that knowledge is power and I DO NOT want to feel useless ever again, little did i know.. the more i knew the more i knew that i had no clue. no matter how much i studied, no matter how much i read, no matter how much i prepared, the human body is a masterpiece and somethings are not meant to be known. It keeps humbling me, how uneducated one can be, how hard it is to actually be a doctor, exams were not the hard part, at all. standing between a person and death is. we cannot manipulate fate or change destinies but we can ease. and all i wanted to do after that day is ease.

(please don’t come at me if you notice any typos)

Tip #1 – Read.

I know i just said you can never know it all. but at least know some.

you will never know unless you read, and do not read just to read. read to save a life. the whole idea behind creating MOC and “approach to” is shifting my mindset from learning about diseases to learning HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM. knowing is one thing, but knowing what to do is THE THING.

Tip #2 – Accept.

You will never be ready to face EVERYTHING. accept that sometines you do not know, and that is more than fine. keep your ego aside and CALL FOR HELP when needed. also accept that you will burnout and breakdown. that is okay too.

Tip #3 – Rest.

Melatonin is my best friend. Sleep whenever and wherever you can. When you’re done resting accept your fate, accept that you are oncall and your sympathetic system is here to HELP you. your palpitations and tremors are your best friends too and they are not the enemy. take a deep breath and keep going.

Tip #4 – Remember it will end soon but don’t let that be your only goal

I know we keep counting the hours and minutes but i mean that won’t help pass the time any faster, be there, be present, romanticize it, imagine being in an episode (it takes a while to be delusional but you can get there i promise)

Tip #5 – HELP AND accept help

Always remember that you are not the only one alive and people find on-calls difficult too, having company always helps. get coffee for the team, help them with their calls, learn from the cardiologist oncall, while fighting with the radiologist on the phone make sure you learn something new while you’re at it. If the ER doctor is doing a bedside ultrasound, you can join. I mean the sky is the limit, you are there anyways.. make it worthwhile.

and i mean do not forget to

pack your bag, get your comfy sweatshirt, your ID, your favorie pen and stamp. have a charger or a portable one if you are fancy. get a water bottle, and caffiene, a little snack for your hypoglycemic attacks. maybe a handy notebook or your IPAD. i mean whatever makes you feel more prepared.

and you got this,

some on-calls will just suck,

i mean not all episodes are pleasing to watch

some are filling episodes

others are for the plot twist

just be there

and shoot your shot

goodluck

and may the oncall be ever in your favor

also this is my first blog so don’t judge me

and let me know what you think about this..

take care,

hussa