As part of my internship requirements, I work in the emergency room triaging patients. The shifts range from 10-12hrs apiece, and it’s surprisingly tolerable. Since I am not an EM categorical resident, I don’t have to triage the trauma patients. That leaves a medley of typical ED presentations along with some less common issues. These include COPD exacerbations, pneumonias, GI bleeders, HIVers, and obstipations. The best part about the ED is that all I have to do is determine whether a patient needs to be admitted or sent home. At the end of the shift, I sign out any pending labs and issues to the next resident, and I leave. No more worries. Since there are always patients waiting to be seen, the shift doesn’t drag along.

The attendings also seem content with their work–several of them noted that the best part of their job is that they rarely exceed 50, even 40 hrs a week! That leaves adequate time outside of the hospital to stay sane. Not bad.

medicine work