Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Damsel in Distress
I'm not gone - it's just a little crazy this week.
1. Monday was the Perfect Storm in terms of key clinical staff people being out for legitimate reasons or emergencies, and I was left manning our Clinic single handedly with over 80 patients and three docs. Ever the worker bee, and none too high and mighty to get my hands dirty, I tossed on a pair of scrubs and a lab coat, canceled all my appointments for the day, and threw myself into the mix as flight deck controller.
One of our Fellows, Alex, ran up to me at 7:30 in the morning with a stack of charts and a worried look on his face. "Where's Audra?" (our regular clinic coordinator).
"Sorry buddy, you're stuck with me for the day - Audra's not here." He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. His entire face just melted into the universal expression for "OMG - we are so F--ked." (later, he tried to brush it off by saying it was an expression of respect for me stepping into the role, and he was impressed that I would do it.... but we all know he thought I was going to take the clinic down in flames).
Actually, I had fun (minus the blisters from running around), I got a lot of points from my staff for pitching in, and learned a lot about the day to day realities. I round on a daily or weekly basis, but I may try to carve out a half a day a month in the clinic and my operating rooms to keep a deeper connection on a regular basis.
BTW, I only lost one patient on Monday. For four hours. So sue me. I found him, everything is fine.
2. In other damsel in distress news... my next door neighbor's cat ran up my tree this evening and despite all efforts, was too chicken to climb down the 30 degree angle of a limb, and was starting to panic. My neighbor was getting frantic because his bride of less than a month was due home any second, dotes on her pets, and doesn't permit them to go unleashed, which is exactly what new hubby did.
Dead. Man. Walking.
That was, until I called the other handy neighbor, the supremely tall Dutch guy one house over who happens to have a 10 foot ladder which he graciously shares for just such an occasion.
Fast forward - kitten rescued - new wife none the worse for not telling. Whew!!
Tomorrow, a couple of friends and I are attending the 11th Annual Traditional Beverage Tasting at Hopkins.
Friday, I am driving 6 hours to meet the Art History prof sister and attend Quilt National in Athens, OH, before driving another 4+ hours north to the Peoples Republic of Western PA.
Can anyone recommend a good 10 hour audiobook from iTunes?
Try Sarah Vowell's _Assassination Vacation_ or _The Partly Cloudy Patriot_.
Or you can go with our choice for our impending trip to Pittsburgh: _Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease_ by Sharon Moalem
Harry Potter?