Teaching Hospitals

Hey look at this... I made it back two days in a row.

Can you tell I am not at the arena?

I have absolutely no problem with teaching hospitals, in fact I promote it 110%. Afterall we do have a shortage of Doctors and it has only taken me 5 years to find a family doctor here.

Let me continue my adventure and then you will understand why I am a little squeamish about when student doctors should go into the real life practicing.

The Wolf picks me up at work and I hobble out to the car. Of course, the Wolf being the kind of guy he is, continuously asks questions. So many in fact, I feel like I am with a 3 year old and just want him to zip it up and let me suffer in peace.

We get to the hospital, through triage rather quickly and in a wheel chair to boot. Now I am truly at the Wolf's mercy. They call me rather quickly and I think ok... maybe this is more than just a little cut in need of some sutures. The Wolf wheels me back, zig zagging all the way, saying " hey look out I am going to run into this wall, watch your leg".... laughing his evil little laugh. We arrive at the "forget you are here" room. That is what I call it, afterall, they don't want you in the public waiting area to bleed everywhere.
Anyway, I climb out of the wheel chair and up onto the bed and the Wolf jumps into the wheel chair and starts doing wheelies everywhere. Ok... I am truly with 3 year old now, maybe I should have brought him some crayons and a colouring book to entertain him. Lord help me! He is driving me nuts!!!!!!!!!!!! I just want to suffer in peace.
After about 15 minutes I convince the Wolf to leave for a meeting we had set with our renovation contractor. Thank God! Peace.
Then this lovely young girl (and I mean young, maybe 21, brat 1 is older) and introduces herself as a med student. Ok... fine, I can deal with that, she is probably just gathering the info and then the doc will be in. We go through the events of the on ice derailment and she says ok... let me clean this up for you so we can get a better look. I am thinking GREAT, then the doc will be in. She cleans it all up, fabulistic. I take a look and say, "Oh look it is already clotting, its not so bad, maybe just a butterfly and let me be on my way"
This lovely young girl says" you may be right". Then leaves.
I am getting excited, woo hoo, I am going to get out of here real quick!
Then the Senior Resident walks in, takes a look, pokes around a bit, much to my discomfort. Looks at me, smirks and says " yep, that is really deep, you need a few stitches, 10 minutes and you should be out of here." UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In waltzes the med student again, takes a look, gets all the supplies organized, I am thinking what a great kid, learning about the materials the docs need to do the job. She then calls the Junior Resident in and qearies, "How do I stitch this?" HUH!!!!.... Now the blood pressure just went off the charts. The Jr. Res. pokes and prods again much to my discomfort and explains how to stitch up my leg. Will someone shoot me now, please!
Jr. Res. leaves and there is just the two of us now... OMG.... help....panic has set in, I am at a childs mercy here.
The med student starts stitching me up, ok... freezing is a good thing. The attending walks in and takes a look and says..... "oh, dear, no, she will rip those out in about an hour, you need to do a matress stitch and a heavier silk. Take those stitches out and redo it"..... ok... am I the home economics project here?... I am not a hem on a skirt that can be easily altered. More freezing please and do you have any happy pills so I can sleep through this?
Then I hear " What is a matress stictch and how do I do it?"..... OK......OK.....OK .... why me?
The attending says" oh don't worry about it, just do it the way you are doing it, just take a bigger bite and flap it over." UGH!!!!! WOLF WHERE ARE YOU?
So, still at the mercy of the student, I lay there and pray this torture is over soon. I really need a drink, now.
She gets one stitch in and calls for the attending.... of course now I am thinking... what is wrong now. He takes a look and scowls... oh crap! oh crap! oh crap!... is running through my head.... he looks up and says, "well that is going to be one ugly scar" and walks away..... heh... like I was going to enter any beautiful leg contests soon.
She continues to stitch me up.
All done!!!!! Woo hoo!!!!!! Then they kick me while I am down. Can you roll up your sleeve, you need a tetanus.... now that is just cruel. I am already injured on the bottom half, now you want me to be sore on the top?.... UGH!!!!!!!!
By this time the Wolf had returned and was once again playing in the wheel chair, having a grand old time in his own little world.
The attending pokes his head in again and says, " stitches in for 14 days... bed rest and no skating for at least 7 days" OH CRAP!... he couldn't have said this earlier when the Wolf was away.
Two hours in the ER is not bad, no complaints except..... shouldn't med students practice on dummies or dolls or something before they get to the real patients?.... maybe they thought me the dummy.
LOL... oh well.....now you know why I am now a little squeamish in regards to teaching hospitals.
Ciao for now!