I had a bad feeling about today, but so far it’s looking like my vibe was wrong. After a long weekend – duty on Saturday and trying to catch up on sleep, hit the gym, and socialize a little on Sunday – I came back into work for yet another duty day.
So, for me, duty is a 24 hour shift. I’m on call the entire time, and the ER can page me in whenever. On my off days (like this past Saturday), that means spending all day in the hospital. It entails getting up at 5 AM to get everything I need together, showering, getting to work, changing, and being in the ER by 6 (6:15 at the latest) to check off my ambulance. That’s what I do: I’m our secondary ambulance driver. The primary EVO and EMT take care of all response runs and then my job is to hold down the fort while they’re gone and take care of all transport runs. Our hospital is a pretty small facility without many specialties, so if we get a patient we’re not equipped to handle, my job is to take them to a hospital out in town that can adequately treat them.
EVO duty is exhausting. It’s not uncommon for my radio to wake me up at midnight, two, three AM and page me to the ER, either for coverage or for a transport run. When you tack it onto a workday, though, it’s almost worse. For instance, today. Today I got up an hour earlier than usual to come in and run my ambulance check-off and participate in turnover with the ER staff. Then I came in and opened the clinic (because this is my week for clinical duties, which is basically just opening and closing the clinic), downed a Red Bull, and went to muster and huddle. Now I’m working with my doc, trying to caffeinate, training a noob, and trying to find time to eat and take care of taking CSR to the decon team. It’s going to be a loooong day.
See, normally on a workday, I get off at 1630, go to the gym and workout, shower, make myself some dinner, and go to bed. But today, since I’m on duty, I’ll have to get permission to go to the gym (which they may not give me) and then it’s right back to the hospital in case I’m needed. My duty shift doesn’t end until 6:30 tomorrow morning, at which point I go home, shower, change into a fresh uniform, and come right back into work.
Like I said. Exhausting.
But back to the bad vibe/good day thing. I woke up pretty grouchy this morning – never enough sleep and just bleh – but my first patient of the day wound up being one of my favorite chiefs. Now, I always thought he was a corpsman, because he works in the hospital, but turns out he’s one of our non-HM-rated hospital employees. He’s an AD (aviation machinist mate) – the rate I’m desperately trying to crossrate into. When I told him that, he lit up and told me that he’d take me to the air field the next time the squadron comes in and let me hang out with the other ADs for a day. He also told me that he would love to have me as a sailor and that I’m smart. Kinda made my day, to be honest.
A duty day is still a duty day with all that that entails… but it looks like today might not be so bad.
Plus, yesterday I ran three miles (while doing interval training) in less than 28 minutes, which means I’m already starting to achieve my fitness goals! Having a new workout partner is definitely helping me keep my motivation up. Next on my list is to start working on my push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
Until next time, stay frosty, nerds!
I was right. Dear GOD, was I right. Today has been an unmitigated disaster. As soon as my workday is over, I’ve got to take a nap. >.<
Blue Side Doc 