Hassles and 12-shifts

It's been a long four days since my last post and the beaches. I normally don't mind 12-hour shifts, but this week has been exhausting. My allheart scrubs are falling apart; three out of four pants arrived with defects. Worse, my cell phone/PDA broke so I can't make or receive calls.

I tried to solve the problem by driving to the nearest T-mobile store (hoping it was just SIM card problem) on the first day I had a few hour break. So after two days of 12-hour shifts, I worked 8 to noon in the Peds ER then headed 2.5 hours to Hilton Head! The Walmart folks couldn't help, the they got T-Mobile customer service on the phone and we determined it was the phone. They got the HTC repair dept. on the see about warranties and it came to having no phone or PDA for a couple of weeks and hopefully having defect covered by the warranty ($20 vs. $280) or buying new one ($380). While considering the options I drove the 2.5 hours back to Charleston just in time to start my first shift in the adult ED from 6 to 11.

The shift went well I think, but I would have liked to have more opportunities to impress the attending, one of the assistant program directors. I did get a chance to talk Becky and we agreed she'd ship her PDA/phone to me now that my primary medical software, Epocrates, works on Smart Phones.

Early the WWednesday morning we had 8 to noon conference with some good classes on chest pain and syncope. I got some e-mail done then at 3p three other students and I met with a couple of the residents to discuss the residency program. Nothing earth shattering came from it, but the meeting reinforced my thoughts on the program.

Finally I worked a low key shift in the Peds ER from about 4:30 to 11. I enjoy the Peds ER and the autonomy I get here. I still to work more on clearly communicating my differential diagnoses, but at least I can now get into the online medical records to see lab values, etc. It has only taken 2.5 weeks for my ID card to work and my log-in and password to be functional!

Upon arriving phone I was able to use Becky's Dash phone to call home and talk to the boys for the first time in a few days. Better yet, we're going to meet in Seattle in a couple weeks so I can see them, wish Becky's brother & his family farewell as the expat it with Microsoft to Italy and, finally, I get to attend the ACEP residency fair in downtown Seattle.