I am sure all of us have been in this situation before.
We get scolded by out teacher or parents, when we do not think we did anything wrong... so the words enter the right ear, and the same words leave the left ear almost immediately.
On Sunday morning, I went to work as usual. To be honest, I felt that the day would be ok... because I had a positive attitude when I woke up that morning.
However, things changed when I stepped into the hospital. The consultant whom I was working over the weekend with was in a grumpy mood....(well, apparently, he is ALWAYS in a bad mood). I have never really worked with him before.
Anyway, I was told off in front of everyone that I was trying to be clever. It was all about an elderly lady with diabetes, who was admitted the day before because of confusion. She is just slightly more confused than normal. She did not have a fever, her heart rate was normal, her breathing rate was normal, her oxygen levels were normal. The consultant thought that she probably has a chest infection or a urinary tract infection. He just said that this patient should be on an antibiotic. So I prescribed an oral antibiotic.
The next day, when he went back to review the patient, he went bonkers. He shouted, "I wanted this patient on IV antibiotic, and you prescribed her with an oral one?" I explained to him that I did not think the patient met the criteria for an IV antibiotic and she was otherwise clinically well. Her WCC was only slightly raised and her CRP was only 74. I thought to myself, you did not even write in the notes that you specifically wanted IV antibiotic...and now you are complaining that I did not follow your instructions?! wtf!
Today, I was informed by a fellow colleague that he was complaining about me to other consultants that he works with. "That Dr. Toh, whom I was on-call with over the weekend, really needs to know who is the boss. I told her to prescribe IV, she went on to prescribe oral!"
Great! What a way to begin the week eh?
in one ear.....out the other.... and smile! (that's what I told myself).
2 comments:
yah, i guess we've to be a lil insensitive at times. although easier said than done... sometimes we feel the world has been unfair...
oh well, like you said, in out then smile. i like it. :)
in the end, this patient developed staph in her blood culture.. maybe should have treated her with IV Abx in the first place eh?
guess consultant somehow or rather has the "sixth sense". guess deep down he really felt that something was wrong with her and would like some IVs first..
oh well... she's ok now anyway.
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