Holidays

Does surgical volume increase or decrease around the holidays? I wasn't sure what to expect as I started work this week, but Santa Clara Valley didn't seem to change too much; the operating rooms are as busy as ever. Most of the cases are urgent and emergency rather than elective cases, but there are certainly enough of those to go around. I'm guessing volume is slightly lower at Stanford and the VA as there are systems there to figure out how many residents are needed each day. While it's a little hard to have to work during the holiday season, it is still much better than last year where I was on q5 call at the VA.