Following PACU, I have a week of night float with six days of 7pm-7am shifts. The graveyard shift is a weird transition. I think everyone deals with it differently. Some people try to get a little rest overnight and maintain a normal day-night cycle. Other people switch over completely. I can never figure out what to do with meals, and my appetite becomes quite opinionated. I spend much of the day in a daze, especially if I have trouble sleeping through the daylight, and I never feel fully rested. I'm sure there are hazardous physiologic consequences as the body tries to cope with a 12 hour jet-lag. I wouldn't be surprised if glucose metabolism, stress hormones, memory and attentiveness, and emotional regulation all become affected during my week of nights.
The cases themselves vary widely. I never know when I come in what I'll get. I finish up ongoing operating room cases, carry the airway pager, and receive traumas or other surgical emergencies. It's a good learning experience as patients can have multiple injuries, unknown medical conditions, full stomachs, drug intoxication, and other unanticipated problems. I have to be ready for any kind of surgery, from eyes to bones to lung to belly to brain. Sometimes, fortunately, we sail through the night quietly.
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In ancient Greece, the asclepion was a healing temple dedicated to Asclepius, the God of Medicine. Asclepius learned the art of surgery from the centaur Chiron and had the ability to raise the dead. The Rod of Asclepius is a roughhewn branch entwined with a single serpent.
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Hi! I am Craig Chen, a third year resident physician in anesthesiology at Stanford Hospitals and Clinics. I went to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco. Prior to medical school, I studied philosophy and biology at Stanford University, along with a minor in creative writing.
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1 comment:
A wonderful little post! I love your little vignettes of life as an anesthesiologist. There's a poetic quality to the way you write as well.
This post on night float is a fine example too. Thanks for always sharing such moments in your life as a physician. Among other things, it helps whet the appetites of future anesthesiology hopefuls like myself (even though it sounds quite challenging to be on night float)!
Perhaps someday you might consider turning what you've written on your weblog into a book and publishing it so it hopefully receives a wider circulation? I'll be the first in line!
As for night float, it's easy enough for me to say (apologies), but still I'm sure you'll pull through, and come out with an excellent experience, since it already sounds like that's precisely what's happening. :)
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