It must be my gray hair that makes some people believe I am old enough not to get the obvious.
There was that first year resident doctor who was shifted to my unit temporarily because there were too many resident doctors in another unit and not enough in mine. There was a big crowd of outpatients waiting for a nonstress test that day. I called the emergency room to find out who was supposed to do their tests. This resident doctor picked up the phone.
"Who is going to do nonstress tests?" I asked.
"Dr. ******" she said.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"She is in the antenatal ward doing nonstress tests of the inpatients" she said.
"Well, then who will do the tests for the outpatients who are waiting here for a long time?" I asked. The patients had been called at a specific time, and they should not have to wait.
"Obviously Dr. ******" she said.
I could have got angry that a first year resident doctor had the cheek and guts to tell the head of the department that he did not get the obvious. I did not show any anger. "Call the Registrar" I said. When the Registrar came on phone, I advised her to send someone urgently to do the tests. She did that without telling me Dr. ****** would do it later. After I gave it some thought, I feel the reason I got such an answer from that resident doctor was, among other reasons, she did not want to do that work. Had she told me there was no one to do the tests, I would have done them myself leaving other work. That was exactly what I did another time, until my Associate Professor saw me, and got the Registrar to take my place on the double.
The other story is of a patient who came looking for me in our outpatient clinic. Some doctor had referred her for a leiomyoma in hr uterus. Unfortunately she came near closing time, long after they stopped issuing case papers to new patients.
"Sir, this patient insists on seeing you, though I explained to her that by hospital rules she has to have our case paper. She says she would like you to at least see all her reports" my Registrar told me.
"I am sorry. You will have to come to my next clinic" I told her. "I cannot see you without a case paper. You cannot get one at this time unless it is an emergency."
She and her relative thought that over. "But it is an emergency" she said. "I have pain in abdomen."
She seemed perfectly fine, without any sign of a pain anywhere. To make sure, I said "the abdomen is a big area. Show me exactly where the pain is."
"Obviously in the leiomyoma" she said without batting an eyelid.
It was obvious that she did not have any pain and did not know where the pain was expected to be. It was also obvious that she did not have the sense not to be rude to the doctor without reason, especially when she wanted a favor. I went back to see the patients who were still waiting to be seen, having reported to the hospital in time, and waited patiently for a long time. She tossed her head and went away in a huff. She did not come back next week or the week following.
I wonder what treatment I would have received from that Resident doctor or this patient, if I had been the person who wanted something from them rather than the other way round.
There was that first year resident doctor who was shifted to my unit temporarily because there were too many resident doctors in another unit and not enough in mine. There was a big crowd of outpatients waiting for a nonstress test that day. I called the emergency room to find out who was supposed to do their tests. This resident doctor picked up the phone.
"Who is going to do nonstress tests?" I asked.
"Dr. ******" she said.
"Where is she?" I asked.
"She is in the antenatal ward doing nonstress tests of the inpatients" she said.
"Well, then who will do the tests for the outpatients who are waiting here for a long time?" I asked. The patients had been called at a specific time, and they should not have to wait.
"Obviously Dr. ******" she said.
I could have got angry that a first year resident doctor had the cheek and guts to tell the head of the department that he did not get the obvious. I did not show any anger. "Call the Registrar" I said. When the Registrar came on phone, I advised her to send someone urgently to do the tests. She did that without telling me Dr. ****** would do it later. After I gave it some thought, I feel the reason I got such an answer from that resident doctor was, among other reasons, she did not want to do that work. Had she told me there was no one to do the tests, I would have done them myself leaving other work. That was exactly what I did another time, until my Associate Professor saw me, and got the Registrar to take my place on the double.
The other story is of a patient who came looking for me in our outpatient clinic. Some doctor had referred her for a leiomyoma in hr uterus. Unfortunately she came near closing time, long after they stopped issuing case papers to new patients.
"Sir, this patient insists on seeing you, though I explained to her that by hospital rules she has to have our case paper. She says she would like you to at least see all her reports" my Registrar told me.
"I am sorry. You will have to come to my next clinic" I told her. "I cannot see you without a case paper. You cannot get one at this time unless it is an emergency."
She and her relative thought that over. "But it is an emergency" she said. "I have pain in abdomen."
She seemed perfectly fine, without any sign of a pain anywhere. To make sure, I said "the abdomen is a big area. Show me exactly where the pain is."
"Obviously in the leiomyoma" she said without batting an eyelid.
It was obvious that she did not have any pain and did not know where the pain was expected to be. It was also obvious that she did not have the sense not to be rude to the doctor without reason, especially when she wanted a favor. I went back to see the patients who were still waiting to be seen, having reported to the hospital in time, and waited patiently for a long time. She tossed her head and went away in a huff. She did not come back next week or the week following.
I wonder what treatment I would have received from that Resident doctor or this patient, if I had been the person who wanted something from them rather than the other way round.
