Etiquette

Study, sleep, study, hospital, eat, study, sleep.

Is this what dedication is about? Is this what next year is about? I can see me losing myself next year, immersing myself in work, thinking nothing but medicine, doing nothing but medicine. Total immersion. I had my first dream about medicine stuff the other day, a sign that i've really been studying hard i think. I am proud of myself (for sticking with it so far). 3 weeks, 12 more to go. Will I be counting the days to the end of the year in a few months time?

I had a few run ins with random 'fate' stuff last week (and the week before). Seems to be a lot of stuff happening straight after I had learnt about it the previous day. Like, for instance, T-tubes, and seeing one used on a gall-bladder the next day, or a tute on SVT's and seeing one in a code blue the next day, or learning about death certificates, after doing one on the previous weekend. I guess in all these cases i'll be presented with these things everyday anyway. But its strange i should learn about them for the first time, and also see them for the first time, in such close chronological order.

I've been thinking about conversations recently. And time management. What got me thinking was the time spent during the day, and especially the formalities involved in talking with new patients, and new people. It seems to me that a lot of time is wasted with cursory introductory messages to people that you already know, where questions are asked where you are not really asking a question. For example, little things like 'how's it going' or 'how are you'. I think that amongst people that you don't know that well, or perhaps with patients, this may be appropriate for starting the social and professionaly interaction, for example. But perhaps in the example between friends, this may not be necessary. With people that you know, it seems to me that they/we have already gotten to an equal stage where these formalities can be dispensed with, and where you are comfortable with just chatting without these social commitments. Therefore, it should be possible to plunge straight into conversations with friends, straight from where you left off the previous time, without any awkwardness.

I think that the same principle should apply with seeing patients too... in a while, you should be able to dispense with formalities and curtesies, and go on straight with what you might want to talk about. I guess the problem might be that sometime, especially in a medical situation, these formalities might be an 'icebreaker' to get on to the real issues, and so in some cases may be warranted. But i stil think with friends, these things should be a triviality, and can be made redundant. If you are felling glum, you should be able to tell your friends straight off without them asking for it.