I was driving home from work yesterday and I decided to go via the main road in our small university town. I've driven down this road dozens of times at all hours of the day and night but yesterday was surreal. Everything was closed, not a soul was in sight. There were wet leaves swirling in the wind and rain pelting dark windows. It looked like a modern day ghost town. For me, the weirdest thing was that hospital wasn't dead. Yah, it was a little short-staffed but all the lights were on, the beds were full, there was the gentle rush of noise and activity at every nurses' station. But outside the world had quietly retreated into their homes to be with their loved ones on Thanksgiving.
Having done my clinical rotations in New York I never fully appreciated how odd it is that the hospital is awake on major holidays. Because, as we know, New York never sleeps. So, yesterday was a bit alarming for me. The juxtaposition of activity inside the hospital and stillness outside was something I had never really been faced with before. And I suddenly realized that I work in a place that time doesn't touch.
I've definitely been in the hospital before and glanced up at an analog clock on the wall and been uncertain of whether it was AM or PM. But I thought that was more because of how I tired I was. But in all reality it doesn't matter if it's 3 PM or 3 AM . . . the hospital is still going. It doesn't matter if it's Thanksgiving or Christmas or July 4th. The hospital stays open. I think there is something noble about that.
People take it for granted that their local ER will be open whenever they need it. But what about the people working on thanksgiving day. What about their families and friends and loved ones? Well, for the time that you are the hospital you don't think about all of that. You focus on the job you have to do, you get your work done and then head home. Much like any other day. And for me, this Thanksgiving was very much like that. I went in, rounded, discharged 8 pull, placed wound vacs, pulled drains, inserted tubes. And then I went home. I had a headache so I spent my thanksgiving nursing that and giving thanks that I'd gotten out early and would be heading home the next day.
What really got me was all the people I hadn't discharged who would be spending thanksgiving in a hospital bed eating hospital bed watching hospital television getting cared for by people that would probably rather be elsewhere. In fact there was one lady who got admitted the night before thanksgiving. She was a transfer from another hospital. They'd run out of things to do for her so they called up my attending and asked if we would take a look at her. She was weak and tired when we walked in yesterday morning but all she wanted to know was if shed be eating turkey with her family. Even though she hadn't been able to keep down a bite for days.
Anyways,I just finished my rounds for today. So I'll be driving to my parent's house. Where I'll be getting a proper thanksgiving dinner. I'll be leaving my beeper and ID on my kitchen table and I'm going to spend serious time drinking, relaxing and spending time with my family. But, while I'm away the hospital will keep moving forward. The 8 patients I left on the GI surgery service will have changed, some will be better, some will be worse, some discharged and some newbies. Because that's the nature of the beast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poKiom33nCE&feature=related
. . . a little thanksgiving celebration scrubs style . . .
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