Overqualified And Wouldn’t Miss It
Posted by WhiteCoat on March 12, 2008
The first ten patients I saw on my last shift made me realize that sometimes I am overqualified for my job. Could have gotten by with a bottle of Robitussin, a handful of Motrin, and a pair of pliers:
Headache (4 of 10 intensity for you CMS types)
Staple removal
URI
Toothache
Toothache
Sinus pressure
Face pain (tooth abscess)
Cough
Bruise from being punched in the forearm
Second opinion on proteinuria diagnosed in another ED
The next patient made me realize that as much as I want to help some people, I can’t help everyone:
Mental status change in a 64 year old lady that ended up being newly-diagnosed metastatic brain cancer.
The next patient in excruciating pain showed me how dependent we are on the help of specialists and how driving specialists out of emergency care is going to have disastrous consequences:
Herniated disc pressing on the thecal sac and completely compressing the nerve root.
Being able to ease suffering is a gift. I didn’t give everyone exactly what they wanted. The news I delivered made one family very upset. But I was able to help every person who came to see me - even the “lowly” toothaches (several of whom even thanked me).
OK, I lied. I nearly slapped the proteinuria lady in the side of the head and told her to see her primary care doctor like the last ED told her to do. I helped everyone else.
Yep, sometimes being a doctor is pretty cool.
March 12, 2008 at 10:27 am
I really had no idea you could go to the ER for toothaches. I thought it was dentist territory.
Doesn’t mean that we can remove the teeth in the ED. But I can temporarily make the pain go away. I have gotten to the point that I can do nerve blocks to numb the mouth even while keeping my eyes closed.
March 12, 2008 at 10:30 am
My favorite trite complaint of all time was ITCHY due to POISON IVY. She came in around 10PM and then waited until 2AM to be seen, with her entire family. The doc sent me, a first year medical student, to give the discharge papers and told me to “go nuts” with advice on how to treat poison ivy.
You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Check this complaint out.
March 12, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I was working in an urgent care center last week, and one of my first patients was a nice elderly lady whose husband brought her in because she’d been sneezing since that morning (it was about 930am). No fevers, no other symptoms. Had tried nothing over the counter. Sneezing. For a couple of hours.
March 13, 2008 at 1:59 pm
yeah the real problem here is people think Doctors A) Care, and B) know what there doing. sneezing and poision ivy are particularly upsetting to you because you dont’t know what to do about it.