Once upon a time, at Christmas, I was startled awake by the phone ringing unexpectedly. I had been sleeping the sleep of the one who was medicated and not on call. I was off and had taken a muscle relaxant because I had tweaked my back.
There arose such a clatter from my bedside table. I glanced at the number and knew immediately it was the hospital. I answered.
A new nurse who had not taken the call bootcamp was given Christmas night call.
Rude of them to give a brand new nurse Christmas night call.
No, I have no idea how they slipped the call bootcamp net but there are so many new people it is hard to keep track of who has and has not had the class. Or who has had the class and subsequently left.
There are those as well.
In a fog, I answered their question of how to schedule a case in the specific OR. I hope I made some sort of sense. I must have because they didn’t hang up until the case was scheduled.
Someone had told them that I was the go-to person to reach out to with all questions.
It was probably someone I told to reach out to me when they were on call.
Because I do that.
Knowing how to get help when you are drowning on call is important.
I would say it is the most important call piece I give the new ones.
They finally got to take the call bootcamp this past two weeks.
I answered their questions and I also reassured them that they could reach out to me at any time to get the information.
In fact, I would rather they reach out to me than be yelled at by a doctor. Or, you know, they can call me when they are yelled at by a doctor. I yell back.
And the doctors all know it.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 