Tonight is my first night pulling call as a Physician Assistant.

[Aristus]

In the company I work for, when mid-level providers, (like P.A.s and Nurse Practitioners) pull call, it just means like a phone triage system. We don't actually have to go in to the hospital or anything. I get paid for staying home and giving medical advice over the phone. I don't get paid very much, but it's something.

I had work today and I've got work tomorrow. Hope the phone calls don't keep me awake tonight...

I've already taken two calls so far...

I'm glad my DU peeps are here to keep me company.

B-)

[Bertha Venation]

1. I'll be up too, Aristus.

Don't think I'll be sleeping much tonight. :hi:

[Aristus]

2. Hi, Bertha.

Is Mrs. V. okay? Is she in any pain?

[Bertha Venation]

3. About 45 minutes ago she got some dilaudid (sp?)

and she is sleeping fitfully. She snores softly, and every little sound rouses her. And the IV pump is right by her ear. But with the meds, her pain is in check.

[Aristus]

8. Good.

She'll start to feel better soon...

:hug:

[Orrex]

4. It hurts when I do this

[Aristus]

6. STOP DOING THAT, THEN!

B-)

:P

[kimi]

9. Hah!

This reminds me of a call I got when working night shift on an OB ward.

"I have a fever after I've taken a hot bath. Is there something wrong?"

Well, yeah. The HOT BATH!!!


Got other weird calls too. The lady who called after delivering vaginally 3 days earlier - "My husband wants sex. What should I do?"

My immediate response: "Do NOT have sex!"

Call from same lady 10 minutes later: "I just had sex with my husband. What should I do?"

My response: Facepalm.

[sarge43]

13. Self delete n/t

[marzipanni]

5. When my son was little I called a service a local hospital provides

where a nurse answered my Q: "What's the diet for diarrhea?" -A: "BRAT= Banana, rice, applesauce, and toast."
In the mid-nineties there was no google to look up symptoms, and hopefully find an answer, and a kind, helpful voice in the night is so much better, anyway!

[Aristus]

7. That, and plenty of water.

For diarrhea: plenty of water.
For viruses: plenty of water.
For urinary tract infections: antibiotics, cranberry pills, and plenty of water.

I always emphasize that 'lots of water' doesn't mean slamming glass after glass; just small sips frequently throughout the day.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. Oh boy, my dear Aristus...

I'm glad you don't have to go in...

I remember being on call for my Intensive Care Unit...and those nights, I had to get up, get dressed and go in. It could be tough.

I hope it won't keep you awake either!

They should really give you the day after off, IMHO.

Anyway, have fun!

:hi:

[Duer 157099]

11. Oooo, can we ask you questions?

That post upthread about drinking water reminded me of a question that I've always had but never actually asked anyone.

When they say we should drink 8 glass of water a day, what size glasses? This has always confused me.

:hi:

edit: oh, and does the water content of other things count towards this, like coffee or tea or fruit or whatever?

[Aristus]

12. Coffee and tea? No, unless it's decaffeinated. Caffeine is a diuretic,

which makes you pee away the water you're trying to keep on board.

And there really is no standard of glass size. The important thing is to have highly dilute urine. If your urine is clear, you've got plenty of water on board, and your body is getting rid of the excess. If your urine is very dark yellow, you're dehydrated, even if you don't feel like you are.

[MiddleFingerMom]

14. My first night ALONE as frontline on-call "first-responder" medic was with an armored unit...

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...at a tank firing range.
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Ready, nervous, cocky, insecure -- I ran the gamut. I was only 18 years old. I
slept in a field ambulance on the range itself and I was woken by loud banging
on the door and soldiers shouting that a man had been hit in the chest by a
.50 cal machine gun.
.
As I ran with my bag beside them, I wondered how this could be -- WHY life
would choose to introduce me to my work in such an extreme fashion. I was
supposed to EASE into things. My mind conjured up pictures of what "a man hit
in the chest by a .50 cal machine gun" would look like. I dreaded the enormity
of what I was about to see and have to deal with. It just was NOT the way
things were supposed to go.
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I was scared to death that I was going to panic or flounder or, worse -- freeze up.
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When I got there, I found out that the "victim" had been kicked in the chest by
the RECOIL of said machine gun. Small bruise. Sent to the hospital for some
"just-in-case" X-rays.
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Big BABY!!!
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Me... not him.
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So... comparatively... after that, there was nothing I could NOT face -- and
nothing I could not run towards.
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I hope circumstances greeted you as cordially and gently as they eventually ended
up greeting me.
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