Help!

I have worked at least six of the last seven days, but it has been a really fun time at work... Although most doctors do not like emergency for how busy the department is, for the irregular hours and constant work, I actually quite enjoy it!

I mean, here is the brewing pot of all the sickness - you get to see the patients, you get to be the first to think through their problems, come up with a diagnosis and then either send them home or onto the wards.

It's a pretty good place to test your diagnostic skills and also a good mix of procedures and cases.

You can see anyone from the youngest of kiddies

to the pregnant mothers

to the really old nursing home patients (we had someone in the other day who was a hundred. If I reached a hundred, I might die from just trying to blow out my candles!)

to the plain weird and wonderful things.

Let's just say if you've ever seen the sitcom Scrubs (best imitation of real life medicine ever) there is something in the department we fondly term as the "ass box".

Seriously doctor, I don't know how that got up there! Pic taken from streetanatomy.com

But there is immense job satisfaction personally, having helped someone, and then seeing the thankfulness written all over their faces. I'm not pretending we don't get our share of disgruntled families or alcoholics or difficult patients, but getting a grateful smile or a genuine laugh from a patient makes this job worthwhile.

Maybe emergency?