Oh do I have to get some things off my chest! The events of the past 24 hours have left me wondering if I am the only person in the world with at least 2 brain cells to rub together. Here goes.
- Inventory people. DO YOUR FARKING JOBS. Reorder the right supplies, let us know that you've reordered them, and when there are problems with the shipment, tell us so we know and can get the appropriate supplies from a different hospital! Is it so difficult? Communication, guys, communication. When I hand in a supply charge sheet with a certain sticker high-lighted and circled, and write "We need to order a lot more of these," that means WE NEED TO ORDER A LOT MORE OF THESE! I'm just lucky that the surgeon in this case was pleasant enough to deal with the issue and was able to MacGyver together a system that would work. Any of the other surgeons in his group would have thrown a shit fit. When someone in the inventory department is on vacation, or whatever, don't just ignore everything that s/he is responsible for. Cover it! I should never have to call the OR director into a room because instruments and supplies aren't available because no one ordered them!
- People of Wisconsin. This is winter, this is snow, deal with it. Yes, it was a very big blizzard. No, that does not give you the excuse to act like a fucking moron and try to drive your car down the completely drifted alley. Have a little common sense. This is how it should go: you turn to go into the alley and see that it is drifted 2 feet high for the entire length. Oh, I shouldn't try to drive down this, I need to turn around. Because when you try to drive through the 2 foot drifts, you are going to get stuck, unless you have a Humvee or a tank. And you are going to get stuck right behind my car, which prevents me from getting to work, and causes me to be penalized for your farking stupidity! If there is one thing that I hate more than anything in the world, it's stupidity and the absolute bone-headedness of people.
- Surgeons. You are not god. The world does not revolve around you. There are basic protocols that have to be followed, and there are basic courtesies that should be afforded to your patients. For example, when there is a side involved, i.e., a left ureter reimplantation, the side needs to be marked. Why? So you don't do surgery on the wrong side. And when your patient wants to see you before he signs the consent, don't get pissy. This is your patient. You are working for him. You are taking his life into your hands. I think that deserves a little respect. And if he wants to talk to you beforehand, you damn well better get your ass to the preop area and talk to him. I don't care that you've just sat down to dinner, your patient should come first. And oh my god, do not say to me, "God, what do you do, say 'Are you sure you don't want to talk to your surgeon before you sign the consent?' Are you just trying to delay things?" That is an insult to both me and to the patient. Of course I am not trying to delay things. I am advocating for the patient. It would be unconscionable to sedate the patient if s/he still has questions for the surgeon. Finally, you are the farking chief of surgery. You know the damn rules!
/end rant.
peace and love,
m
