Gaggles of Doctors

[trailerparkmedic]

Not sucky, just made me laugh.

I work in the ER in a teaching hospital. We have ER doctors who specialize in emergency medicine, but we also call for a lot of consults and ask specialists (neurologists, orthopedics, etc) to come look at the patients. Because it's a teaching hospital, there are med students, residents and attendings in each specialty. Some specialties send one or two people to check out a patient. Some specialties send a crowd of doctors and med students.

Also, I'm still very, very new so I work together with a nurse who knows what she is doing.

One of my patients needed a consult. 10 doctors came down to check her out. They did their thing and left and I went over to do something with her.

Patient: "I thought it was a little weird that I have two nurses today until all of those doctors came down!"
Me: "We are a teaching hospital and some specialties like to get their doctors to see as many patients as possible. Should we limit the number of doctors who come by at one time?"
Patient: "Nah, it don't bother me. I just wonder how they do anything if they need 10 doctors just to ask me questions!"

[Teskeria]

When I had my accident in Sept 1990, I was thrown from the car and landed feet first. this threw my hips up into my abdomen or something. At any rate, there was at that time, no way specifically to hold the hips in exactly the right position to heal while I was in traction. My ortho took a thing like an erector set that was specifically made for knees (I believe they called it a knee stabilizer) - looked like one of those stick & ball sets- and set it into my abdomen sideways. on any given day, I would have between 3 and 5 large groups of doctors and nurses, students and working stiffs, coming through to look at it.
Modesty? what's that when dozens of medical professionals just toss back the covers and look at your nekkid lower half.
The nursing students were the best. The 'teacher' would always ask, and they always remembered to say thank you.

[Sapphire Silk]

When I was 21, and a new LPN, my ophthalmologist decided he could no longer correct my strabismus with glasses. I needed surgery.

This was back when you were admitted to the hospital the night before your surgery. My doctor, who was world famous, asked me if I would mind allowing med students and residents look at my eyes before my surgery the next morning. Having just graduated from nursing school, and remembering what it was like, I readily agreed.

I didn't have a good night. The lady in the bed next to me went into respiratory arrest and got moved to ICU. They came and got me at 6am, after about 4 hours sleep, and too me to a special exam room like you see at a regular eye doctors office.

I lost track of how many doctors looked at my eyes. It was a dull blur of white lab coats. I was glad I did it and glad when it was over.

[AccountingDrone]

I had a tumor go from pea size to ping pong ball size in 30 days back in 1995. I went in and saw the GYN, who called in the head of the department, who called in 8 or 9 other doctors ... none of them found it amusing when I commented that was the most action I had seen since my husband's sub left on deployment.

I got used as a training aid every time I came in for my wound management consults twice a week. Sub base hospital at the time was responsible for the independant duty corpsman program. They were there for the wound management, not the GYN part I was really lucky, Rob got shipped home early, and was able to take the first 29 days post op off, and was on desk duty with squadron for the second month until the Miami got back from deployment. I didn't end up spending any time in hospital other than 6 hours post op, and twice weekly appointments. EMT training came in handy, they let him deal with me at home

[boringscreenname]

When I gave birth to my son 10-15 students came filing in and lined up against the wall to watch. I almost wanted to ask if they sent an entire class or what. I didn't mind it was just odd having all those people in the room, but they were quiet, stayed out of the way and left when the baby was born. Then when I was in the post partum room I had a couple student nurses come in todo some of the exams with a nurse and they asked me questions to help them out with surveys they were doing for school.

[MDLackey]

Med students and Interns are a curious lot, but each case we see during our training helps us gain experience, and get an insight on everything we've been learning. We very much appreciate every opportunity we get.

[Shpepper]

I loved being a patient in a teaching hospital after I had my son. I felt that I got better care there than I did in a non teaching one. The one that I was in, encouraged the student nurses to be as hands on as parents would allow and to ask questions and even question the instructors on things they didn't think were correct.

[BuffySummers]

When I had my older son, there was a nursing student there - apparently I was the first vaginal delivery she had ever seen in person. Always glad to put on a show. =)

[Geek King]

When I had my older son, there was a nursing student there - apparently I was the first vaginal delivery she had ever seen in person. Always glad to put on a show. =)

After your son popped out, did the doc call out, "Ta-Daa!"

[Raveni]

When I had my last surgery, there was a whole class of medical students there too. Doc asked the group to go over my allergies, then asked "what would happen if we gave him penicillin?"

...

None of them said anything. The doc turned to me, and asked me. "I die. Please don't let any of your students give me any drugs."

[fireheart]

I loved being a patient in a teaching hospital after I had my son. I felt that I got better care there than I did in a non teaching one. The one that I was in, encouraged the student nurses to be as hands on as parents would allow and to ask questions and even question the instructors on things they didn't think were correct.

Major Local Hospital is a teaching hospital and I agree. The psych consult I had when I was in hospital at one point was studying psychiatry at my uni. She did a damn good job.

I haven't had any groups of students come through though...

[Sapphire Silk]

When I had my last surgery, there was a whole class of medical students there too. Doc asked the group to go over my allergies, then asked "what would happen if we gave him penicillin?"

...

None of them said anything. The doc turned to me, and asked me. "I die. Please don't let any of your students give me any drugs."

The death rates in hospitals that have med students and interns is highest in July, when the interns start their rotations. They know just enough to be dangerous.

[dalesys]

My mother told them not to give her a transfusion because it was B+, but they went ahead and did it... She's B-.

(This was in the 50s)
No known effects, but...

[Raveni]

The death rates in hospitals that have med students and interns is highest in July, when the interns start their rotations. They know just enough to be dangerous.

In all fairness, the doctor was really looking for how I was going to die, and I had no problems letting them practice their suchers on me. They all seemed to know that it would be bad to give that stuff to someone with an allergy.

[Sapphire Silk]

My mother told them not to give her a transfusion because it was B+, but they went ahead and did it... She's B-.

(This was in the 50s)
No known effects, but...

That could have been very serious. B+ blood contains an extra protein B- blood does not have. B- people's immune systems think this protein is an invading infection and goes into hyperdrive.

Not good.

They should have known how to do type and crossmatch back in the 50's: blood transfusions were pretty well nailed down by then.