Doing other peoples' homework

To paraphrase Renton in the opening monologue of Trainspotting "... the thing people forget (about taking heroin) is the pleasure of it, otherwise we wouldn't do it. After all we're not stupid, at least we're not that stupid".

Of course, I wouldn't equate the down-side of working here to the downside of taking heroin but I didn't realise quite how much fun some of it would be. I'm not talking about the windswept beaches and the rolling green hills this time but the work itself.

One factor is that if something needs doing then you have to do it yourself because usually there is no-one else who is going to help. This mean that if you honestly believe it is in the best interests of the patient for you to perform a procedure compared to it not being done at all then you should do it. This means attempting things that a physician like myself would usually have to pass on to a specialist. It's a bit like doing other peoples' homework, it is so much more fun than doing you own. I had forgotten how satisfying it can be to drain a really painful swollen abscess or relocate a dislocated joint. You have to be careful not to get too gung-ho but if you stick to the rules it can be really good fun.

Another factor is the huge variety of things to see. One day I'm going to make a list of all the things I see on a random weekend on-call. Chances are it will include being involved in delivering a baby or two, seeing a road accident victim, admitting a sick child, suturing a few stab wounds, draining an abscess and setting a fracture.

Perhaps I will write about the frustrations of working here another time because there are many. But for now I would just like to focus on one or two of the pleasures.