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They're often not cognitively demanding. I do 14.5 hr overtime shifts and most of the time I am being paged for 'autopilot' stuff like charting more fluids, rev

by robbiep 12y ago

They're often not cognitively demanding. I do 14.5 hr overtime shifts and most of the time I am being paged for 'autopilot' stuff like charting more fluids, reviewing medications, and especially because it's weekends, checking out little niggles that patients start to but nurses about over the weekend and they say they will get a doctor to review. Between 1-5 times in a shift of this nature I will be required to do something cognitively demanding, most of the rest is patient interaction, reassurance, and basic basic medical stuff that you master in your first month in the job

VLM 12y ago
Would you agree with my doc friend that its mentally like call center work in that everything is extremely heavily scripted and procedural, and flying off on your own wings of fancy is strongly discouraged and detailed reasoning is rarely required? Its a truly immense set of call center scripts and procedures to memorize and be tested on, but after your 10000th concussion or 10000th wound needing stitches or woman in labor or whatever, its all fairly routine? My buddy said it to someone outside the field knowing I'm outside the field, to us as customers every interaction is new and mysterious, much like calling into a call center. My software job is very cognitively interesting, lots of thinking about new things and new ways to do "stuff" and my doc buddy was a bit jealous of my working conditions and working hours.
- robbiep 12y ago
  I had never thought about it as a 'call centre' factory-type operation. I'd have to say that with my current experience I would disagree. My job has a huge range of variability. That may be helped by the fact that I rotate I to totally different areas of medicine every few months and will for another year before I start specialising. Even so, yes it's true (or at least I feel it is) that we are a customer service industry (or at least should be). Sometimes this is the greatest part of my day. I know, for example, that for a certain percentage of my patients I will be able to make a huge difference to the perception they have of the healthcare system just by sitting and taking 5 minutes to explain in laymans terms what we are doing. In my hospital's patient population (mostly white Anglo Saxon Australians, usually slightly older than the national average) this comes across very well because I am a 6 foot 2 100kg white man, so I fit the mould of what they want as a doctor. (Sometimes this results in the patient confiding in me how happy he is that he is talking to a 'real Aussie' - the racism is astounding and very irritating sometimes) Women have a harder time and many of my female colleagues are regularly assumed to be nurses even after introducing themselves as doctors. But I digress. Yes, a lot of my job becomes routine. I have studied for 10 years to be where I am and know huge areas of disease and the pathological basis back and forwards. But that doesn't stop many situations from being fascinating. When I started med school I was all about the science - I loved it. Now I have found that a side benefit is (some) of the people and making a difference. Sometimes I'm too busy, and I can see the ability to get jaded; my (medical) friends and I will often (confidentially) describe some of the horrible situations we have seen; and you need to be able to laugh at times as a coping mechanism. But I love my job; for the variability; for the characters; for the 1 in 50 patients that totally changes your world view and makes your life richer for having treated them; for the care that is entrusted to me; and for the really top notch people I am surrounded by, who will accept nothing less than excellence from themselves and give their time freely to improve your education and ability
rfrey 12y ago
Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to be patient number 5 with a cognitively demanding issue that presents at hour 23 of a shift.

by robbiep 12y ago

VLM 12y ago

Would you agree with my doc friend that its mentally like call center work in that everything is extremely heavily scripted and procedural, and flying off on your own wings of fancy is strongly discouraged and detailed reasoning is rarely required? Its a truly immense set of call center scripts and procedures to memorize and be tested on, but after your 10000th concussion or 10000th wound needing stitches or woman in labor or whatever, its all fairly routine? My buddy said it to someone outside the field knowing I'm outside the field, to us as customers every interaction is new and mysterious, much like calling into a call center. My software job is very cognitively interesting, lots of thinking about new things and new ways to do "stuff" and my doc buddy was a bit jealous of my working conditions and working hours.

robbiep 12y ago
I had never thought about it as a 'call centre' factory-type operation. I'd have to say that with my current experience I would disagree. My job has a huge range of variability. That may be helped by the fact that I rotate I to totally different areas of medicine every few months and will for another year before I start specialising. Even so, yes it's true (or at least I feel it is) that we are a customer service industry (or at least should be). Sometimes this is the greatest part of my day. I know, for example, that for a certain percentage of my patients I will be able to make a huge difference to the perception they have of the healthcare system just by sitting and taking 5 minutes to explain in laymans terms what we are doing. In my hospital's patient population (mostly white Anglo Saxon Australians, usually slightly older than the national average) this comes across very well because I am a 6 foot 2 100kg white man, so I fit the mould of what they want as a doctor. (Sometimes this results in the patient confiding in me how happy he is that he is talking to a 'real Aussie' - the racism is astounding and very irritating sometimes) Women have a harder time and many of my female colleagues are regularly assumed to be nurses even after introducing themselves as doctors. But I digress. Yes, a lot of my job becomes routine. I have studied for 10 years to be where I am and know huge areas of disease and the pathological basis back and forwards. But that doesn't stop many situations from being fascinating. When I started med school I was all about the science - I loved it. Now I have found that a side benefit is (some) of the people and making a difference. Sometimes I'm too busy, and I can see the ability to get jaded; my (medical) friends and I will often (confidentially) describe some of the horrible situations we have seen; and you need to be able to laugh at times as a coping mechanism. But I love my job; for the variability; for the characters; for the 1 in 50 patients that totally changes your world view and makes your life richer for having treated them; for the care that is entrusted to me; and for the really top notch people I am surrounded by, who will accept nothing less than excellence from themselves and give their time freely to improve your education and ability

rfrey 12y ago

Nonetheless, I wouldn't want to be patient number 5 with a cognitively demanding issue that presents at hour 23 of a shift.