Another quote

Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect. - Steven Wright

I love Steven Wright, probably the funniest guy you'll ever see never crack a smile.

I am currently recovering from a mild ass-beating yesterday at the hands of the fast track at our hospital.

The worst part of it isn't the fast track itself. Usually, the patients are pretty benign, it's the charting.

I still haven't, probably through my own inadequacies, learned how to chart efficiently during my shift. I don't type fast enough to get all of my thoughts out in a few seconds between having to run off and do something else, so I will try to jot down a few thought here and there, usually resulting in only having very few charts done by the end of the shift. The end of a shift is spent trying to tie up loose ends, decide who I can dispo and who needs to be signed out to the oncoming shift, and making a mad dash to finish those charts that will be signed out so I can get the hell out of the deparment to go finish the rest of my charting, because no meaningful work can get done sitting at the desk in the department, as I am interrupted, on average, 6 to 10 times a minute by someone or something demanding attention. As a result, most of my charting is done well after my shift is finished.

For instance, yesterday, in my 12 hour shift, I saw 38 patients. Of those, I had 8 done by the end of my shift, which left 30 charts to do once I got home, after midnight. I was awake until after 0330 finishing those charts. Especially brutal, since I started work at 11am the day before. So, all told, charting completed, the 12 hour shift became a 16 hour shift because of the burden of charting.

I swear I could see almost twice as many patients if the charting were not so onerous.

One of my fellow residents put it very aptly at one point last month - you don't feel like you are taking care of patients anymore, you just feel like you're picking up another chart.

Whatever "reform" comes out of this push for healthcare reform, I hope it allows physicians to work more efficiently by reducing some of the paperwork we are required to file. I really need to get back to dictating on a more regular basis.