As of this week, I will have completed my first three years of psychiatric training. Perhaps the biggest perk of becoming a fourth year is the absence of call. For the past three years, my work responsibilities have included a hefty share of night and weekend shifts. We were assigned six "training calls" and then deemed to be capable of "being on call" on our own. Being the only psychiatrist in the building entails evaluating patients in the emergency department, handling time-sensitive consulations on the medical floors, answering the occasional "crisis" call by phone and of course responding to any difficulties on the inpatient psychiatric unit. At first, it was terrifying. We used to take 24+ hours shifts and there were days I was too busy to use the bathroom or grab a snack. I would startle every time the pager sounded. But like anything, I got used to call and my confidence level increased.
While I don't like time away from home, call has actually evolved into one of the more routine parts of my job. I can't say I've "seen it all" but I have been thrown into some pretty unpredictable situations and managed to get through them unscathed. I wish I had kept a log of my encounters with agitated patients and sassy nursing staff. But some of my favorite patients are those who had never sought help before and landed in the emergency department during my shift. Connecting with another individual, a complete stranger, and playing some small role in their treatment is a special thing. Call can be non-stop but then there are the shifts like this one, nice and quiet. I am at the Veterans' Hospital tonight and writing to you from my favorite "call room." I have "slept" here on countless nights. We are in the Damen Building and this wing used to house medical floors. The room is tiny by today's standards. Unlike the newer patient rooms, the windows actually open and there is a constant hum of traffic. Affixed to the mirror above the sink is a sign that reads "Don't get caught dirty handed." I would suspect that the sticker is about my age. Usage of the call rooms was previously determined on a first come basis, and it is only recently that individual rooms were assigned to specific services. When I saw that psychiatry was assigned across the hall, I swapped the signs so I could be in room 7473. The rooms are essentially the same but this one has a private bathroom and the southern view is slightly better. Good bye call and hello freedom!!
