Thoughts on my first Surgeon-on-Duty (SOD) duty as an intern

— My HPIs* contained at most two compound sentences. Charting that day gave me so much pleasure.

— Was no longer daunted with IV line insertion, whereas this was a dreaded chore back in clerkship. One does get better with time.

— The number one complaint of patients at the ER: "Doc, 'di na tumutulo ang dextrose ng pasyente ko." (Doc, the IV fluid isn't dripping.) The standard reply: "Ireklamo n'yo po sa mga nurses. Sila 'yung mga naka-blue." (You complain to the nurses. They're the ones in blue.)

— I used a Pilot V5 pen, the blue one this time, without which I was practically useless. I had friends who shared the same sentiment. 

— At 4 PM, when I was barely halfway through my 24-hour shift, I already felt bogged down.

— Encountered at least four cases of partial gut obstruction, all of them surgical emergencies. Lesson learned: hyperactive bowel sounds!

— Patients came in droves, as if they boarded the same bus to get to PGH.

— "Kumain ka na. Hindi mawalalan ng pasyente kahit ano ang gawin mo." 

— Sir Pao Cruz, the actual Surgeon-on-Duty, was a bastion of calm and patience.

— Trauma cases are proof of humanity's stupidity in varying states of inebriation. What if we had outlawed alcohol altogether? Surely there'd hardly be any traumatic injuries from motorcycle drivers, drunk, from Cavite— the notorious "trauma triad" that populates the ER in the wee hours of the morning.

— Now I understand the need for a true post-duty status. Sleep is glorious after the 24-hour shift. Praise God for the grand time last night!

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*History of Present Illness, the first part of the clinical history that details what happened to the patient prior to the admission.