Done and dusted

Aah... another couple of hours and my night shift will be over. All in all, it hasn't been the worst of shifts. Thankfully, I was on-call with Muni, who's not only a brilliant physician, but is an awfully nice and supportive reg as well. In fact, come to think of it, I've been quite lucky to be on-call with supportive registrars at night. And no, I didn't tinker with the rota even though I designed it!

I have been kept company by my faithful iPod, now entering it's 4th year of service and looking as out of place in today's iPod Nano world as an IBM PC from the early 90s would look next to an iMac (can't wait for the iPhone...it looks marvellous!). Music does help keep you going in the early hours of the morning, and there's something positively melancholic about listening to the scratching bass sounds of a cello just before you certify a death.

Every night has brought about at least one interesting case, which was good for educational purposes. Otherwise, most of 'em have been the normal humdrum of ODs and drunks and chest pains. Unfortunately, every day also exposes us to the incompetencies that is prevalent in this hospital at times (am I getting more cynical and critical as I grow more experienced?). For example, we took a good hour when we came on tonight just to organise the mess that we were left with. I have to reiterate my point of view yet again - organisation matters! I might be a little anal about being tidy and organised, but it makes life so very much less complicated for the staff and the patients.

Will attempt to stay awake for the rest of the day; a day that should see me tackle the application forms with earnest. In fact, I'll be dedicating the whole weekend to it and hopefully it'll be all sorted by Monday, by which point I should be able to get someone's help in reviewing 'em.