A different world

Monday


‘What a facility’, I think to myself.
I wake up with a heavy heart. Its floors no more. The whole month is supposed to be clinicking. Mondays are supposed to be the toughest. Clinic starts at twelve but will start early (as some other consultant’s clinic is cancelled).
I text Dr Asif about when exactly should I reach hospital. ‘At nine’, comes the reply. Nine seems like ages away. A whole extra hour.  I usually leave home at quarter to eight and a fifteen minutes drive takes me to hospital.
Its nine when I reach hospital. I hit the on call rooms. From there I call the clinic counter number. They tell me clinic starts at ten. I reach there at quarter to ten.
“I’m Dr Zarka”, I introduce myself. The staff there turns around to have a look. “Oh so we finally get to see you today, for the last three months, we have been listening to you via phone only!”, one of the staff beams. I return a smile. Its more of a grimace.  
I start with my first patient. Sara’s words echo in my mind, “You have to be really speedy there. Dr Nehal used to ask Dr Asif to quickly see patients!”. So much information and to be brisk at the same time. I struggle. As I continue with my clerking,  my phone rings. It’s the hospital number. Who is it now, I think to myself. “Maam, is this Dr Zarka?”, a male voice asks. “Yes”, I answer. “I am calling from oncology clinics and want to inform you that you have to do clinic with Dr Nehal today”, he tries to explain. Now that’s not funny at all. “I am in the clinic!”, I reply.
The clinic goes on and on till eight pm. The staff is really happy today as they are finishing early. The usual finishing time is about nine thirty to ten.
I call my driver who is going to take twenty minutes to arrive. I decide to visit D2. As I open the computer room, I see Khalid facing the computer. As he is rotating in gastro so he has to look the part. He is in scrubs. I greet him. He responds with a smile.
I proceed to the D2 counter and and meet the usual D2 family (i.e. staff). It feels like home.  Khalid also joins us and we have a lively chat.

Tuesday

The day starts with tumor board. For me tumor board has a horror movie feel. That ends but takes an hour away.
Tuesday is said to be a free day.  As I leave, I meet Dr Asif, who asks me to join him to the fellows room, as that’s the place where ‘fellows’ hang around.


I feel like running away but join. On the way Dr Asif continues to tell me how to prepare cases for tumor boards. (And there are plenty of them, at various times). The fellows room has just that, fellows. It’s a different world. There are computers, newspapers, gossip. There is no mayhem. Every one seems relaxed. I feel like such a misfit. Just then a uniformed guy enters and serves tea. ‘What a facility’, I think to myself.

I want to have tea, now, but then how do I order. If I ask the uniformed guy, ‘bhai sahab, I want to have some tea’, the big big fellows would laugh. I dump the idea and try to concentrate on the monitor. The computer in front of me fails to connect to the internet. I settle for the NCCN guidelines (the ultimate oncology guidelines). I make believe that I am concentrating. If you cant make it then fake it.

The gossip around me is too crispy. Someone is resigning and leaving for Saudi Arabia. That said person applied for nephrology but when the appointment letter arrived it said some Arbi department. Upon translation it was found that he has been appointed in Endocrinology. The guys have a hearty laugh at that.

At one its another tumor board. Oh wow. And obviously another hour of my life is spent.

At two I have to do some teaching. The group is of six final year students. They have two power point presentations ready. I ask them the number of slides and they tell me sixty, and hundred each. “So, it’s a presentation to kill!”, I smile away. And this time around its not a grimace.

I just love to teach. Its been ages since I know that.

Popular posts from this blog

Weekend post-books, movies and thoughts

Weekend update: caterpillars, chais, beginnings and reading snippets

Weekend post!