Many stories have been shared by physicians detailing their experiences during their years as house officers. I trained at an inner city hospital in the early 1970s, and my story was unique.
Hospital J was built in the early part of the twentieth century. The structure was nine stories tall, with the ICU, the only air conditioned floor, located at the top. The elevators had not been automated and were still run by elevator operators. When a code blue was called, the thought of running up nine stories in an unventilated stairwell was far less attractive than taking the elevator, and would get us to the patient in better condition.
The call bell for a code rang in the elevator, signaling the operator to immediately pick us up. He was an older gentleman who fancied himself a bit of a philosopher. When instructed to go straight to the ninth floor without stopping, his response was always, “If they’re gonna die, they’re gonna die.”
He would then continue stopping at each floor, while we fumed. Although we reported him many times, he was never disciplined. There were instances when we commandeered the controls, and, inexperienced in the art of running an elevator, jerked our way to a stop at ICU.
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
No comments:
Post a Comment