On Call

Today, I saw a patient on call. It was actually a great experience! Typically, we consider it to be a bit of an intrusion on our personal time to have to come into the hospital and see a patient. However, most of the time, it actually turns out to be wonderful–when patients know that we leave home to come in specifically to see them, they are typically very appreciative.

The main reason that most of us got into medicine in the first place was to help people with their medical problems. The unexpected visit that brings us in on call is almost always for a good reason, and being in a position to come in for an unplanned visit really creates the patient experience that distills the “helping people” aspect of our jobs.