Adjusting

I have worked two doubles, a triple and a quadruple at my new job. At LGH I had stopped working 4 nights when I turned 55. By the fourth night I would be physically,and  mentally spent and rather cranky. Not so at NVMC. Average night shift census is about 6 patients. Although I have not been sleeping any better between shifts, I am not STRESSED as before. I do miss my friends and coworkers at LGH. I received a call from Robin, my trustworthy PA today and my sense of loss was palpable. Don't we all feel that we are irreplacable? The staffing of the ER at LGH has been difficult since my forced departure. The remaining docs have had to go back to longer shifts. I like to soothe my ego, by thinking that the powers-that-be regret their active or passive complicity in my termination.

My daily routine has been adapted to my new circumstances. I have a snack and my coffee before I leave the house. My wife and I now have some quality time together even on my work nights. The drive is a pleasant 10.3 miles of countrified roads with a single traffic signal. Leaving the house at 10:25 PM allows me to listen to jazz on WGBH-FM on the ride into work. There is a fair amount of time to pass during the 8 hour shift. My newish 4G phone has been packed with 2 versions of "Angry Birds", "Bejeweled", "Scrabble", Mah-jong tiles, poker, backgammon, multiple solitaire variations, newspapers, magazines, etc.

The patient population is quite different from LGH. I have yet to use the translation phone. In three weeks, I have only treated one child under the age of 2. There is little trauma. The patients have been as pleasant as any at LGH but I am able to spend much more time with the patients and their families. If NVMC uses Press-Ganey surveys, I feel that I will consistently be in the top percentile. The fact that my patients are not waiting 2-5 hours before being evaluated by a physician, makes them much less cranky.

The nurse and secretaries have been most welcoming and are very good at their jobs. Last night the nursing supervisor brought in a cake to celebrate the birthday of one of the ER night nurses. I have made friends with the security guards, night housekeeper, and the sargeant of the local town police department on the overnight shift.

After the last 2 weeks of financial shock to my retirement funds, I will be working for the next 8 years. Is NVMC my final destination? Only time will tell. For now, I will improve my gaming skills, enjoy spending time with my patients, and be a relatively stress free "world's oldest ER doc". Thanks to my friend Wendell for his sage wisdom, when he told me that would be life after LGH.