Longest Shift Yet

Ok, where to start. I just did my first 19 hour shift last night. I was the noon-midnight person and I walked out the door at 7am!!! Me and my ternmate Jason got slammed last night. Triage stat after Triage stat...for those who don't know what Triage stat means, it is this...you drop whatever you are in the middle of and run to the front of the receiving floor to perform the ABC-loc's on this pet (airway, breathing, circulation, level of consciousness). It does not matter how many other patients you are dealing with at that time. Do, we were there, side by side with our triage stats the entire night...in addition to 5-7 regular appointments in the waits at all times. What does this mean? This makes for a long night...because you know you are going to be catching up on paperwork at the end. I admitted 3 patients into ICU, 2 of those I had to do procedures on...I euthanized 3 pets...and saw many outpatients. Saw my first pet covered in maggots from head to toe...have you ever seen them? They look like little moving rice grains...and if you are quiet...they sound like rice being shook in a bag...or kinda like rice krispies with milk...snap,crackle, pop...unfortunately that old girl will now be playing in the big yard in the sky. Unblocked a urinary obstructed cat last night all by myself and explored some bite wounds and sutured them up...all of this occurred between the hours of 2-4am (keep in mind this is already 2-4hrs after my shift is up!!) But, that is what happens when you are busy..all your surgeries get pushed back to when your shift is up...so that means you are in for a long night...as I experienced last night. I absolutely love the medical aspect of the job, caring for the pets...I just hate that you are over-worked here with not enough help...more doctors are needed at night on certain shifts...I feel like people come in and wait hours for their pets because sometimes when its busy and there are Triage stats coming all the time it is like 2 hours until you can get back to the first patient you were dealing with... What else did I see...ear infection, tiny kitty with URI (upper respiratory infection)...there were many more, cant remember them all at this moment...still a little tired. ...that said, one thing I am learning is that I have gotten a ton of compliments on my personality...may people thanking me for being so kind and so thorough...I have gotten numerous hugs...numerous thank-you's...people who say that if they come back they will ask for me....that makes all this worth it, makes me feel like at least I am doing a good job in the clients eye, and afterall, it is their pet I am taking care of and they should be satisfied first. ...So I go back and forth on the Residency thing...do I want to put myself through another 3 years of this?...no way...I think I will look for a job after this...sitting here in this city with no one else I realize how utterly alone I feel...and already after 3-4 weeks I can see that I am starting to lose contact with people I care about...I can't imagine who I would have left after 3 years!!! Besides, and I NEVER thought I would say this...but I want a family and kids...somewhere between my life almost completely falling apart in vet school and being completely alone here I realize that I want my life to come first, not my career...I am realizing how career can satisfy you only to a point, but you still have to come home to a lonely house at night....who wants that? Not me...I want family, vacations, kids...so that when I look back at my life when I am 80 I have something to show for it...not just an old used stethoscope and a bunch of used medical books. Hope things are going good for all of you. Kevin, hope you and Cosmo had a great time camping this weekend...wish I coulda stopped down at least to visit...sit around the campfire abit...Mom & Dad hope you got the upstairs bathroom all refurbished--the house is looking amazing. Jen & Nick--hope you are not frying to death down there in the desert--Jen not too long until you come back home for a little break and to look for permanent residency back in the great midwest!!--I am excited about that--means I will actually get to see my sister more than once a year!!--then we can go out and have some more good times and find some one ways to drive down the wrong way!!! Gram & Gramp--hope things are going good--hows softball---keep fishin' on the lake--wish I could come and spend summers on the lake like we used to growing up! Ok, I should go for a run and read a little in my few hours before I head back to that place. I work 4p-4a today. Then I have Monday off...which I will sleep away most of but oh well just knowing I don't have to go in to the clinic is a great feeling, even if it is short-lived. Till later...