Monday, January 23, 2012

Call Hierarchy of Needs

Now that I am not on call, all day, every day, I have found there is a certain behavioral pattern emerging on my call days. Something similar to Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs," if you will.

First Goal - Be able to leave the hospital. You may laugh, but some days it is d*mn near impossible to do. I am always figuring and re-figuring in my head if I am going to be able to go home that night, or if I will wind up being stuck until after office hours the next day.
*First goal bonus if I am able to leave the hospital before my children's bedtime, so much the better to actually *see* them.

Second Goal - Shower at home. This seems like an odd one, I know, but I *hate* to shower in the hospital call room bathroom. It just is not the same, and it also slightly squicks me out. So if I achieve the first goal, I proceed immediately to goal number 2 as soon as I step foot in the door.

Third Goal - Eat. This rule has stayed the same since residency, "eat when you can."
*Third goal bonus if I actually getting to eat with my family or if I am not eating something like Ramen noodles.

Fourth Goal - Spend (somewhat) quality time with family (while obsessively keeping one eye on the computer L&D and ER census for potential roadblocks to goal number five).
*Fourth goal bonus if I am able to tuck my children in for bedtime and maintain a normal evening routine before getting called back to the hospital.

Fifth Goal - Sleep in my own bed. This one is a bit more elusive, as you can imagine.
*Fifth goal bonus if I get to sleep in my own bed *all night long.* (HA HA! Almost never happens.)
**Extra bonus if I get no pages while I am sleeping in said own bed, and wake up the next day frantically checking my pager to be certain the battery hasn't expired. (Again, elusive.)

Let's face it 5/5 goals happens once in a blue (full) moon. If I am able to achieve 4/5 goals, I feel pretty good about my call night. Satisfaction with the night decreases exponentially with each goal not met, naturally. Before I am derided, of course my ultimate and overriding goal is to provide quality care to my patients...and to sleep in my own bed. :)

**Cross -posted at Mothers In Medicine

9 comments:

lasermed said...

Welcome back!
I love your goals. It is nice to spend some time with the kids, especially when they are little.
I hate having to decide whether to eat or go to the bathroom because I don't have time for both.

dr. whoo? said...

Thank you for the welcome back! Glad to know that someone is out there still reading! :) I shudder to think of what my extra-large bladder capacity is going to mean for me in later years...I can't tell you how many days I go more than 12 hours without seeing the inside of the restroom. Scary! Thank you for reading!

Anonymous said...

I love your blog. Just a fan, not someone who can actually relate, although after giving birth to my fourth child last week, I can sympathize! Luckily, all 4 of mine were inductions, so hopefully my doc didn't lose any sleep...or shower...or time in the bathroom because of me. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I'm a 3rd year medical student an just came across your blog. I am considering OB/Gyn, but hesitant because of the lifestyle. Any advice? Thanks!

Nurse and Hospital Stories said...

"Before I am derided, of course my ultimate and overriding goal is to provide quality care to my patients...and to sleep in my own bed. :)"

Great goal, eh. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is somewhat true to all, especially that we humans have never ending needs. If we come to the stage 1 of course we want to reach to the goal 2 until the goal 5 (which is to reach our potential). Hope you have a good rest this week, eh.

Cheers,
Peny@best scrubs

Anonymous said...

I love your blog. I hope you post again soon!

Toby39 said...

Good hierarchy of needs. I guess it's mostly about time. Time away from work to do the things that you want to do, rather than being obligated to do - cos of our jobs.

As for sleeping in your own bed, the only way I could get to do this at the moment - is to put a mattress in my car. ... I don't I'd be very popular if I got found out ;)

Toby39 said...

Good hierarchy of needs. I guess it's mostly about time. Time away from work to do the things that you want to do, rather than being obligated to do - cos of our jobs.

As for sleeping in your own bed, the only way I could get to do this at the moment - is to put a mattress in my car. ... I don't I'd be very popular if I got found out ;)

Anonymous said...

If you are female and have/want kids do not do OB.