Brief orthopaedic stint

Hi,

Sorry for the brief late post this week, but things have been very hectic both in the hospital and socially, with no time to spare. I do realise I start most of my posts apologising for being short/rambly/late but that is just the British way - we love to apologise!

A pretty bitsy week this week, as it was a week of (poorly organised) orthopaedics, added to the fact that my car broke down part way through the rotation, leaving me stranded. That is all fixed now (at some expense) which is a blessing as a car really is a must at the moment! This week of orthopaedic surgery consisted of ward rounds, clinics and theatre time, much like my other rotations, only here they call them 'trauma' ward rounds, which makes them sound a lot more exciting. This, however, is a lie, and all they talk about during them is different eponymous operations, and bones. Lots and lots of bones. I noticed an interesting difference between some of the consultants though. One is very keen and does ward rounds himself twice a day, even when in theatre, while another does one a week, leaving the rest to the more junior members of staff. The former consultant tends to have two or three patients under his care at any time, as his are discharged very quickly, the other seems to have a dozen or so at the moment. This highlights the importance of consultant care when you are in hospital, and shows that they should do a lot fo ward rounds, as well as the fantastic work they do in theatre! 

One of the patients I was talking to on the ward had been sent back from a rehabilitation hospital with a more acute illness, but was begging to be allowed to stay in our (acute) ward rather than being sent back to rehabilitation. She claimed that the rehabilitation hospital was full of 'demented crazies' and she would go mad if sent back there. Currently not too sure what to do with her, as she cannot sit in her expensive acute hospital bed, stopping someone else from using it who has just broken a bone. Perhaps this case needs a consultant who comes around more than once a week.

That's all folks, next week perhaps I will be less busy... As you may have been able to tell, orthopaedics doesn't really interest me too much, and its harder to write about something you find less interesting!