3 answers
iyanna
Student
Joliet, Illinois
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What does a Normal day look like for a doctor?
Whats the most memorable patient you have had? Why did it make a diffrence? #medicine #healthcare #health #doctor
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3 answers
Tatjana Gabbert
Doctor, Paediatrician
10
Answers
Berlin, Germany
Updated
Tatjana’s Answer
On a normal day you start at 7 or 8pm on the ward, usually doing rounds (talking to and examining patients) through patients rooms together with the nurses. Afterwards you pick up the most urgent matters than go about organizing routine care like diagnostics, blood work, medication, finishing off release letters. After lunch (kidding, there's no time for lunch :-), you get to know the newly admitted patients, examine them and make a treatment plan for them. At around 5pm (or 6 or 7 pm or the nexet days depending on your shift system) you can go home after you have picked up any other urgent matter, have prepared release letters for next days farewells and have told the late shift doctor about the most troublesome patients on the ward.
Your routine day as described above is frequently interrupted though by unforeseen things, like a run to the emergency room, a rescucitation, a worsening of a patient needing urgent transfer to the ICU, relatives who insist of having a talk outside of rounds and a chronic shortage of staff that has you help out at other wards or the ER next to your own work. BUT... in between there are many instances in which you truly are loving your job because you made a patient smile, because you cured someone, because you took a burden off someone's shoulder, because you provided a route forward, because you took away some fear or pain or because you're never in this alone as someone from your team is always at your side even in the toughest of moments. So being a doctor is a tough job but the best one at the same time.
Your routine day as described above is frequently interrupted though by unforeseen things, like a run to the emergency room, a rescucitation, a worsening of a patient needing urgent transfer to the ICU, relatives who insist of having a talk outside of rounds and a chronic shortage of staff that has you help out at other wards or the ER next to your own work. BUT... in between there are many instances in which you truly are loving your job because you made a patient smile, because you cured someone, because you took a burden off someone's shoulder, because you provided a route forward, because you took away some fear or pain or because you're never in this alone as someone from your team is always at your side even in the toughest of moments. So being a doctor is a tough job but the best one at the same time.
Marney Gundlach
Pediatrician
3
Answers
Pearland, Texas
Updated
Marney’s Answer
Great question. The beauty about being a doctor is that your day can vary drastically based on your interests, specialty and session.
I’m an outpatient general pediatrician. So my typical day is in a clinic. I typically see 1 patient every 15 minutes, either for well check ups, sick visits, or chronic disease management (eg asthma, ADHD).
Some doctors choose to be Hospitalists and work 100% with hospitalized patients - this can include general medicine (internal medicine or pediatrics, for example), while others work in the intensive care unit, caring for the most critically ill patients.
Some doctors are full surgeons (general, orthopedics, cardiac) and typically spend some time in outpatient clinics but more than 50% of their time in surgery.
Subspecialists will have a setting that matches their specialty. Renal, Endocrinology, and Infectious Diseases typically split time between outpatient clinic and inpatient hospital consults. However these typically have few procedures. Other specialties, such as Gastroenterology, Obstetrics/Gynecology and Dermatology spend time in outpatient clinics, inpatient consults, and procedural surgery.
Radiology in general allows most doctors to work remotely, except for interventional radiology. ER is exclusively in the Emergency Room. I had one friend work for Doctors Without Borders and he was able to travel all over Africa.
All of these doctor types can also have a blended career with research, if desired. Researchers will also have dedicated time away from patient care. I know several doctors who are the IT experts for their system’s electronic medical record.
My most memorable patients have been ones that touched my heart. I don’t feel comfortable sharing specifics due to HIPAA regulations.
You can think about the environment you work on and the area of the body that interests you. I like variety, patient continuity and kids. I don’t like working nights (I’m hate when my circadian rhythm gets messed up), surgery (can’t cut a straight line), or when my patient dies (hospice).
There is a great amount of variety in the medical fields.
I’m an outpatient general pediatrician. So my typical day is in a clinic. I typically see 1 patient every 15 minutes, either for well check ups, sick visits, or chronic disease management (eg asthma, ADHD).
Some doctors choose to be Hospitalists and work 100% with hospitalized patients - this can include general medicine (internal medicine or pediatrics, for example), while others work in the intensive care unit, caring for the most critically ill patients.
Some doctors are full surgeons (general, orthopedics, cardiac) and typically spend some time in outpatient clinics but more than 50% of their time in surgery.
Subspecialists will have a setting that matches their specialty. Renal, Endocrinology, and Infectious Diseases typically split time between outpatient clinic and inpatient hospital consults. However these typically have few procedures. Other specialties, such as Gastroenterology, Obstetrics/Gynecology and Dermatology spend time in outpatient clinics, inpatient consults, and procedural surgery.
Radiology in general allows most doctors to work remotely, except for interventional radiology. ER is exclusively in the Emergency Room. I had one friend work for Doctors Without Borders and he was able to travel all over Africa.
All of these doctor types can also have a blended career with research, if desired. Researchers will also have dedicated time away from patient care. I know several doctors who are the IT experts for their system’s electronic medical record.
My most memorable patients have been ones that touched my heart. I don’t feel comfortable sharing specifics due to HIPAA regulations.
You can think about the environment you work on and the area of the body that interests you. I like variety, patient continuity and kids. I don’t like working nights (I’m hate when my circadian rhythm gets messed up), surgery (can’t cut a straight line), or when my patient dies (hospice).
There is a great amount of variety in the medical fields.
Andres Espinoza
Physician
12
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Andres’s Answer
It's going to depend on your specialty and if you are mostly outpatient vs inpatient. In my outpatient office position, usually you start by 8am to complete patient hurdle with the rest of the staff to address any issues that may arise during that day. I'd start seeing patients by 830am. I'd take a 30minute lunch brake around 1230pm the continue seeing patients until 430. Lastly i would take an hour and half to complete documentation and do some follow up phone calls or lab follow up. Usually my day would end at 630.