A fellow blogger has posted on her on call weekend. I don’t for a moment wish to belittle her hard work, but one phrase caught my attention. “Although I was so exhausted I pathetically crawled into bed when I got home at 10pm,”
Those of my generation will know what I am about to say. When we did a weekend on call it was 72 hours on duty, no going home, and often no going to bed at all. I do not advocate a return to that appalling state of affairs. I have made my stance on doctor’s hours clear in previous posts. (1) (2) (3)
But there are plenty of throwbacks in the profession who are advocating that the working time directive not apply to doctors in training, and that we should return to the working practices of the past. This would be a disaster for young doctors. Possibly greater than the screwing of our pensions. Do NOT let them do it!
The application of the WTD to doctors has been the greatest advance in our quality of life in my time as a doctor. When we bore you with tales of what it was like for us take heed, and believe me. You don’t want to go there.
S'funny innit? We were incredulous at docs slightly older than us who'd done a regular "1 in 3" reverting to a "1 in 2" if someone was on hols. I ended up on a 1 in 4 (1 in 3 if hols) and, like yourself, would start Friday at 8.30 and finish the following Monday at 5pm for 1 in 4 weekends.... blah blah blah etc ad nauseum.
ReplyDeleteThe consultants then would turn 'round and tell us of their "1 in 1" rota when they were housepersons.
I did 136 hours on duty in a week once... but that was in psychiatry so it doesn't count! :-D