Daddy's on call - is the title of this blog and something I find myself saying more than I'd like, but as I explain why I can't go out to mom's nights or people ask me about J's job, I've found lots of people aren't quite sure about what being "on call" means or any of this doctor/surgery stuff.
Remember, I am not a doctor, so I'm explaining these things as I understand them, they may not be technically correct definitions.
Call - there are two types of call. Home call and in-house call. Back in the desert, J had home call. This meant that the nights he was on call, if nothing was going on at the end of the day, he'd come home, he couldn't drink and had to stay within 15 minutes of the hospital, but he was with us. He kept his pager on him and if anything came in - it went to the intern (in house), then the 2nd or 3rd year resident was paged and came in, then the chief/final year resident was paged and came in, and if a surgery was needed prior to the next morning - the attending (staff member) was paged and came in to supervise/help/perform the surgery depending on what it was. Then when things were finished up and patients were stable, J would come back home. Now, in the new hospital for J's fellowship, he has in-house call - because his hospital takes in more emergencies and traumas than the other did. So, on his "on call" day, he goes into work per usual in the early morning and then stays at the hospital overnight, then barring any serious issues that require him to stay with the other fellows, he comes home some time before lunch the next day. There are definite perks and drawbacks to each - it's hard not having J come home, but I feel like he gets to rest during the times that he would otherwise be driving back and forth between home and the hospital.
So, J is a fellow? When will he be a doctor? He actually became a doctor several years ago. He went to college and got a bachelors degree, then medical school where he graduated and became a doctor. Since he chose the specialty that he did, he then went to a 5 year residency (for surgery) and he also did another year of research. Now, he is doing a fellowship for 2 years for more in depth training to be able to work with children. Yes, during all this training you do get paid, but it's more of a living wage than a "doctor's" wage. I'm able to stay at home this year, but we have to be pretty careful with our money. I had no idea before J and I got together how much work it really took to become different types of doctors. I have so much respect for the hard work J has put in and continues to. He is the smartest, hardest worker that I have ever met and I am so lucky to be married to him.
Additionally, dear friends, this is a semi-anonymous blog for J's protection - for his job, his patients, and his hospital. We'd love to connect with you and if you know us already or know where we are - please don't post any comments that name our location, our last name, J's name or hospital, etc. Thanks so much!
