Dr. Andrew, Dr. Preetha and Dr. Hott arrived over the weekend. Dr. Andrew is the attending, Dr. Preetha is the resident and Dr. Hott is an ER doctor who is going to be working with the ER here in the hospital. Dr. Stephanie is going to go over to Ms. Peggy’s clinic, but she came in this Monday morning to make sure all was going well. There was a little boy who had been mauled by three dogs, and Dr. Dennys was going to operate, so Stephanie went to that. It was quite an experience when his heart rate fell to 33 and the doctor looked up, then reached over and turned the monitor off. He turned it back on and his heart rate was ok.
We arrived Monday morning to find the gate to the hospital closed and no patients inside. Apparently, the nurses were on strike. I’m not sure exactly why, because they didn’t get a promised raise or because they want a raise. So, they wouldn’t let us see patients, it was especially disappointing to patients that were coming from far away places like Oak Ridge, that had to get up early and pay a lot to get here and then they couldn’t see a doctor, unless they went to the ER.
I showed the new doctors the hospital and they saw the newborns, then I took Dr. Andrew and Dr. Preetha over to Ms. Peggy’s to help. Dr. Hott stayed in the ER. Tuesday the clinic was open and we had quite a few patients. Then Wednesday the nurses were on strike again, they were all outside the hospital protesting. One of the Social Service Doctors, gave a presentation over lunch on Hyperglycemic Shock, so we all sat in on that. It was a nice conversation between the doctors and a nice opportunity to get all of them together, many of the doctors, and all the social service doctors came.
