Stand your ground, Soldier

Wow! What a roller coaster day! I have not done anything as radical as this in a very long time!

As you probably must have gathered from my previous posts, I have mixed feelings about my Medicine Department where I am currently posted as an Intern.. and that there is no love lost between me and most of my residents, especially the Junior Resident (JR).

In the medico hierarchy, an Intern becomes a Junior Resident, after passing the requisite competitive exams of course, who then automatically becomes a Senior Resident after one year, who is promoted to Chief Resident in another year.

My JR, is a pain in the ass. He tries to dump his dirty work on me - which means collecting lab reports two floors down, writing discharge cards, filling registers - clerical and peon work. The initial days of this fiasco I considered it as a minor chore.. but now, I see it as an embarrassment. I, being a qualified doctor having to do work befitting a ward-boy - and that too not getting paid for it - ridiculous!

Interns in my hospital have been doing this all along. I don't know what morals or principles they adhere too - apparently they have no regard for their self esteem. Thus, the residents have gotten used to having their personal slaves hanging around with their tails behind their legs doing what they say.

Today, that was not going to happen. My JR told me to collect 5 reports from the lab. And if the reports were not printed yet, scribble the findings on a piece of paper, so that the rounds of the senior residents could be done with first.

I went to the lab and only 1 was ready. The lab rats wouldn't let me copy any findings as they were busy printing the reports. So I went back to the JR with the one report.

After voicing his frustrations for a few moments he told me to go back and collect it. I told him, "Frankly, I won't do your servant-work any more". Yelling at me followed, saying this was my duty and I had to do it, to which I retaliated, "No. It isn't my duty, its yours. Further more, ever since I joined this unit you people haven't taught me a single thing worth knowing, and all I do is run around with errands. I am not interested in doing such work any more."

He said he'll complain to the CR. I told him to go ahead. (The CR happens to be a friend). He then said he'll complain to the Head of the Department. I told him, "Go right ahead. Either ways I think I'll complain to him myself, against the kind of work you make me do". And then, silence. This was in the ward. The patients were looking on, and the sisters were also staring. I walked off.

The worst that can happen is an extension of my posting -which will be a torture - to a slap on the wrist. But I intend to confront the senior teachers if the residents provoke me. Tomorrow will be more interesting.

You know, this is such a small incident. Collecting reports and delivering them, sort of like an elaborate mailman with a stetho (Fittman, of course). Hardly something to get worked up about you might say.

But this is about principle. An intern is a qualified doctor having dedicated 4.5 years of his life to medicine. And then, being delegated to work fit for a servant - it can be done, but it won't be done. Nobody has bothered to protest the pathetic scheme of things in this place. I choose to stand my ground. I can't wait for tomorrow.