Bed 7

Code bells ringing, pagers jingling
Start of shift and lots of coffee.
Rounds and charts
Discharge papers
Vancomycin, and doxycycline.

Now:
Start on 1g IV
That’s for VRE and
CPR is not
Not for everyone.
Well,
Patients in and patients out
Time of death to new admission
Take the room.

Labs and lytes
Physical examination
Wave your magic wand and
Hocus POCUS.
Call the doctor
(Wait, I’m the doctor)
Call cardio, nephro.
Tell yourself,
(but not the patient!)
It’ll be ok.
What’s that one
That diagnosis
They told you in class
Never to miss?

Blood work’s back.
The family is here.
Leave the room
(Did you forget to FIFE them?)
Wellness break
and get a coffee.

And oh do not
Do not resuscitate
if I fall asleep
on the couch
in the break room
Because coffee is never enough,
Not in this job,
But I do it anyway.
And the pagers call me into battle
And they say
“Call me please, when there’s a change.”
There’s a change.
We call for an autopsy.