Hey guys. I'm Siobhan, a first year medical resident.
Tonight it's Friday night and no, I'm not hanging out with friends.
Instead I'm staying here and planning, packing and getting myself organized for my call shift tomorrow. So
Saturday morning I'm in the hospital and have to have stuff until
Sunday morning. So
stick with me, keep me company and
I'll show you what I end up packing and putting into my bag.
Most important thing to pack is food. In the middle of the night,
honestly you get so hungry and that little bit of food that you have in your bag
can just get you to focus and stay awake.
Also in some of our hospitals the cafeteria and our Tim Hortons in Canada
actually closes. So if you don't have something, you're relying on vending machine food, which is no fun. So my routine every night
before I have a call shift is to make some lunch. So I
have
some rice noodles with
some vegetables and tuna in it. So you gotta... You know, staying healthy, some protein in there. I've got an apple,
keep the doctor away.
Ehm... I got some nuts, they happen to have already been in the bag, so I figured I'd toss them in and protein bars, because they
can fit in my bag and I can have them at a moment's notice, there isn't always time. Oh and...
Actually making sure I have two spoons. And this might seem very trivial, but if you only bring one Spoon and then
you have two meals and you have a dirty spoon for the second meal, it's just disheartening when you're already feeling tired, so
little things make a big difference to me anyway.
Next...
Clean pair of scrubs. You never know what's going to happen. Things can get messy and
you know... You don't want to be stuck in that all night.
Also with clothes...
I like to have a zip-up, so I can put it on and feel warm and
again... Middle of the night. When you get tired, I don't know about you guys, but I get
really cold when I get tired. Next are things that I have with me all the time when I'm in the hospital anyway. So
I need my stethoscope of course.
Ehm... Gotta have that trusty nametag. I always make sure that I have a good working pen. And
actually I spent so long making sure it's one that has a clip, because then it can fit on my lanyard, so
just like this.
Honestly that little detail
is a lifesaver for me. And then four other kind of mediocre pens, but
I'm probably gonna need them. I'll probably lose three and then someone's gonna say ''I don't have a pen!''
So at least I can give them one. So I always bring a whole bunch of extra pens.
Then the attachment for my brain, so my phone Is
recording me right now.
So if it wasn't, I'd be packing that, because that's a huge resource.
I'll make another video and show you the different apps and stuff that I use on call or during the day.
But I also actually keep some hard copies. One, because what if my phone dies? Which I know...
Okay, I do bring a charger and a pretty charger. Which is pink, so that I know which one is mine, because
there are often a whole bunch in the call rooms and then I know that mine is the pink one. Anyway, so what if I lose this?
Or...
You know, my phone drops in the toilet or just...
spontaneously combusts and I don't have it anymore. So I'd be freaking out, but I
always have these and they're a life saver for me. One of them is Pocket Medicine.
The best thing to do is be able to look things up quickly, because
no one really expects you to know everything, but you need to know where to find the information. So this is such a good resource. And
my school
actually puts out this book,
which is
actually... It's also excellent. So I sort of use a combination of the two of them and carry them around with me all the time.
Small but mighty, I need to have
my lip balm. It gets so dry and I'm always so happy when
I'm talking to a patient and not licking my lips, cuz that's not fun.
Then if I actually have a little bit of down time,
finger crossed, I'm always hoping for that.
Then I like to bring my headphones and
listen to a little bit of music if it's during the day.
Maybe sometimes even watch, you know... Five minutes of Netflix.
Hasn't happened in residency yet, I did that in med school a little bit.
But it just makes me feel like there is hope that it might happen. So I do pack everything into
a big bag, but I also bring this little bag. And this is the one that I carry around
on the wards with me, so I can put those books into it, all my pens,
a snack, all that kind of stuff. So I have it with me all the time.
And I also have this little,
little keychain on it. And it was...
It was part of our graduation gift from our grad community, so it's
basically a little good luck charm on call. It's been working for me so far. And of course,
can't forget the pager.
So I clip it on,
onto my bag. So when I'm walking around with it, it's on me at all times. And I actually, I clip it on upside down,
so that when it actually goes off, I don't have to turn it around. I can just
pick it up and read it like that. So little trip, little tip not trick. Tip or trick.
Trip.
So there we go. That's what I bring in a nutshell.
So now I just have to pack it all Into my giant black bag. It's not glamorous, but
that's something that I feel like isn't gonna get stolen in the hospital. Like, I can wipe it down easily if things get dirty.
So this is my call bag, only my call bag.
Yeah, so just pack it up.
Alright, there we go.
My giant bag.
Ready to take me through my call shift.
And now the best and maybe the most important thing to do in preparation is to
actually go and get a really really good night sleep. And
make sure to set your alarm, so you actually make it there on time. So wish me luck.
Make sure I get through those 26 hours that are coming up and
thanks for stopping by. Thanks
for watching.
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