Surviving The Trickle.

When you are a first year resident walking at a semi-leisurely pace on the ground floor with two backpacks on one shoulder, a laptop bag on the other, 8 indoor patient files in the crook of your right arm, a box of 70 degrees portable endoscope in the left cubital fossa, a thermos full of Garam Chai in the left hand, and your phone in the right hand, which flashes to show the message "R3 ROUNDS ON THE TENTH FLOOR MALE WARD IN 5", you RUN.

You don't wait to  hear a reason for this aberration, you don't wait for the elevator, you don't wait to catch your breath, and when you run out of air, you continue to run. Because you don't want to scorn a third year resident by depriving them of your extremely useful presence of handing them the otoscope as they extend their palms out- not even in your general direction- as they look at the patient file. 

Because, nobody knows the wrath of a scorned third year like a second year does, and the as the cascade of wrath trickles down the hierarchy, it amplifies exponentially. 

I've learned a few tricks to survive the Trickle. 

The key is to look as winded as possible every time you enter a place, be it the wards or the OPD or the ER.  
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Next, you need to always look like you're walking purposefully and be fast paced as you whoosh past a senior who is just waiting for a dartboard to aim his/her menial-duties-darts at.

Keep mini foods handy. Offer them to the seniors as you see one of your plethora of screw ups being close to getting discovered. Bonus points for mini chocolates! (Take it from someone who has screwed up PLENTY).

Most importantly, always keep your cool. With the patients, yes, more essentially with your seniors who might be younger than yourself in age, but most essentially, be cool with your own state of miserable being. Know that you are the badass that you've always been deep down, but keep it buried deep down. 

During all my 24 hour duties I find my moments of joy in the little things I see around the hospital, like this youngling owning his badassishness. 

More of the same later.