#041 How your goals are stopping you from achieving your goals

“Come to theatre now.”

Debbie is my senior registrar. She is loud, hilarious and only looking back, do I now appreciate how much effort she put into training me.

I voice my concerns.

I have 3 drug charts to transcribe, a new patient to see and relatives to speak to. I haven’t eaten since waking up for my night shift. I don’t mention the last one, just think it.

Despite my protest, I go to theatre. Debbie takes me through how to evacuate a blood clot from someone’s brain.

I am slow and she is patient. Once the main steps of the operation are done, she takes over to close and I go back to my jobs list with a smile on my face.

A nurse has spoken to the relatives who are now happy and have left. It turns out the 3 drug charts didn’t need transcribing tonight and the nurses are now using them for their drug rounds. I spend 15 minutes seeing the new patient and taking their blood. Once sent, I sit down and have my first meal of the day. 

I smile again, “What just happened?”

I didn't realise it at the time, but almost 10 years ago during that night shift, I was learning an important lesson.