when work makes me smile.

today, in the icu, i logged into our electronic medical records to look up a patient from our practice who was admitted to the unit. my "task list" greeted me, and i noticed a message to call back a patient i didn't know: "she knows you will be her new pcp, and won't say what her question is." one of the residents is just leaving, and i'm inheriting some of her primary patients.

i scanned through and saw some telephone notes from the last few times she had called in. once, she'd had to go to the er. good lord, i thought, i've been doing obstetrics for the last two months. my medicine skills are rusty.

i called her up. "hi, mrs smith, it's dr. flynn, what can i do for you?"
an elderly voice answered, "well i knew you would be my new doctor, but i didn't remember if i had ever met you, so i wanted to know who my new doctor would be. i just wasn't sure who you were. "
and then:
"dr (old resident) would come to my house to see me. do you do that?"
yes, our residency still makes house calls.
"mrs smith, do you have any problems you need help with now?" i asked, still not sure i was understanding.
"well, i have trouble with my back, and my doctor wanted me to wear stockings because my legs swell, that's about it."

so yes, she was just calling in to find out who her new doctor would be, bless her heart. we had a nice little chat.