I couldn't figure out why three thousand people all decided yesterday to suddenly revisit the old Scutmonkey strip about my Psych rotation, until I realized that the link had been featured on Metafilter. Aha. Thanks for the link and the compliments, Metafilter! Apparently, though, some people got very huffy about the strip and how "fake" it was, and how generally jerky and insensitive I am. Ah, it's just like working in the hospital. Someone's always upset in the end.
With respect to the veracity of the story, all I can say is that, with a few personal patient details changed, everything happened as depicted. This goes for all my strips. Trust me, I was there. You can't make that stuff up, and it wouldn't be funny if you did. And as for the issue of my jerkitude, to each their own opinion, but I'll just say that maybe you have to have worked in a hospital to fully understand the "Scutmonkey" oeuvre. Or at least understand that despite the gravity of their jobs and responsiblities, doctors are allowed to have a sense of humor.
That said, thank you so much to everyone for supporting "Scutmonkey"! The feedback and interest have been incredible, and I think we may be looking at a second print run for Issue #1 fairly soon. I'm thrilled and honored at the response the comics have generated. To all the e-mailers, readers, and well-wishers, thank you thank you thank you!
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These late nights working in the ER are starting to drag on. At least I have a lot of patients to keep me company. Spending a month straight in the ER, you get a lot of repeat players. The adolescent girl who keeps coming in with abdominal pain, the Oncology patients with fevers, the chronic players with tubes in every orifice and a few de novo orifices, also with tubes in them. I like being a more senior resident in the ER, though, becasue I'm almost always manning (womanning?) the acute side, which means more Emergency Medicine, and less "Emergency" Medicine (of the "my completely healthy six year old threw up once three weeks ago after eating a whole stick of butter" variety). It's more work but more exciting, and it makes the night go by a lot quicker. Still, my ER block is starting to drag.
Probably the main reason I'm ready for this week to end is because I've barely seen Joe at all since before last weekend. When I work 5pm to 2am, I'm basically ensuring that I leave for work before Joe gets home, and get home from work two and a half hours before Joe has to wake up. So we really haven't seen each other at all since last week. Yesterday he was on consult for Ophtho, so he swung by the ER and we caught up briefly. But that lasted only about three minutes, as we both had patients and had to go, you know, doctor them. I something that may have been him under the covers when I got home at 3am last night, but I didn't poke the breathing mound to check. And this morning, when he left for work, I woke up briefly, we exchanged bleary pleasantries, and then said, "See you on Saturday." We live in the same house and we never see each other. This is sad.
Luckily, when I switch to working overnights proper in two weeks, we'll have more time to spend together. Since the overnight shift (as opposed to my current evening shift) is 11pm to 8am , we'll be overlapping our evenings at home. We'll actually see each other the same amount during my week on overnights as if we were both working days, only as he's going to bed, I'll be going to work.
Actually, wait, that's still sad.
Currently reading: "Candy Freak," but I only have a few pages left. Also, I went out and bought four more king-sized Peanut Chews, because I am now officially obsessed.
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