A Troubling Feeling

I arrived at work last night at ten for a 16 hour shift only to find another medic there. Before I left on my trip we had talked about him doing the overnight portion of the shift for me because I don't like doing the overnights, but I hadn't thought we had firmed it up. I was happy to let him do it, and since I was already out there, I decided to stay and sleep. I got a good night's sleep, but so did he. When the alarm went off at six so I could punch in, the overnight crew was sound asleep. Zero calls in eight hours. Five minutes later, they toned us out.

I did three calls, two at nursing homes. Two chest pains, both with good cardiac stories and a CHF/pnemonia.

How did it feel to be back?

I have to say, and I am a little worried about it, the number one feeling I had today was not refreshment, ready to tackle the job with new vigor, but boredoom. This despite three good ALS calls.

Was I bored because I was tired or because because my world seemed small and predictable again? The same bumpy ambulance, the same nursing homes, the same partners, the same vista, the same treatment plans, the same hospitals, the same faces.

I don't want to be bored in my job or in my life.