[The Medic] Fatigue

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

The Medic

Hello readers and welcome to the first chapter of a series of an unknown length (no not because of poor planning okay). The Medic is a story which has been inspired by my own journey to med school. The plot and characters, however, are completely fictional. So without further ado...

 

Chapter 1: Fatigue

 

Alex gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. He was losing the fight to stay awake. It had been a long shift at the hospital. He was only 18- a first year still adapting to university life really. Yet his med school had decided to chuck all the first years head first into a week-long placement at a hospital 50 miles away from campus. “An insightful eye-opener” they called it. At first, he thought he could handle the 12-hour on-call shifts. It's just following a consultant around right? Alex could only laugh at his own naivety 5 days ago.

 

He shifted gears as he turned into a dual carriageway, which he knew from experience would stretch on for 20 miles. This was the most dangerous part of the journey. The seemingly endless straight where he wouldn't have to make turns, change gears or even check his mirrors. This was where he was most susceptible to fatigue and would struggle to battle off sleep.

 

To make matters worse, there were no streetlights. Just darkness all around except in front- which was illuminated by the car's powerful headlights. The white beam of light stretched far ahead, only emphasizing the length of the road. There was no oncoming traffic in the opposite lane or cars in his own lane for that matter. Though he didn't expect there to be at 1 am in the morning. His car was the only vehicle disrupting this deserted road.

 

He blinked. Was it just his imagination or did his eyes close for a couple of seconds there? He had to try and stay awake. Alex remembered the junior doctors in his ward sharing stories about how they would sometimes pull over to the nearest car park just to shut their eyes and rest- albeit for a couple of hours. Zero chance of that here, he thought. There were ditches on either side so there was no way he could pull over without the risk of getting a fine- or worse get hit by another car. Alex could also remember the doctors advising the med students to try and think about the shift they just had and what they did in order for the brain to be active and to stop themselves from accidentally falling asleep on the wheel. An interesting tactic. Perhaps it would work.

 

Alex reluctantly brought his mind back to the hospital. Today, thankfully, was the last day of his shadowing placement. Shadowing was putting it mildly. Within a couple of minutes of his first shift, the consultant had let Alex know that due to the staff crisis, they expected their medical students to roll back their sleeves and get involved. Initially, he had no problem with this. Helping out was better than just observing a minor op in the theatre surely?

 

It only took Alex a couple of hours before he realized the shambles that the healthcare was actually in. Granted he was in A&E, the busiest department, but what he saw was just pure hectic. No other way to describe it. Patients were overflowing in the waiting room, many of whom needed be seen urgently. Some patients, with bandages on various body parts, were standing around in corridors waiting for a bed to become available. Alex took bloods, fluids, patient histories but no matter how quickly he worked his list of errands grew larger with every passing minute. Neither nurses nor doctors were ever available and would grow irritated if he stopped them to quickly talk about a patient. Throughout the week, Alex had been coughed, spat, and vomited on countless times. He had been shrieked and shouted at by patients who were confused or angry about their situation. A lot of the time he could only feel guilty that he had no answer for them.

 

Recalling the past week seemed to make him even more tired and he could only be glad that he was leaving it behind for the time being- even if it was for lectures and dissections. The hum of the engine soothed him and his eyelids started to become heavy. His hands had been rested on the steering wheel in the same position for the past 20 minutes. But he couldn't bring himself to move them, or his feet from the gas pedal.

 

No! I have to stay awake, he told himself. But his brain wasn't listening. His eyelids fluttered down. Fatigue seemed to weigh heavily on his body. Alex tried to focus on his car's headlights in front, the only source of light, but soon his mind went blank and darkness seeped into his vision.

 

HOOOOOONK!

 

He couldn't have shut his eyes for more than 10 seconds before the blare of a car horn cut through his head like a dagger, instantly suppressing the tiredness he felt only a little while ago. The glare of his headlights seemed even brighter now than before, and he had to squint to try and see ahead.

 

Hang on, he thought. That's not my headlights.

 

With horror he realized that during the few seconds he had fallen asleep, the car had slowly moved from the lane it was in and he was now traveling in the wrong lane at 70mph. Towards another set of headlights.

 

The next few seconds seemed to drag out in minutes. Alex twisted his arms and spun the steering wheel as fast as he could, jerking the car to the right. Thankfully, the driver of the oncoming car made a move simultaneously to the left to try and avoid the imminent collision. But neither of them were fast enough...

 

Well that's it for the first chapter. If you enjoyed it and want to see more, stay tuned for Chapter 2- to be released soon! This chapter will probably have the “least action” compared to the others. But don't despair! I have plenty of action-packed chapters planned for the foreseeable future.

 

Don't forget to comment down below. Any feedback or criticism is welcome, but please don't be too harsh or I'll cry in my sleep! :D

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by GrandExecutioner

[tweezers 1,034]

Approved.

 

Always nice to approve an article that requires no edits! It's an interesting opening, I'll be looking out for the next chapter  ;)

[You.Have.to.die 519]

Loved it :D

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

Approved.

 

Always nice to approve an article that requires no edits! It's an interesting opening, I'll be looking out for the next chapter  ;)

 

Loved it :D

Thanks guys :D

 

Tweezers blasting through these articles like there's no tommrorow.

Edited February 6, 2018 by GrandExecutioner

[tweezers 1,034]

Thanks guys :D

 

Tweezers blasting through these articles like there's no tommrorow.

[Hippin_in_Hawaii 639]

Really lovely description of that late-night long drive.

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

Really lovely description of that late-night long drive.

 

Really nice! Lieked.

 

Thanks guys!

[r_trooll15 827]

Nice!

I hope you didn't do that crashing part though

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

Nice!

I hope you didn't do that crashing part though

 

 

The Medic

 

The plot and characters, however, are completely fictional.

 

[DeathBullets 24]

Damn nice :o

Edited February 8, 2018 by DeathBullets

[X_Death.By.Me_X 1,503]

Well done man, I hope you continue with this series, can't wait for more.

[GrandExecutioner 1,403]

Damn nice :o

 

 

Well done man, I hope you continue with this series, can't wait for more.

Oops. Didn't see this. Cheers guys!