Thursday, March 7, 2024

Basketball: Taking the Test

Find the reason to show up. Simon Sinek asks, "what's your why?" Sometimes we get thrown in the deep end of the pool. 

Over 40 years ago, I was working as second year resident not expecting a 'final exam' question in the Emergency Room. A patient arrived by ambulance, struggling to breathe...about to die.

I pushed the "code button"...it didn't work. No help was coming. Life or death, A-B-C... airway, breathing, circulation. I had never intubated a patient. I grabbed a seven mm endotracheal tube, forced it through the right nares, and it found the patient's airway. The patient lived.

It turns out the patient had a headache about an hour before and had a severe allergic reaction. There wasn't any history available in the moment. There wasn't any supervisor. There wasn't any option to "take the B." 

Take the test. 

Lagniappe. 

Lagniappe 2. Get shiftier.