BTS ONE SHOTS

Dr. Park (5)

Chapter 5

“Have you ever thought about what you want to do after residency?”, Dr. Jung asked Jimin one time when it was a slow day in the out-patient department.

“Yes. But I’m still confused.”, Jimin admitted as he looked up from his desk where he is studying. The room is quite small with two desks, one for the fellow and one for the resident. The intern who’s assigned with them usually interviews the patients outside then brings the chart inside and presents the case to them before calling the patient to be seen by either Hoseok or Jimin. Dr. Jung usually looks at the more complicated cases while Jimin looks at the benign ones. If Jimin isn’t sure on what to do, he can ask Dr. Jung for his opinion before making a final decision. Most of the time Hoseok just lets him be since he can hear how the consult is going, seeing as he’s literally just beside Jimin. Sometimes, he politely offers his opinion without being prompted to when he thinks Jimin is missing out on certain things, something that Jimin is grateful for.

The experience is very different from when he was doing his Pulmonology rotation. The Pulmo fellow was very impatient and treats the residents like an intern, not even bothering to let them handle the patients on their own. She just expects the assigned resident to sit and take down notes while she interviews and examines the patient then just bark out orders for the resident to do. Suffice to say, Jimin didn’t learn anything substantial during his rotation with the Pulmonology department.

“What do you mean?”, Hoseok asked gently.

“Well, whenever I’m rotating in a department I usually get inspired by the consultants and think I would like to subspecialize in that field and be like them. But then I go on duty and realize that I don’t want to do further training anymore. I get sad just thinking about spending another 2 to 3 years of my life stuck inside the hospital with no social life.”, the resident answered sincerely, making Hoseok laugh.

“Yeah, I get you. But it gets better, especially when you decide to go into Gastroenterology. I mean, unlike other subspecialties like Cardiology, we don’t go on overnight duties anymore and we get Sundays off every other week so we still get to have a social life. Plus, we rarely have emergencies - the procedures are mostly electives. How many times do you call the Gastro consultants and tell them they absolutely need to go back to the hospital and see the patient immediately? Rare, right? So, you see? It’s fun in Gastro. Join us!”, Hoseok declared with his arms raised. Jimin laughed at the enthusiasm.

“Hmmm… tempting.”, Jimin scrunched his face and tapped his chin with his index finger, pretending to think deeply. Hoseok laughed and threw a balled-up paper at the resident.

“But seriously, what do you want to do after?”

“I don’t know.”, Jimin began. “Sometimes I still ask myself if I am in the right profession when I hate going on duty that much. Don’t get me wrong. I love taking care of patients but sometimes I go home fully drained and wish that this is all over. I count down the days when I’m done with training and be free from going on duties. I can’t wait to start my own practice.

"But then I see our consultants go to work everyday even during weekends and holidays. Yes, they go home earlier than us and no longer stay in the hospital but then we call them in the middle of the night to inform them about admissions or about their patients who are deteriorating. Sometimes they’re forced to go back to the hospital just like you said. That tells me that they don’t get a good night sleep on most nights.

"So, does it really get better, Dr. Jung? And there are times when I still think about if I really am willing to take responsibility for a person’s life. It’s scary. One wrong move and it can mean life or death for a person.