Seeing that things could get better is what kept us going into work every day. Now, quitting can feel like the only answer
- Peter Endicott worked for the NHS as a junior doctor
During my first year as a doctor, I worked in orthopaedics. One morning, I phoned the radiologist who was in charge of approving scans. He paused on the end of the line when I introduced myself, then asked if I still covered urology as well as orthopaedics over weekends. He let out a little laugh when I replied that I did, and told me he’d done the same job seven years before, and it had been the only time he’d ever cried at work. That was horrible, he said, but you’ll be OK.
The following weekend, when I was covering two specialities and about 80 patients, jumping between consultants who wanted many different things at the same time, I remembered what he had said. It was horrible, but I was OK. And the patients I was looking after were OK, too.
