Nobody really talks about the five minutes between two patients.
On paper, they are simply non-existent; the schedule has the names in line, one after another, and very neatly, but reality knows better.
That is when you recline on the chair and, for once, let go and relieve your shoulders. Those five minutes when you gulp down some lukewarm coffee, reply to just one text message from a friend, or just contemplate your existence as a physician who needs to be sure they’re doing enough.
Sometimes those five minutes are heavy, with worry about the last case, or fear about the next. Sometimes they’re light, a shared joke with a colleague, a random meme, a quick stretch.
They’re not in any textbook, but they’re where a lot of real medicine happens, too: where you reset, remember you’re human, and choose to show up again for your next patient.
What is something that gets you through the day as a healthcare professional ?
MBH/PS