Last Call: Reflections on the Neglected Hours of the Day

Dr. Temte, your article brought back a rush of memories for me. I took night call throughout my 40+ years of practice until hospitalists arrived on the scene. Trips back to the hospital to admit a patient from the ER, or attend to one on the wards, often came at the expense of sleep or time with family, but there were unexpected benefits as well. The appreciation of patients for the familiar face of their doctor at a moment when they were frightened; the interaction with staff and trainees as you all worked out the diagnosis and management details in the middle of the night as colleagues; the drive home at dawn when the streets of your town were so quiet you could hear the early morning bird calls; the exquisite taste of a freshly-brewed cup of coffee at an all-night diner.

Now retired, these things I remember as punctuation marks in the type of practice I trained for, and in the style of care I had the opportunity of providing during my time as a physician; I am so grateful for that experience.

Brought tears to my eyes. Beautifully captured exactly what made my 30 years of night call worthwhile.

I feel the emotion reflected in the article Neglected Hours. At 73 years old now, I can reflect on a career that saw changes from notes on 5x7 inch cards to SOAP notes, to digital records. The link to all of this in my generation was late night/early morning hospital work. It was quiet, deliberate action during those hours. Neglected?…well maybe by daytime standard. But during those magic hours, I was grateful for nursing staff that could just say “this patient just doesn’t act right,” that meant that you better get in here to evaluate the patient. These hours uncovered teams of dedicated staff.
Deep in winter, sometime after midnight, there also appeared road magic. Yes, deer were ever present. At that certain hour, it seemed as though I could drive right into the full moon. Neglected? Not really. Breath taking? Absolutely.
Such experiences have now bypassed the new generation of all outpatient Family Medicine. I think they will have their own experiences and memories when they reach 73 years old.