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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.