8 to 5

I used to criticize "office" people - those who worked the "normal hours" of 8 am to 5 pm, with an hour-long break. Such a short time compared to doctors who worked 24, 36 or 72 hours with unpredictable breaks and sleep. Some have none. While the office people strutted in their air-conditioned posh cubicles in designer clothes and shoes, we, the doctors could not even take a shower or lunch in peace because there will always be calls in between patients. The sad part is that we get equal pay as the office people, sometimes lower if the patient could not afford to pay cash.

Now that I've shifted gears to research, I'm required to work during the "normal" office hours. For the past two years that I have been doing so, I realized that the number of hours doesn't really matter sometimes. It's quite tiring to wake up at exactly the same time everyday and develop a certain routine.

Sometimes I miss just working my ass 72 hours straight and sleep the entire day the following day. I hate worrying about what to wear to the office and I miss my comfortable scrub suits and sneakers.

The boredom is pretty stressful, too. Before it was various sorts of ailments - from malingering to dengue fever, from breech deliveries to gunshot wounds, from diazepam overdose to fatal cerebrovascular bleeds - now it's just the computer and pap smears. I miss the adrenaline rush of the emergency room and the thrill of the operating theater.

I'm not complaining. I'm just reminiscing. And harboring new found respect for the people who did an 8 to 5 all their lives.