Pronto al Viaggio

I have an itch. And it seems to be getting worse, as I will be unable to scratch it until this coming Thursday. I am ready to leave this God-forsaken hole and move on, even if it ends up being just as mentally exhausting and terribly nauseating as the ER. At least I will be able to say that I gave it my best effort. And not staying on PRN makes it even more permanent, as I will not have a safety net to fall into in case there is something about hospice that I don't happen to like. So, in light of my pending exodus, I feel that a list of some reasons why I am leaving the ER is in order. Note: this list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it ranked. :)

1. Condescending, know-it-all doctors who do NOT know it all.
2. Rude, angry, physically and verbally abusive patients.
3. Impatient patients (oxymoron?), family members, and friends.
4. Parents of small children who double as imbeciles.
5. Untrained, underqualified security guards (I don't use that term loosely).
6. Unsafe working conditions and asinine policies/regulations.
7. Surplus of non-emergency conditions clogging up beds needed for real emergencies.
8. Alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental health disorders.
9. Lazy, unmotivated, slacker co-workers.
10. Administration without a clue, but with enough hot air to float the Hindenburg.

I don't see an end in sight for any of these issues, and unfortunately with the inauguration of Mr. Obama this month, I believe it will only get worse. So I will watch from a different venue, and listen to my friends' lamentations when they experience first-hand these sickening frustrations over and over again. And I will refer to this list if I ever suffer from a bout of nostalgia for the ER, for as my loving husband said, if I even entertain the thought of returning to the ER for at least a few years, we will have the biggest argument we've ever had. I don't think I want to go there. So, I'll get ready to leave (again), and see what the Lord has in store for us when I take this leap of faith.