What’s a typical night on call like on wards and ICU?
A. On our ward service, you’ll admit about 3-5 patients on average overnight. Almost all come through the emergency room. The intern will work up the patient under the supervision of a 2nd or 3rd year medicine resident, then discuss it with the ward attending. The intern is responsible for writing all orders, planning and arranging diagnostic tests, discussing the case with consultants, assuring timely interventions, and arranging for discharge and post-hospital care. On-call interns also cross-cover patients for their “partner” interns from the other teams. In the ICU, you’ll admit 2-4 patients a night and cross-cover about 5-10 patients. The intern does all necessary procedures for your patients, including intubations, central lines and ventilator management. You are supervised by a senior resident, with staff available for questions at all times. You are also part of the hospital-wide code team.
