Early mornings on surgery

As much as I enjoyed my surgery clerkship, I was just plain exhausted by the end. It turns out that the extra hour between 4am and 5am makes a huge difference in terms of being happy and well-adjusted. The early-early mornings and long hours in the hospital, without natural sunlight and little interaction with people other than patients or healthcare providers, had a dissociating effect that made me feel as if I was living apart from the rest of the world. In many respects I was, though in all fairness that is hardly unique to surgery.

I won't miss those 4am mornings. There's something about driving empty streets that made me feel like I was in a zombie movie, eerie and slightly unsettling. Maybe I had turned into a zombie myself but just didn't know it. Still, I appreciated those early-early mornings for being peaceful and silent, for having the city to myself.

I've already had a few days of "sleeping in" to a normal hour, and I feel like a new person again.