Back in Black
After checking the patient’s observations and refitting his oxygen mask, the nurse heard the patient ask:
“Are my testicles black?”
The nurse raised his eyebrows, then spoke in his Scottish brogue, “I’ll check if you like”. The nurse lifted up the bed sheets, poked around for a bit, then declared,”no, they’re not black”, as he walked from the room.
The nurse returned to recheck the patient’s observations some time later. Again he heard the patient ask:
“Are my testicles black now?”
The nurse was puzzled by the patient’s obsession with the melanin content of his genitalia. Nevertheless, he lifted the bedsheets as before and had another poke around. There was no blackness to be seen.
“No, they’re still not black”.
“But you haven’t checked yet!”, the patient said.
The nurse pulled off the bedsheets, thus exposing the patient’s genitals.
“I’ve checked twice. Now look for yourself.” he said.
The patient removed his oxygen mask, and the nurse heard him ask:
“Are my test results back?”
[Story inspired by Jack ‘Black’]
Half of us are blind, few of us feel, and we are all deaf.
William Osler
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.
He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.
| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC
