Indecision

There's one thing I just don't have patience for - indecision.  This is more bothersome when dealing with sick people in the hospital.  This week's attending, a.k.a. boss,  is a new employee of  the hospital and doesn't want to commit to anything.  I understand her hesitancy. Being solely responsible for an entire team of residents and patients can be overwhelming. But, as the leader, we all look to her for the final word.  Which means, we need a FINAL word.

We spent such wasted minutes today on whether to give someone 20mg of a drug or 40mg.  After our fearless leader had changed her mind no less than 6 times I was ready to take a field trip to the dumpster. Anything would have been better than listening to the agonizing non important banter of what strength to use.  At one spot the attending turned and asked "well team, how many think we should send the patient home with the diabetes medicine?"  Are we voting now about patient health? All in favor of the blood transfusion say "I", those wishing him to bleed to death say "nay".  Not that drastic, but all this wishy washy conversation was so wasteful.

I think I actually prefer an attending that's wrong but decisive.  At least they commit and we can move on. If later we find that attending was mistaken, we learn - and again move on.  Indecision feels like being stuck in thick molasses. No matter how much effort, how many words, and how much time...no progress is made.