What Residency Looks Like LIX: Poop Deck

Another entry in my log of bathroom posts. One of my colleagues bought this sign and accompanying door handle charm for our workroom/lounge. Seems self-explanatory.

When I was a third-year medical student, I observed/assisted in an operation with the colorectal team. One of the PAs laughed when I made some comment that suggested I wouldn't deal with poop as a doctor, since I hadn't chosen colorectal surgery. She was right. It is inescapable. I also gave up calling it "stools" or "bowel movements" pretty quickly, because some people didn't know what I was talking about, but everybody knows what you mean when you ask, "When was the last time you pooped?"

For instance, while shadowing an ER physician in medical school, I developed a simple "review of systems" questionnaire, 6-8 questions I ask all my patients to make sure I'm not missing something that impacts their daily lives: eating/drinking, peeing/pooping, sleeping/playing (or working). We also prefer that our patients are walking/talking before they are discharged (or whatever the developmental/ functional equivalent is).

Ahoy, matey! When was the last time you pooped?

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