The other day I was thinking – it has been a while since I have written a blog. So I popped on line to check and turns out I haven’t
Laughter is the best medicine
If you know how to raise a polite teenage boy please tell me how!! These are some of my favourite patients to see. Kind, polite, well spoken teenage boys who
The missing link
We had to study pretty hard in high school to make it in to Medicine. There we had to study even harder to make to become a doctor. And from
Taking kindness to the next level
Be healthy, be happy, be kind. I know I harp on about the last point so much. Maybe because it has such a big impact on the other two. Maybe
Moments that make me smile
I love working with kids. I’m sure any school teacher, child care worker, play therapist, or anyone who works with children would agree with me in thinking that there is
Time to shift the focus
I received a letter of feedback from a family once. Of course my first thought was: *PANIC* “What have I done wrong??” But that was fleeting as I scrolled down
The same path, but different
For the first time, I came to the hospital as a visitor, not an employee. And it was strange. After so many years of strolling – no, rushing – through the
What do I know about cars?
I would never argue with a mechanic if they told me that something in my car is terribly wrong and it could be unsafe to drive it unless it is
Not so scary after all
The majority of children don’t like coming to hospital, seeing doctors or having procedures done. There are things about these experiences that seem to stick, in a bad way. We
Well that was awkward
I was at a rural hospital. Middle of the night. Emergency caesarean. An emergency caesar is a big deal in those smaller hospitals, it’s not as simple as a “Code Green”
I think I just ruined a teenager’s life
Delivering bad news. It’s part of our job. “Your child has cancer” is by far the worst. “Your child is terribly sick and we don’t really know exactly what is
We are who we are
Over the weekend I had a catch up with “the girls”. A lovely group of ladies I went to medical school with. It was some 13 years ago when we
Just human
With winter well and truly upon us and emergency rooms busting at the seams, hospitals beyond their capacity and everyone being worked to the limit; this is the time when
Parents say the darndest things
“So what brings you in to Emergency?” “My daughter has a rash” I thoroughly examine every where… “I can’t see a rash at the moment, can you tell me where
Through a child’s eyes
At the start of a busy night shift I took a moment to visit a patient in Intensive Care who we had transferred there the night before. He’s what we
Ellen DeGeneres eat your heart out
“Be kind to one another” is by far my favourite slogan ever but I think someone somewhere has already used that?? For months now I have been thinking of a motto,
To know or not to know
There are very few things in life that are a true surprise anymore. We seem to be so caught up in a world where we want to plan, prepare and
Fountain of truth
In infants with fever and vomiting we always like to check for a urine infection. Now catching a urine to test it is probably the most annoying thing I ask
I’m an adrenaline junkie. So what?
Today I was actually going to finish on time (queue the fanfare as this is a very rare occurrence) But instead… I CHOOSE stay behind. Yep. I actively made the
The kid’s got a point..
One of my favourite things about working with children is that they can be so matter of fact and much smarter than what we give them credit for. One conversation
Dads in delivery rooms
The funniest comment I’ve heard in a delivery room: “Wowsers look at the knackers on my son. That’s my boy!” The most awkward comment I’ve heard in a delivery room:
It’s all in the family
I met the sweetest 11 year old boy who was admitted after being diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes. (If anyone has a secret tip on how to raise a kind,
The humble cheese toastie
Now I’m not a cheese toasty type of person, in fact I’m actually not a huge fan of cheese. I don’t hate it but it doesn’t really bother me if
Patients. Patience…
“Hi Mums and Dads. I’m the senior Paediatric Doctor in the emergency department tonight. As we are now switching over to night shift we are going down to two doctors and