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Internship
and Residency
On
Call Tips - Staying Nourished
When you're
on call, it's more important than ever to keep your body replenished with
the necessary fluids and nutrients. But between writing notes, answering
pages, and your other on-call duties, it can be difficult to make it to
the soda machine, let alone the cafeteria! This month, Qfever.com's Internship
and Residency correspondent, Dr. Karl Newman, reveals his secrets of:
Staying Nourished On Call.
1. Leftover
trays.
It's a fact
that no one likes to see food get wasted. But after dinner's over, there
are always trays left over that have barely even been touched.
Without your intervention, what do you think happens to those potatoes,
meatloaves, and veggies? Whatever it is - you know it can't be good. Ask
the charge nurse to save one of these 'orphan' trays for you. You'll be
glad you did.
2. Donuts.
Donuts are
everywhere! And they exist in places you've never even dreamed of. Once,
when I was an intern, and I forget where I was or what I was doing, but
I was reaching into a box or something like that and would you believe
I pulled out a donut! So don't forget about donuts when you're looking
for a quick and economical snack.
3. Gauze.
You may not
know this, but in some countries, gauze is valued for its high fiber content
and its low caloric density. Think about it! Here's a great recipe:
Ingredients:
One package sterile 4-by-4 gauze sponges, 1 bag D5W, and a small paper
cup (the kind they use for urinalysis is perfect). Note: Make sure
you ask the nurse first, you crazy klepto!
Directions:
Roll gauze into a ball and stuff into paper cup. Pour D5W into cup, letting
it soak into gauze. Makes 4 servings.
The thing
I love about this recipe is that it tastes great, it's real low in calories,
and it's absolutely fat free. The gauze doesn't even get digested! It's
full of fiber, which will fill you up and clean you out at the same time.
And best of all, you can potentially form one of those amazing bezoars
in your stomach. Just tell 'em Dr. Karl sent ya!
Karl Newman,
MD is a second-year resident in Internal Medicine. Questions and comments
can be sent to the Q Fever! editors.
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