Within the field of health it is necessary to make multiple sacrifices from the formative stage. It is not an easy profession because resilience is required to be able to maintain control of emotions when caring for patients. But you also need a good physical condition for all the activity that exists within hospitals. A doctor must be on duty for 24 hours or more during your internship.
The physical effort that all doctors must make
In that sense, it is not only about being locked up in hospitals but also that multiple functions must be fulfilled. Although some have the idea that doctors sit at their desks all the time, this is not really the case.
Now when it comes to residents the situation is even worse. The doctor in training must comply with a guard of 24 and up to 36 hours. During this entire period, you must remain alert to deal with any situation that may arise. The problem is that the more tired they are, the greater the risk of making mistakes.
For this reason, some have come to point out that Medicine is a form of modern slavery that impacts quality of life. Although something that not many take into account is that being in movement within all areas of the hospital during a medical shift can be the equivalent of running almost a half marathon.
Physicians can run a half marathon during a shift
To check it, the Dr. Juan Toral Sanchez, who works in a hospital in Spain, conducted an experiment. With the support of a smart watch, she kept track of all the steps she took and the calories the doctor burned during a 24-hour shift. The result was published on her Twitter account and has shown the enormous physical exercise that an activity of this type represents.
What the clock indicated is that he walked a total of 17,577 steps during the medical guard. That is equivalent to traveling 14.5 kilometers. In turn, he burned 3,492 calories, which is equal to an intense physical exercise routine in any gym.
That work as a doctor is not physically demanding? Do the endless and dangerous 24-hour guards make sense?
Today I share this study I did years ago about how many kms I did in a shift at the Dr Negrin Hospital https://t.co/JnUDlCYn3k— ᴊᴜᴀɴ ᴛᴏʀᴀʟ ꜱÁɴᴄʜᴇᴢ (@juatorsan) August 23, 2019
Now, in the case of Mexican doctors, the distance must be greater because the days last longer. Therefore, it is shown that it is by no means a profession in which doctors remain static all the time.
For people outside of Medicine, it may be surprising, but the truth is that a medical shift not only has an emotional impact. It also requires a good physical condition to face them.