Dr. Short and his assistant led his team of interns into the patient’s room and had them gather about the bed. He handed a tissue and clipboard to his assistant and addressed the group.
“I’d like each of you to read the chart. The cause of the patient’s comatose state has been redacted. Initial vitals and circumstances from E.R. are with your notes. Any questions?”
The baldheaded young intern quickly spoke up.
“Er, what’s dacted mean and why did they do it again?”
The other three interns groaned silently at yet another of his idiotic questions.
The doctor glanced over to a grinning nurse tending another patient.
“Nurse Bright, would you care to inform young Einstein here what redacted means?
“Sure!” grinned the nurse with a snicker, “It means . . . omitted!”
And with that nurse Bright burst into uncontrollable laughter.
One of the other interns, the quiet one, flushed bright red and lowered his gaze. He felt sorry for the other intern’s obvious intellectual shortcomings, and only prayed that Doctor Short wouldn’t single him out for ridicule as well.
Another young medical student raised his hand.
“Yes young man?” asked the doctor.
“I don’t mean to interrupt your roast,” he said with a scowl, “but I DO have the next E.R shift and would appreciate moving this little party along.
Dr. Short glared at the young man, who only stared right back at him, as if challenging his authority. Short said nothing and opted to avoid confrontation. He cleared his throat and continued,
“Now, considering the contusions to the tissue surround her superior laryngeal nerve and the subsequent toxicology report, can someone please tell me what may have caused this patient’s lapse into a coma? You? Remley, isn’t it?”
The intern didn’t say a thing. He just stood there swaying back and forth with his head lowered.
One of the other students elbowed Remley, who then jerked to attention.
“Eh? What’s that?”
I asked if you can render an opinion as to the cause of the patient’s current state.
“Oh. Well, it seems pretty obvious.”
With that Remley amazed the doctor with his analysis.
Can you?
