I overhead my three year old daughter on her toy phone this morning. She was “driving” on her bike and had stopped on the side of the road (our front hall) to take a call.

Hello?

Oh, hi. I am on my way. Do you have patients?

[Pause]

I said, do you have patients?

[Pause]

OK. Do you have mobile phones?

[Pause]

Thanks. I’m coming now. I’ll see you soon.

How cool is that? I have never worked in a job where I have to check the presence of patients before I leave in the morning. And don’t get me started on the folly of expecting the public health system to supply your mobile phone. But it warms my heart to see her being a (very) junior doctor.

On second thought, maybe she was ringing up to ask if they have “patience.” She must take after someone else in the family. Because she can’t possibly have overheard me talking to the ED staff in the middle of the night, could she?

Photo credit: tourist_on_earth