Medicus April 2016

O P I N I O N

NO SCUT, NO GLORY

Dr Michael Sala Intern, Royal Perth Hospital

Scut work is part of the learning experience. While

A fter several months of how to scut. While on one of my internet binges, or link-surfs, I stumbled across the term “scut work.” I am not even sure if I read it from a medical related site, but the context in which the term came up suggested the word had a historical place in medicine. This was surprising – I had never heard of it before – but I have a bit of a soft spot for using the word ‘epinephrine’ and other Americanisms given my growing library of Amazon acquired books. So, I went right to Google. There were a few entertaining blog and forum posts. The termwas apparently popularised during the 1960s within, probably, American hospitals and I think William Haubrich’s definition sums it up nicely: Scut work is a cant term used by medical students serving as clinical clerks, as well as by neophyte doctors in training when obliged to performmenial tasks foisted on them by their immediate superiors. “Scut” could been taken from the intransitive verb “to scuttle” meaning to scurry about, to run with quick internship I am learning, but also enjoying, within reason,

hurried steps. An alternative, if cruder, explanation links this particular use of “scut” to the Old English scitan…hence scut work is…” . I hope you realise I am being facetious here, but the meaning of this term resonated with me. I don’t run so much as scuttle in my sweat-laden chinos, while my MRSA colonised lanyard and pens awkwardly thrash about as I dash from the acute medical unit at RPH to the radiology department. There is an element which is annoying, particularly if I am struggling to make a decent request or referral, for whatever reason, but another part of me very much enjoys the labour and responsibility. It has not been unusual for me to clock up about 8km on my iPhone’s pedometer. I also enjoyed attempting to siphon important information from patients’ verbal and note-taken histories under pressured time. The scuttle forces me to observe clinical scenarios that are presented to me again and again and again, sometimes only with subtle variation, but with the opportunity to learn the peculiarities between each case while maintaining a high level of efficiency.

Well, even that statement is facetious, I am not entirely efficient, I am still learning. Scut work is part of the learning experience. While I am still very fresh out of medical school, learning how to manage the novelty of scut work is laborious but also rewarding in itself. This has been something that I’ve been working towards for the last few years. So far, my expectations of internship have matched the reality and I hope my enthusiasm is maintained as I learn how to balance challenges on the scut without burning out. While recognising that I now have a new range of responsibilities, if I make a mistake, or if the job is bothersome, it is not worth taking life so seriously and also recognising that by definition scut work is what it is. ■ References available on request. I am still very fresh out of medical school, learning how to manage the novelty of scut work is laborious but also rewarding in itself

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