The story behind the Yukon Valley, Alaska series, part 3

​WARNING! There may be spoilers in this tell-all. If you haven't read DR. ALASKA, you may want to wait until you do so before you check out my insider information!

​If you're interested in reading the book, here's where you can get DR. ALASKA: https://books2read.com/DrAlaska

7) Can a moose decapitate a human?

Sure can, considering the moose is built like 1500 pounds perched on 4 tall, spindly stilts. Knock those legs out from under him at 60 miles per hour, and that's 1500 pounds perched above the hood of your car hurtling directly at the driver and the passenger. Moose do more damage to vehicles than just about any other animal in Alaska. There's not much left of moose or car after these accidents. Very bad.

8) Have I been mistaken for a nurse?

Yep. My favorite is when on hospital rounds I would go in and evaluate the patient and discuss the plan for the day's care. The patient would ring the call bell a few hours later, irate that the doctor had not been in to see them...

My other favorite is when I've had learners with me who were male, and the patient automatically interacts with the med student as though they are the physician. This has happened several times with me standing right there. Less so now, probably due to the wrinkles and gray hair. It's an interesting study on societal ingrained misogyny.

9) Does -20 feel different than zero degrees?

Look, I'm not going to lie, they're both cold. But the air HURTS to breathe once it's around -20 and below. It's like breathing in icy shards of glass. It's no longer fun to be outside, like, at all. It's less fun to go into the hospital at 3am for a delivery, when it's -20.

Someone tell me again why I'm doing locums stints in the wilds near the Canadian border in December, January, and February?