Things you overhear in the cafeteria

There are certain things you never really want to overhear in the cafeteria. There's a certain anonymity in the cafeteria, since most of the time, different services have nothing to do with each other, so you can sit next to the OB/GYN team and not know it, and so on.

So, as I was sitting eating my on call dinner, I overheard one of the consultant teams on my patients complaining about us, the medicine team. The worst part about overhearing them? I agree with them. I wanted to discharge my patient, but my attending disagreed and we consulted these poor folk, who think I'm a prize idiot.

I really don't like the thought of people thinking I'm an idiot because of someone else's decision, but it's hard to say where my loyalties should lie.

On the one hand, I should stick with the medicine team, right or wrong. On the other hand, I agree with the consultants; my patient should go home. And then, this horrible nagging thought sneaks in my head: I'm supposed to be on the side of my patient...