I admit a pregnant woman, who has had previous pericarditis (inflammation of the heart sac), in labour. The midwife tells me to ask the resident if this woman should get prophylactic antibiotics. The department protocol states certain heart conditions warrant prophylactic (preventative) antibiotics in case the labour results in short-lived bacteria in the bloodstream that can cause infective endocarditis (infection of the heart valves) in those at risk, which include folks with certain heart conditions. I'm not sure if this particular condition warrants antibiotics, so I call my junior resident, Alice.

Alice is scrubbed in with the senior resident, Dr. Chase. Dr. Chase is renowned for having a very short fuse and no filter whatsoever when she gets pissed... which is often.

"Sorry to bother you," I say into the phone, which is on loudspeaker at the other end because neither doctors can hold the phone whilst scrubbed. "I admitted a woman who had pericarditis and I was wondering if she needed--"

"Is this urgent?" Dr. Chase interrupted.

"Um, well, I just wanted to clarify--" It was going to be just a quick 'yes' or 'no', after all, and I have a ton of other ward jobs to do so I'm worried I'd forget about it later and get in trouble for not following through or the woman goes into proper labour quickly and I haven't sorted out the antibiotics.

"IS. IT. URGENT???" Dr. Chase yelled down the phone. My heart thumped against my ribcage.

"Um, no. Sorry to--"

"IF IT'S NOT URGENT, THEN ASK LATER!" she yelled. Then, the phone cut off.