5am

they wake up at 5am
some because they have to
others because they like to....out of habit.
some are morning people.....others aren't (and they sometimes let you know they aren't)

but it is a great feeling when one looks at the clock
it's only 9am but one has accomplished so much already
and the day's not over.

I remember the days when it was my turn to work in the ICU. I had to get up earlier because the ICU team started the workday earlier. When i was the one of the seniors, our team liked to finish up our rounds with time to spare for a coffee break. It was not just me.....the interns on my team were coffee lovers or at least enjoyed a good breakfast. If there wasn't many patients in the ICU or no one was "coding", we could review the vital signs, quickly exam our patients, and get updates from the nurses by about 8am. The clock would strike 8:30am or so and we could safely go downstairs for a quick coffee. The patients were as stable as ICU patients can be. Sometimes, we had enough time to indulge on something more than coffee. We tried to make it down for the extra treat on omelette day or belgian waffle day.

but it felt good to "save" some lives in the morning and be sipping on coffee by 9am.....a good sense of accomplishment served up with your breakfast.