The funeral of the century has now passed us by (which doesn’t have quite the same ring as wedding of the century), and the British public demonstrated many skills throughout the grieving process.
It was an elongated period during which the UK presented a suitably sombre face. Then there was the queue… I suppose every cloud has a silver lining. However, as I saw business after business announce they were closing for 19 September, I felt the loneliness of a clinical vet professional.
It’s interesting how that emotion is still in place from my clinical days; when it feels like the rest of the country is sighing with relief at Christmas, Easter or bank holiday weekends, I don’t feel that.
Loneliness factors
There are a number of factors that contribute to this loneliness, so I thought I should explore them and see if anyone else recognises the feeling.
Although rotas are set in advance so you know if you are on-shift or not, it can still feel strange if you are working. Despite that around 14 million people in the UK work shifts¹, the emptiness of roads and stations on a bank holiday commute seems to suggest it’s far fewer than that.
Contributing factors also include:
- the emotional impact of arriving at a workplace staffed with a smaller team than usual
- a higher chance of emergencies arriving
- the fact you may be working with a locum team you don’t know
These all add to the stresses of working a bank holiday, so to be landed with a new one on such a strange day (with only a few days notice) felt very stressful for me – despite the fact I don’t work in clinical practice any more.
Silver linings
There is a certain liberation in owning the streets as you move round them with no one else around, or the joy of the bus being your private vehicle for the entirety of your journey. Commute times are usually quicker too, which is another blessing.
I also owe my first canine love to an out-of-hours shift – a 12-hour New Year’s Day shift some 15 years ago brought me the joy that was Wilson.
So, while there is a certain “feeling” on a bank holiday shift, there are some little slivers of joy that can occur. Although, may we not have to face another funeral-induced bank holiday for some time…
Leave a Reply