Introduction
The work of medics has always been associated with numerous myths and mysteries. For most ordinary people, nurses, interns, therapists, surgeons, or other care providers belong to a specific cast that has the power to heal people. At the same time, there is a lack of understanding of how the work of medical units is organized and how people interact. This aspect always remains hidden to avoid confusion among clients and their families. The novel “The Night Interns” sheds light on this side of health workers’ lives by showing how the hospital works at night hours and how people responsible for treating people communicate.
Plot
The plot of the story, narrated by Austin Duffy, is simple. The story represents the work and life of a group of medical interns who work the night shift in the hospital in Dublin (Duffy, 2022). The author tells the story from an unusual angle as it focuses on things that are not known to ordinary people.
The novel explores the physical and emotional aspects of working in a highly pressing environment. Duffy represents the conflicts and clash of characters between the workers, complex aspects of the occupation, complications that might emerge, and death and recovery (Duffy, 2022). Moreover, the author focuses on communication as the central aspect of the profession.
Importance of Setting for Interaction
The choice of the setting is critical for the story. The night shifts are usually given to interns because of the hierarchy existing within the occupation. However, for young people who have just entered the profession, it becomes a serious challenge because of their fears, worries, and lack of experience. The intern says, “It was only the long, empty night that existed for us, stretching out ahead with no end in sight” (Duffy, 2022).
Moreover, the narrator says they sometimes believed the night would never end. It emphasizes the novel’s mysterious atmosphere and adds some horror elements to the story. The interns are scared and often confused, meaning that the more skilled and experienced workers are often seen as those who can help them. For this reason, the narrator’s interaction with Sharif acquires top priority for understanding the plot.
Sharif
In such a way, Sharif is one of the central figures in the novel. His impact on events occurring during the night shift and on the interns is significant. Moreover, as he is a registrar, he can give orders and interact with others from a position of power.
His manner of communication with interns is central to the novel. At the start of the story, the narrator says that Sharif prohibited them from calling him in numerous cases. He was the author of such phrases as “Someone’s leg better be hanging off. Maybe an arm” (Duffy, 2022). These lines outlined the situations when interns were allowed to call.
Moreover, the narrator says, “He laughed, but he was being deadly serious” (Duffy, 2022). It means that, as against the young interns, Sharif has already acquired protection mechanisms such as detachment and specific humor. It can be seen in the novel and in situations when the interns and the narrator interact with each other.
Difficulties in Communication, Horror, and Bullying
The story also introduces the idea that being a surgical intern is extremely difficult. The narrator says that it is “something to be endured and survived” (Duffy, 2022). This idea is linked to several factors, including the conflicts that might emerge between workers. For instance, talking to the narrator, Sharif does not select words, “If I say he is eight, it’s fucking eight, OK? And if I say it’s twenty-eight, then it’s twenty-fucking-eight OK?” (Duffy, 2022).
It is part of health workers’ interaction that is not seen by others as it is concealed; however, it is also a part of usual interns’ work, meaning they face it because of their position and the lack of experience to perform specific tasks. Furthermore, as stated previously, the novel has some horror elements and terrifying scenes. For instance, the narrator talks about “chap the blood was gushing out like a geyser” or patients’ deaths because of mistakes.
It becomes a severe challenge to young interns who have a poor understanding of how the work is organized. However, for Sharif, it was not a problem, and for interns, it seemed he did not try to understand them. The narrator says, “Right from my first day, the guy had made no effort to help me. On the contrary, he seemed to think that any help he gave me was not in my long-term interest” (Duffy, 2022). It shows that the relations were tense, and the lack of understanding and respect was common.
In general, the interaction between the medical workers is one of the central themes in the story. Sharif threatens that he “would reach down the phone and personally strangle” an intern who would call him. At the same time, he is abused by Lynch, who calls him “stupid and a fucking fool, and lazy, incompetent” (Duffy, 2022).
The lines show that the relations in the hospital are built in terms of hierarchy, and there are cases of sexism, bullying, and racism peculiar to relations between medical staff. Nevertheless, the most important thing is that interns try to be calm and respectful to patients. The narrator visits a dying patient to calm down relatives. It means that the interaction between specialists is a result of their difficult jobs and a way to prepare new ones for all the challenges of their occupation.
Conclusion
Altogether, the novel “The Night Interns” by Austin Duffy depicts the difficult life of an intern. Being new to the hospital, they must perform unpopular duties and are pressured by their more experienced colleagues. The story shows the complexities of this interaction and the tension that exists between all staff members. Sexism, abuse, and bullying are not rare; however, they can be viewed as a result of working in a highly stressful environment. Interns try to help patients and do their work regardless of difficulties in communication.
Reference
Duffy A. The night interns. London: Granta Publications, 2022.