Snowbirds.

Yes they are almost here, they are coming in cars, trucks, planes and …… ambulances. They come from Maine, Canada, Massachusetts, Michigan … pretty much everywhere where the temperature is sub zero. I often kid around with my doctor friends from up north that whatever they do with their patients all year, we have to fix it in a very small amount of time. (I am sure they probably say the opposite).

Population of our city triples during winter. You can not beat the sunny weather of Florida neither can a hundred thousand people who swarm from every where.

On my way to the hospital you see tens of RVs jamming the road and people trying to move into RV camps. I had a patient once who was 93 years old, he drove all the way from Maine, and here I am, not even half his age and I try not to drive to the other end of the town.

Winter season has some very interesting dynamics. Especially patients who come from Canada, some of them get conned into buying travel insurances which get them nothing here. On the other hand some Canadian insurance would send a chartered plane with flight crew to pick their patients who need only a colonoscopy or even a cardiac catheterization.

You see a significant increase in your census; I realized finally that we are in the “season” when I ended up admitting 14 patients just last night and at least 35 pages. I have a love hate relationship with my pager; can not live with it and can not live without it.

Not so long ago some physicians in this area used to go on long extended vacations each summer, they worked as seasonal workers.

Anyway,  so for the next 5 months life is going to be very interesting....