And yet another posting....

Alhamdulillah, I've passed the surgical posting without a hitch. My last day in the department I was post night shift and everything went well even though it was a very busy night and neither me nor Lovenia got any rest what with our QID reviews, new patients and emergency operations. Now that it's all over, I can honestly say that Surgery was an eye opener for me. It taught me to look at the patient as a whole, more carefully and definitely be more alert on the lookout for any signs of deterioration. The MOs in the department were so kind and I only wish that I could be like them one day. Well, it goes without saying that not everybody was nice but let's not bad talk people in this holy month! Currently in this new department - Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Most of my friends have smiled and told me I'd enjoy this department when I told them it was where I was posted next. Ummm, no. Just plain NO. Lol. I quite enjoy the work because it's actually not as complicated as Surgery, but Working with the people I work with - hell! The MOs are mostly malignant - I've only met two nice ones! And the specialists, boy do they expect a lot from us! Everyone is so high strung here, and I guess it's bedause of the high risk of legal issues. Documentation in the case notes is no joke, every thing should be written down in black and white clearly... Another night shift tonight. I hope all goes well. :)

New day, new department

I ended my Orthopaedics posting without much hassle, Alhamdulillah.
 I think I did quite well there, especially in the last 2 months. I knew what operation to expect, what the MOs would want to know and stuff so especially in the last month - February - Ortho was a breeze and so much fun!

Now I'm in Surgical department and it's starting all over again.

My colleagues are not as helpful or nice as those that I had during Orthopaedics. They are more bossy and care more about finishing their own work and covering their own ass. As a tagger, I'm doing all the scut work around here. New case? Guess who's clerking. Trace investigations? Me again. Urgent CT or Ultrasound? Yup, still me.

I'm really not doing so well here. My MOs think I'm a nuisance, I'm sure, as I can't really help them at all. When I clerk new case and present to them, they always sigh and flip through the case sheet themselves. And I always don't do certain investigations that are important - because I didn't know it was important!!

I have so much to catch up and learn, and I have a Viva to do, preferably before the next week.Surgical department is depressing. :'(

Apprentice

There is no short cut, nor "royal road," to the attainment of medical knowledge. The path which we have to pursue is long, difficult, and unsafe. -John Abernethy

I feel myself becoming worse and worse since the time when I was a medical student. When i was a final year student, I could treat a patient coming in with hypertension without a second pause. I knew what to prescribe when a patient complains of difficulty breathing, what tests to order if a patient has a lump that has been bugging him. Now I stutter, and I stumble.

Is housemanship making me more.. Well, stupid? The system here makes you so focused on a particular branch of medicine that I'm starting to forget the rest. And the sad part is I used to be so in love with Medicine. As in, internal medicine...now that knowledge is slowly slipping from me.