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.

メリークリスマス！

Oh dear, it's that wonderful time of the year. Christmas has come and gone, families reunited, and the new year will soon be upon us!!

I'm adjusting fairly well to the orthopaedics department now, things have become slightly better since I first started. I know how to do things around the ward, and the most important thing is that I can be depended on!!

If i may be so bold...... I think I love my job!! ;) its hours are long, the work tedious, but I somehow like that I can do the job around the ward.

Worries of a house officer

I worry that I'm not a competent enough house officer.
I worry that I'm not safe to be a doctor.
I worry that the nation's fears of Russian medical graduates might have some basis after all.
I worry that I can't do do many things even after two months.

I have to do suturing soon. I need to perform a CBD too.

And the days goes on and on...

It's been a grueling experience, housemanship. I guess I've improved a lot since I first started when I didn't know what to do at all..now I kind of have an idea of what to do...
Here in Melaka hospital, housemen are expected to work at the clinics..about 2 housemen per ward. It's my least favorite part, going to the clinic. I always feel lost and don't know what to do.

Wow

Another week passed by!
Yay!

I've just gotten wind of my housemenship schedule...next up is....


SURGERY!!!

I'm having a headache just thinking about it. Hearing about the department from my friends, its absolutely terrible. But that's for later. For now, I have to concentrate on Orthopedics.

From what I realized, Russian grads (or possibly, just me) are quite horrid in Orthopedics. The main thing we have to do is clerk, get a concise and correct history of the patient's illness and examine them. But a lot of the physical examination skills we never learned in Nizhny, or at least I never did.

I have to read and read and read, so that I don't end up being the "target" again. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be Trauma 2 - the backup housemen for OT in case they decide to open 2 rooms for surgery. I'm hoping that they don't, but my luck kind of sucks so I'm prepared to be called in either way. :( I hate surgeries because they make me nervous. Being in the operation room with surgeons who expect a shit load from you is traumatizing. I sure hope its not Dr L or Dr A. Actually I hope its NONE of the Dr As (We have so many!). Ugh, I'm not sure who I'm rooting for. I just really really don't want to go in the OT!

On Saturday I'm S2 for OT, meaning that I'm going to be the person in the OT from 9am til 9pm for all emergency cases. I don't know who the MO will be. One of the Dr As? Dr S? Dr L?? No idea. I don't understand the MO's timetable.