Scalpel and Stiches 3

Jamestown Story - Futile Road

Program Pendedahan Kerjaya Seorang Doktor (Day 3)
Exposure to Medical Career Program (something like that :p)

Today's post is gonna be a little dry and boring...
Because it revolves around ONE Q&A session.

We visited the obstetrics and stayed around for about an hour.
I expected to see a ward full of cooing babies :D
But to no avail... Putrajaya Hospital obstetrics ward has a code whereby the baby has to be with the mother 24/7.
So, all the babies were in the mummy's ward xD which would be so awkward if we wanted to see the babies.
Divar (I hope I got the spelling right :/ I'm hopeless with names), the only guy in our group, felt uneasy being is an all women ward.
Which explained why he was pretty quiet throughout the tour.
The head nurse of obstetrics department, whom we called "Sister", brought us around the ward (which seems pretty small).
We could hear babies cry and went "awwww....."
Bet it wouldn't be the same reaction if it were our own child or sibling xD
From vivid experience!! My youngest brother had colic when he was a few months old.
Imagine... A tiny baby has a voicebox with unbelievable decibels that can rock the entire house, in the middle of the night till the early dawn.
Sleep was pretty much non-existent for my parents at that tough stage.
So, think twice before you get a "bun-in-the-oven"!

Okay, back to the tour...
We had quite a long chat with a young Medical Officer.
She was placed in Obstetrics and Gynaecology by recommendation.
Turns out you can't really choose which department to go to after your housemanship.
Unless you're really skilled in that area, then you can to choose the prefered.
I could see that she (the MO) was really tired and had lack of sleep.
She mentioned that O&G is the toughest field among the 6 compulsary fields during housemanship.
Two lives are involved : the mother and the baby.
Aside from that, their on-call hours are 24/7.
"I don't know why, a lot of people want to give birth at Putrajaya Hospital..." she joked with a tiresome sigh.
O&G is so stressful, at times she would have sleepless nights thinking about her patient's condition.
She made an important point : never get too emotionally attached to a patient. Things will get really complicated and difficult to handle.

We asked her about the studying years and all the stress involved.
Apparently, the first and second year are the most dreadful.
Medical students have to study their asses off and at the same time, work their till they drop (literally).
She said studying overseas is not as glamourous as it sounds...
You can't get much practical skills from hospitals overseas, because most of the patients there are insured, so they wouldn't allow young medical students to treat them.
Whereas, locally in Malaysia, medical students can get more hands on experience because procedures like blood taking and vital stats are done by doctors and not the nurses.
So, it's really a pros & cons situation.
You get a wide range of knowledge, but lack the practical experience, from studying overseas.
But I guess it all depends on the particular university and hospital you're located at.

She also said that it's important for the medical students to be inquisitive and initiative.
In other words, you have to be annoying and tick the medical officer off by asking "why WHY WHY?!" xD
But really, it takes more than knowledge from the books.
You must have the initiative to perform procedures.
There must be a sense of urgency too.
So, the typical Malaysian tidak apa attitude has to be shreded off pronto!
The one thing I realised was she always made it clear to us that being a doctor is a tough job!
But, it's not impossible.
If you have the passion and the deepest interest, it wouldn't be a bed of roses, but somehow it'll be a smooth ride, with occasional bumps in time to come.
She said, once the medical student on housemanship has adapted to the hospital and schedule, it's quite enjoyable.
Like every other doctors and medical officers, when we asked if she have any regrets, she replied "No..." without a doubt in sight.
I'm really glad we had a chance to speak to her, because now we know it's not all 'pins and needles' and there can be bliss behind one of the toughest jobs in the world.

Those are the main issues discussed, that I can remember.
I can't recall the rest. It'll take me some time to think, but I've gotta cut short.
I have Further Maths test tomorrow, and this time I really have to practice my arse off!
Chem test today was dreadful! But memang padan mukalah for not studying hard :D

Well, I better scurry off now....

Toodles~