Welcome To My Life

0600 - Alarm clock rings. Snooze, Snooze.

0630 - getting ready to leave, perhaps having a quick munch for breakfast.

0645 - card punched in. Heading towards my ward

0700 - starting my morning round.

0800 - doing round with my MO

0930 - Specialist round!

1200 - Quickie meal. (This slot is optional)

1230 - back to work, completing the uncomplete

1500 - PM round starts again with the MO / Specialist

1700 - time to leave! AS IF.

1830 - this is the time that i ACTUALLY usually go back

2000 - dinner completed. Heading home.

2100 - 2230 - wasting time surfing the net. stalking on friends. window e-shopping. enjoying my mp3 collection.

2330 - time to head to the bunk!

What was I thinking?!?!?!

my friend the other day pointed me at my ridiculous mistake.

can anyone spot it?

Another reminder to soon to be HO

Lately, the nation is shocked with the death of a Houseman in Hospital Kajang. Some said it was a suicidal attempt but other said he might be overdosed with the stimulants since he was on 5 consecutive calls.

I cannot comment much on this matter simpy cause we need two sides of the story before pointing our fingers to whom might be responsible. What i can only mention here is to share my experiences as a half a year HO.

I was one of the lucky lots who managed to Go through the 2 systems. My first posting was O&G which is usually an active call. I usually ended up sleeping about 30mins per night. on very bad days, i could not sleep at all! It was very tiring and exhausting. Imagine this. Today i will be oncall which means i start from 7am and only to go back TOMORROW at 5pm. Then, i continue to work the day after. Then i'll do on call the day after that. I really feel like i did not have a life. I would be doing 8-9 oncalls per month!

Then, with the introduction of the shift systems, i do feel a bit of relief. My average calls drop to 5-6 per month. We are allowed to go back by noon considering that our job is done. Of course, we lose a few hundred ringgits allowances but the rest worth em all.

for now, i do not complain much on the workload. I dont whine with my oncalls. In fact, i am grateful with the shift. The number of new housemen coming in is also rising. Hence, more manpower is around to distribute the job.

I am not sure how hell life in the hospitals can be but i guess to those who are still looking for hospitals to choose, please do come to the East Malaysia. I do not recommend however going to the big hospitals such as Sarawak General Hospitals and Queen Elizabeth. My hypothesis is that The less HOs there are in the hospital, the less likelihood that the seniors will trash you simply because they appreciate the manpower and they know you work hard.

So, be adventurous and please be mentally and physically prepared before you embark on the housemanship. It's tough and challenging. You've been warned.

Anyway, before i go, the picture above is a view of KK from the plane during my KK visit last weekend! Well, when you work hard, travelling is the way to go!

Oncall then comes the word Jonah / Hot

Once you enter the housemanship, you might think life will go on like a breeze. Well, one think that you should be preparing yourself into is the ONCALL. This routine will always be stuck in your life once you obtain the title Dr in front your name. Even the consultant will be put on the oncall schedule. So please correct your understanding on how your life will if you choose to take medicine. 


In Malaysia we have come out with few terms which can help your colleagues to prepare mentally on how the night would be. If you are regarded as a Jonah, then be prepared for restless or sleepless nights since it will usually be eventful. To put it into simple word, you are basically a patient magnet. Admissions will be non-stop or if it isnt, then perhaps your current patients in the wards will be problematic. Since i am in the medical posting, the common complaints will either be chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, CBD pain or  headache in the middle of the night. 


In Sabah or Sarawak meanwhile,  they don't use the word Jonah but instead, they are more used to the word "HOT". This word can also be used for the MOs or Specialist and even the nurses. As for myself, i used to be HOT in the previous posting. I seldom got to sleep due to non-stop admissions. Nurses dont really like it if i am oncall. HAHA but what i like about that despite being tired is that i feel proud by the end of the day since i survive the whole ordeal. 


Other thing that comes with the word Hot / Jonah is the superstitions. Some believe that you should take your shower during the night session to prevent the Hotness. Some also would avoid wearing light/bright coloured clothes and that also to include your innerwear! But throughout my observation, personality can also affect the situation. I notice that those who are easily agitated and have temper management would also lead to hotness oncall. 


I am really interested in knowing what other superstitions that other hospital practices in. I do not fully believe in it though. Guess those are all for this time fellas. I am going to enter my oncall in a few hours time. Meanwhile, enjoy a few shots through my iPhone camera of life in Miri.  

ketua darjah

since i am currently the most senior houseman in the posting, i have been chosen to be the HO leader. it is definitely not an easy job. i have to come out with the oncall timetable, something that is easier to say than done. i have to make sure i distribute the days evenly and not being biased. at the same time, i have to fulfill the wishes of those planning to have holidays during the festive season.

since Chinese New Year is 2/3 weeks away, many of them were asking for leave and that remain us with only few housemen left. Thank God for His mercy, He has given us with new housemen coming in. Even though i have to make changes to the timetable whenever new faces come in but i do appreciate the extra man power.

otherwise, i am currently working in a gynae ward. Not as fun as it should have been to me. Gynae ward gives a different environment compared to the maternity ward. The patients consist of the terminally ill patients who refuse further management as well as those who fear their unborn babies will end up being miscarriaged. For a houseman, Gynae ward involves some "medical elements" such as management of electrolyte imbalance, fluid regime, analgesia level to be given to patients. We also have to do quite a lot of referrals to the surgical, medical and radiological department who kinda not keen on having extra work. There are times that i make successful referrals and i still fail in some.

Since i am close to the end, i am sad to leave the current department. I have heard of other postings, having to deal with emotional stresses dealing with the colleagues and senior doctors who like to torment the housemen who are not at par to their eyes. I am glad that my current dept treat housemen as their working colleagues and treat us professionally. Such a good posting to start my housemanship with.

Well, well, to those who wonder, i am going to a killer posting next; MEDICINE. throughout my medical school, i am definitely not interested in the posting. it is such a complicated topic, creating a lot of differentials just for a symptom. i hope i can finish my 4 months posting there without difficulties. Hence i should be mentally and physically prepared for my 4 months of....... struggles.... NOW!

on call or shift system?

i am one of the lucky few who managed to experience the both sides of the world. well, truth to be told, i only did the old-school on call for a month but i guess my 2 cents will be worthy to some.

what i like about the previous on-call system is that it made you stronger and be proud by the end of the day on how mentally-abled you are, surviving the ruthless hours of work. yes, you get the whole experience and do more procedures but being a "normal" human being, i cannot help but to feel exhausted and "lame" since i spend most of my hours, in the hospital. there goes my life, to experience adulthood. other pro is that, you can save your salary from shopping and spending them on meals cause you are stuck in the hospital. so, you reduce the petrol consumption and you get free meals from the hospital. (well, this depends on your hospital). and to those who puts money as a life goal, oncall will earn you even up to rm1k per month.

otherwise, the reason of doing "on-call" can save your ass from being kicked around all the time. NOTE : not ALL the time. i noticed that the superiors will have more empathy towards you and they will have less expectations on your work performance on that day.

so now what about the shift system you may ask? well, i don't care whether you want to label me as a lazy HO but being a normal human being, i am in fact happy that such system was introduced. i noticed that i feel more motivated to work since i know i can go back early to rest the next day. at least, i do not feel that i have to push myself to last until 5pm. on-call is not tiring since the adrenaline is pumping in but the feeling of POST-CALL sucks. i have slept a few times on the counter and drooled my patient's notes for being too sleepy (even though it was only a 10 minutes nap!!).

i also have more time for myself and this keeps me energised and refreshed to work the next day. and after going through the conventional method, i do appreciate the extra time given. hence, i do not complaint if i have to work after 8am and help my colleagues.

so the problem that causes the superiors to loathe the new system is that the housemen seem to be taking this for granted. i admit that ever since we do shift duties, some become more "berkira" about their work. they tend to pass the job to the next shift and moan if they are asked to stick around to do extra job such as doing discharge summaries or attending the clinics. other than that, we might spend less time in the hospital but at the end of the day, it depends on the attitude of the person to make use of the limited time. i dont think the system should be blamed for lessening knowledge and exposure but instead, blame the person for not showing extra efforts and initiatives.

furthermore, the shift allowance is rm600 and to some this means earning less than they could possibly do. but i notice that i do not even have that much of time to spend my salary on. if they really want to earn extra cash, i suggest them to come to Sabah or Sarawak. we get an extra of rm1000 compared to those working in the peninsula. And oh yea, to those who whined about receiving less exposure ever since the shift system was introduced, i really recommend them to come to sabah and sarawak or otherwise, stick around in the hospital a lil longer, voluntarily.

otherwise, in conclusion, to date, i am really enjoying the shift system. at the end of the day, i think it all depends on our work ethics and attitude to properly utilise the time to equip yourself. before i leave, i'll just random shots from my phone on things that i see afterwork. thanks to the shift system, i can see the sunlight and do chores without feeling like a zombie!

 My Post-Call Treat. 

A pool at Taman Awam, Miri

Life as a houseman : week 3

Here i am again, updating you guys on my current life in Miri Hospital. 

What i can conclude is that, i pretty much like my Housemanship here. Even though we do not have that many housemen to begin with, at least the staff is very helpful and friendly. I learn many new things every single day and I enjoy getting to know the cultures here. In my opinion, the people and races here are more of 1Malaysia than in Semenanjung. We have Ibans, Melanaus, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Penans and many others which i need to discover.  

To those who are still planning where to go for housemanship, i suggest for you guys to write down Hospital Miri in that little column of your form. You do not even have to put in any other Hospitals in since you will definitely get it. But let's say that if you dont, then REAPPEAL! Do not listen to any rumors mentioning Miri Hospital is already full. 

For now, Miri Hospital definitely needs tonnes of House Officer. I do not understand why many choose Kuching over Miri. Miri town is not as hulu as what people might think it is. Hello, we do have Starbucks, Coffee Bean, Parkson, Giant, Watson, Guardian, Big Apple, Sushi King, Pizza Hut and GSC is coming soon too! We also have 24 hours McDonald's and KFC in case you need food during your on-call! Not bad at all for a small city. 

Other things that i can say to promote this Hospital is the working environment. I have been spending some years in some Government Hospitals during my clinical years as a medical student. What I can say for now is that, the staff here respects each other and the teamwork is so far, more dynamic than the ones in KL. You still can get some of the scoldings here but at least, they are work related. Come on, it's not a housemanship until you get that yellings and scoldings. 

Furthermore, we get to do a lot of procedures here as a houseman. For instance, I can play along with the ultrasound machine in the delivery room and practice it to the patient. I know some hospitals in KL do not even allow housemen to touch the machine! Assisting caesarean section is not much of a competition to do. You will always have the opportunities since we do not have enough housemen here. I am also planning to perform the surgery myself once I am confident with it. 

Sure thing, the workload can be quite frustrating sometimes, but if you have already expected a hell-ish life for 2 years, then you might not really feel the burden here. Sometimes, you just need to understand that working hard now might provide extra benefits later on. 

There are many other things that I can say to promote this hospital but I am already sleepy now. My next oncall is tomorrow and let's hope things will go fine in the end! But until then, remember this : 

Welcome to Miri Hospital!

Week 1 Tagging

I have been working for almost a week now. I am posted to Labour Room of O&G. truthfully, i experienced culture shock starting Housemanship.

1. I still felt like medical student on my day 1. Then after handling a few patients, I realised the responsibilities that I carried.

2. I've realised that what you learnt in Medical School are not what you will practice in real life. In OSCE, you have 1 hour to clerk case and do Physical Examination but in real life, you are required to clerk case, do physical, take blood and manage patient within one hour!!

3. Documentation is totally a pain in the ass. You need to learn the short forms, filling up forms, sign here, sign there. It is beneficial if you have chop ready with your MMC registration no. You will need them!!

4. Miri Hospital has on-call system. I'll be doing 8 oncalls for October alone! If you want shift systems, dont come here.

SPA Induction Course - Part 2

the following is a summary of what happened during our induction course.

Date : 20th until 23rd September 2011
Venue : Hotel Impian Morib

Day 1 - registration started as early as 2pm. We found out that we could choose our own roommate. However married couples are not allowed to stay in together. A bit weird though. Then at 4.30pm, we had our briefing and icebreaking session. we were divided into 7 Groups and each was given with group task. The night ended about 11pm, after the results of our placement were officially released. Alhamdulillah, I got Hospital Miri with 2 of my other friends.

Day 2 and Day 3 - started the day with breakfast as early as 7am. To those who were not satisfied with the given hospital and appealed for a new placement, they had to submit the appeal letter by 10am. Then the day was filled with various talks and meals which ended until 10.30pm each day.

Mind you, the meals provided were 6 times daily! Everyone was happy with the quality of the food though. Since the place was also provided with swimming pool, some took the dinner break to have a swim. otherwise, you just need to sit in the seminar room and listen to the various talks which basically informed us about our roles as a government servant.

Day 4 - we had exit exam at 9.30am. Format was in MCQ and Short Essay Question. None touched on medical background; it is more on topics that we should be aware of as a government servant. Then the day ended with the performances for our Group Tasks. Since we are already used to perform and present a lot during our medical school, we didnt have much problems in completing it. Before Friday prayer, we officially ended our course. To those who reappealed, results would only be revealed by this time.

other thing that worth mentioning : bring day and night wear for the seminar. at night, you can wear collared tshirt with pants.

SPA induction course part 1

I finished the induction yesterday. There were 88 of us in which about 3/4 were from CUCMS. it felt like a mini reunion and we had a blast.

So we got our placement results on 20th itself at about 11pm. Three of us got Miri while 10 of us will be going to Sandakan Hospital, 4 people got Tawau, 6 to Queen E, 1 Sibu and about 2 to Kuching. Yes, most of us want to go to East Malaysia because we got positive remarks from our seniors.

The rest otherwise got the hospitals in Peninsula. For Klang valley, popular choices are Ampang. 1 got Sungai Buloh another one got HUKM, one got UMMC. None applied to HKL, Putrajaya or Serdang.

So we are asked to report in to our hospital on this Monday. Ive bought my flight ticket and you can claim it later.

Guess our new chapter is starting real soon. It was sad that we have to be away from each other but i know, we will always support each other! Goodluck everyone!

Sent from Hanani's iPhone! Woo!

This is it!

I received a note from Mr Poslaju yesterday after coming back from shopping. I kinda knew what the letter was all about since my friends posted on FB that they had received the SPA induction letter.

So today i went to the Poslaju to collect my love letter. I didnt feel much upon reading it, maybe I was still in denial phase. Im sure There will be almost 60 of us (CUCMS) since we requested to start after Hari Raya. Oh, we are starting from 20th to 23rd Sept.

The next step? Well, we were told to scan and email the reply slip to Miss Betty, the person incharged for this.

Goodluck then!

Vera Wang for Labcoats in KL

For most medical students, they might be familiar with the above pictures but i only managed to locate this shop after finishing medical school. I went there to do 2 new labcoats in preparation for Housemanship. Well, it might not be easy to find it but thanks to Kamal Bookstore, at least I know where to start! 

There were 2 personnels; an elderly aunty but very experienced in labcoat making and a man whom i really sure is the aunty's son. The shop is small but you could see white cloth everywhere! The aunty would ask what kind of designs you prefer and she seemed to know it all. Happy and eager, i ordered 2 sets right away. 

The thing is, i went there about in the final week of June and was told that the 2 labcoats could be finished by 30 July. My BF was annoyed the fact that he had called several times in August and they still couldnt get them ready. Thank God, our housemanship is starting by the end of this month and when i called them yesterday noon, they were all ready! 

So, i will go and get them tomorrow and hoping there will be no more dramas! i am also hoping that the labcoats fit well and hence, crossing out another to-do list before going for the induction!

SPA update

I can't remember when was the last time i update you guys on this matter.

Well, i can summarise here that :

1. I've completed my Medical-Check Up forms. Since i did mine in Hospital Limbang, the whole process took about 2 weeks. The first time i went there, i just had my vision tested (Please bring your visual aids along. I did not use contact lenses for the visit), gave Urine Sample for UFEME and Drug Testing as well as did CXR. The reasons why the whole thing takes time were the fact that it takes about a week for the drug testing to be done as well as to queue for the MO appointment (mind you, this is a small, hulu hospital). If you want it in a hurry, then perhaps u can do it in private sectors. If you do it in the Gov Sector, it'll be for FREE since you are already considered as a government servant.

2. I've also done my Surat Akuan. I simply went to Bangunan Majistret Limbang, went to the Reception Counter and within 10 minutes, i got the whole thing done, also for FREE!

3. I have returned the Surat Terima to SPA.

4. I am surveying on the Shipping Car service from KL to Miri town.

So as of for now, i am just waiting to be called in for the Induction Course. Since most of us wanted to start the HO-ship after Raya, we told SPA to put on hold of our applications. There are pros and cons though but i guess, there is no hurry to start the terrifying "tortures".

Gone

A few weeks back, i received a shocking news that one of my Paeds lecturers, has left us forever. She died due to complications of cancer. I am not sure which one it was but probably due to Krukenberg Tumour, since she had GI symptoms and some of gynaecological complaints. It is an aggressive cancer with poor diagnosis. I was already in Brunei that time and i missed the opportunity to visit her while she was in the ICU in Selayang Hospital.

The last time i met her was in Paediatric posting, which happened to be my last posting as a medical student. I did not actually have her as my Paeds supervisor but she did give us a briefing on the posting. This was way back in May. she was as cheerful, funny as motivated as always. Noone would have guessed that she would be leaving us 3 months later, forever.

She was an inspiration for us all. She was one of the doctors who sacrificed her own health just for the sake of her patients as well as her students. A few months before she experienced this cancer symptoms, she was already in a wheelchair due to knee trauma. Despite being told by the specialist to take MC and rest at home, she still went to the hospital, cut short of her holidays and did her rounds as well as teaching the students. "Who will take care of my medical officers and even teach them if i were away?", she said. That is a quality that is rare and lacking in doctors nowadays. The Passion, to teach and care.

Today, i actually dreamt of her. I had a phone call from her, advicing me to be a good houseman as well as reminding me that the Viva questions are no longer as those of Medical school. I could not understand the latter but what i could interpret from this dream is that, i should not be worried of entering housemanship since i have many supports around me. I should also remember her, whenever i am faced with troubles or hurdles throughout my career.

To Allahyarhamah Dr Norrashidah, May You Be Placed Amongst The Mukmins. Thank You For All Your Words of Wisdoms and Encouragement. You are a precious gem, and you will surely be missed. Al-Fatihah

Her last words for medical personnels can be read here.

http://shidmikegambit.blogspot.com/

SPA letter. What's next?

In my previous note, i mentioned that i got the SPA acceptance letter for my Housemanship. Since there were many documents attached to it, i finally managed to figure them out.

So here are the steps.

1. Fill in borang SPA 6a. Send it back to SPA indicating you have agreed with the offer.

2. For Surat Akuan Berkanun, Medical Check Up forms as well as another copy of Borang SPA 6a, you are only required to submit them to your Hospital Director, NOT to SPA back.

3. On the day of report duty, bring along the documents stated in no 2 as well as MMC certificate and Ask for Surat Janji.

So, those are the summaries on the subsequent tasks after receiving the letter.

MMC Registration

On the same day as well, i went to register for MMC license in Putrajaya.

The documents which u need are :

1. Form 4
2. Appendix A
3. 2 passport sized photographs
4. CERTIFIED COPY of your whole results for the whole course!
5. CERTIFIED COPY of SPM
6. CERTIFIED COPY of IC & Birth Certificate
7. ORIGINAL COPY of Dean's Letter saying you have completed the course
8. Postal order worth RM20 (go to Post Office for this purpose)

Then go to Precint 1.
Find Parcel E
Go find parking as close as to block E1
Then go up to level 2.
MMC office is the one on your right.

NOTE :
- MMC is very fussy with the documents. make sure you have your names right. or else, you need some Surat Sumpah.

- for the person to certify your documents, please make sure you fulfill the criteria!

please click on the link below for the forms

http://mmc.gov.my/v1/docs/form/1.Provisional%20-%20updated300311.pdf

SPA letter of appointment

Today, 22nd July 2011, I got SPA acceptance letter. it has been 2 weeks since i did my interview. it was very quick i must say! all this while, i was hoping to start my Housemanship a bit later than the rest since i postponed my SPA interview for 3 weeks! well, i guess the Pengerusi must have really liked me a lot! *perasan*

the thing is now, im a bit clueless on what to do next. I thought it is just gonna be a letter stating " you got the job, congrats!" but to my surprise, there were few other forms that we have to fill in. eurgh..

a) medical check up form (MO must fill in the sections)
b) surat Sumpah (to be done in front of commissioner of Oath)
c) Acceptance of Appointment Form
d) surat Aku Janji

In that letter, it was also stated that i have to report duty within 1 month from the stated date, which was 14TH July! Does that mean i have only less than a month to enjoy?!?!? i have a feeling we will be starting job before Raya this year. BOO HOO!

SPA resume

My SPA interview is scheduled next week.

One of the requirements is to prepare a resume. I am in a total mess right now since i have too many certificates to list down in. My dad told me it would be easier later on if i can fill everything in this resume.

Well, as if they have the time to read up EVERYTHING on my past achievements. Bet they dont even understand them all!

I think i need to buy a new file after this. My current file is already too clogged up with all the certs!

PS : Some of you might think i am showing off about my certs in this post. Well, you have the right to be jealous! :p

housemanship, SPM Malay, O Level Malay

I studied in Brunei, did my Olevel there. Hence, i do not have SPM Malay.

Since i am applying for Housemanship in Malaysia, one needs to have SPM Malay no matter what.

I have called VARIOUS government sectors about this. Well, here are some of the facts that you might need to know.

MQA has stated that Brunei O Level has the same standards as those of SPM. However, you need to confirm with the ministry that you are attached to whether they can accept the substitute.

KKM :
- since i'll be an employee of the ministry, they told me i need to have SPM Malay. I have 1 year after registration to do so.

So, what do i have to do? 

Once my housemanship starts, i need to refer to the hospital's admin and ask them whether they can apply the SPM Malay for me.

Lembaga Peperiksaan stated that i have to register in March as a private candidate. You are required to register with Lembaga Peperiksaan Negeri. Since i am going to Miri Hospital, i need to register there.

Since i do not have SPM at all, i will sit for November paper. However, some said u can skip this, and do the June papers; which are easier instead. I still need to confirm about this once i start working in Miri. The papers will be the same as those normal SPM paper.

I spent about 1 hour, just to get confirmation on this matter. I called MQA, JPA, SPA, KKM and finally, Lembaga Peperiksaan. I got directed to many numbers, having to say the same things all over again! At one point, i got pissed off about it!

Haish, why do they make things complicated?!?! As if we use perfect Malay in our everyday life anyway!

you have reached your destination

This post is supposed to be up last week but since i was away to Melbourne for a week, so here it is.

Praise to the Almighty, i am no longer a medical student. I have passed my final pro-exam and right now, waiting for the offer to start my housemanship.

I am supposed to get the title Dr, but i still feel i do not deserve it. That title comes with great responsibility that sometimes i doubt myself whether i can handle that.

For housemanship, i have applied to Hospital Miri, Hospital Kuala Pilah and Hospital Putrajaya. 3 different states but all with the same aim; to be a skillful doctor, a good learner and a patient employee.

As for now, i am still waiting for my SPA interview. Then, we all need to wait for the results and hopefully, we get the places that we want to.