My 96 years old patient

Oh dear, my 96 years old patient is going for his pacemaker insertion for an intermittent second degree heart block that doesnt cause any symptom. And for god sake, he is also on the waiting list for a cholecystectomy.

I don't understand, can't we just let nature take its course?

Can't we just accept that people will die when they get old and stop investigating and intervening?

初级宅女

当宅女标准是什么我不懂，
但看动漫应该是必须项目之一。
我决定了要追Full Metal Alchemist。

Malaysian auntie nurses

I started to like my rehab ward,
Just because of those Malaysian auntie nurses. Many of them.
They are about my mum's age, or even older.
They look a lot like the auntie next door or next street...and they speak like one too!
I miss Manglish and they speak Manglish!
It feels like home.

Rehab rotation

I realised
Rehab is a dumping ground for patients who have multiple unsettled medical issues that are not dying right now.
It's a place where we create to relieve the increased amount acute ward patients.
It's a destination that doctors can discharge patients to when home is not an option.
It is a kingdom where allied health professionals find their identity,
and doctors lose theirs.
It's a place where patients do rehab and I do paperwork, lots of them.

The End of Surgical Rotation

I have mixed feelings at the end of my surgical rotation. It's probably my last chance in having any experience with surgery...not that I want anymore :p

To be honest, I didn't learn much in terms of surgical skills. I still don't know how to tie a surgical knot. I haven't cut open a patient. In the theatre, I am more like a secondary surgical instrument that can hold the primary surgical instrument. 99.9% of the time, I am more useless than any theatre nurse or technician.

What I learnt was every pt needs DVT prophylaxis, regular medicine, and analgesia charted. I learnt that it's ok not knowing how to manage medical problems because the med reg is just a referral away. I learnt that I have to run everything past my registrar, so I don't normally have to use my brain. I just need to do what I was told, and I don't have to do anything extra.

It's not good learning, but I don't really mind as long as I get paid.

During this rotation, I realised how great my co-interns are. We looked after each other and we survived together. I will miss the very nice registrars. Times when my reg said "let's go makan." and the free coffee I got from them. I will also miss the super nurses on my ward who will actually take blood and do blood culture.

My surgical rotation is a positive experience. I will miss the people of my ward just like I miss the people in Bairnsdale.