Life as a Medical Practitioner - Day 2

We gathered at meeting room at 8 a.m.. After everyone had arrived, every group continue what they left out yesterday. Our group still haven't visited the wards yet. So early in the morning, we went to visit Ward 2 Medical, which is a male patient ward. Later on to Ward 3 Medical (female). These two wards are exactly the same, they have isolations room for infectious disease patients (except that i personally feels that female ward is better). Ward 4 is physiotherapy ward, for ortopedic patients.

Ward 5 and 6 are specially for pregnant womens who are waiting to deliver and also delivered mothers. The sister (head of nurse) of this ward welcomed us warmly. To really explain to us whats the difference between a life of other profession and a doctor's life is, so that we won't regret after choosing this profession, she told us the tough working conditions, hours of doctors. She even brought us to the Female Housemans' Oncall Room where the on-call housemans rest or take a quick nap inside. On-call working is very long hours, it is from 8 a.m. in the morning, until 5 p.m. in the next day, a no sleep day. For a houseman, there are at least 8 on-call days in a month. In the resting room, we met some resting on-call female houseman, and "interviewed" them. They told us exactly the same like what yesterday Dr. Rohaniah, and the head of nurses told us. Therefore, in conclusion: "Only become a doctor if you really interested, not because of your parents' choice. Once you enter this profession, your life is for the patients."

Our next visit is the Rehabilitation Centre. In the centre, we saw the apparatus for heat treatment, eg. short wave diathermy, Infra red ray and ultraviolet light. There is also a gymnasium in the centre, where the cervical traction and lumbar traction are placed. Usually, patients who experienced stroke will come here to exercise.

We have the opportunity to enter the Radiology Department led by the person in charge there. We saw a mammogram, a x-ray machine and a CT scan machine.

The Haemodialysis Unit is just beside RD. We went inside guided by a sister. She briefly explained the unit and how the haemodialysis machine works. I feel pity to the patients there who need to sit for 4 hours every week because of kidney malfunction.

The Psychiatry Unit is in the newest building of the hospital. We were being introduced what is the psychiatry unit do and who will receive treatment there by a pshychiatrist. After that we went to visit the psychiatry ward. At first, few of us were quite worry to enter because normally psychiatry patients give the public an impression of being aggresive and violent. Fortunately, there were no patient in the ward the time we enter. The sister there showed us the modern tie they use to restrain some uncontrolled patients. Later in day 3, we heard from the on-call group that went to psychiatry ward at night that a patient who attempted to self harm and commit suicide stayed in the ward.

We still haven't got chance to enter the forensic unit (bilik mayat), again, it is postponed to day 3. But after 5 p.m. we continue our "on-call" experience by paying visit to units and wards until 10p.m.. This is to observe how the on-call houseman carry out their duties and experience their tiredness ourselves.

In the wards at night, the condition is almost the same as in daytime. There were a few people being sent into the emergency department by ambulance at night. We were there to observe the doctors diagnose and treat the patients in the yellow zone. One of the patient had bone fracture in his left arm.Another had his leg wounded and the doctors guess he might have fracture in his toes too. An elderly had chest pain and the doctor we saw yesterday in cardio clinic came to diagnose using the echoscan.

It was a tiring day (my legs hurt) but I've learnt a lot.