in a nutshell, i'm currently on a 3 weeks electives as part of a compulsory assignment for uni. despite the fact that my holidays is cut short and having to spend an average of 10+ hours per day in the hospital, i'm really enjoying my attachment. studying medicine can be really dry when it's all just based on books but once you get out there and see actual patients .. that's when you truly understand the beauty of medicine.
[1] Internal Medicine // Dr. AR ;
- main patients are those with diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, asthma. plenty of time spent on giving advice on diet and lifestyle changes. the doc was really nice, even had chats about our hobbies and he gave me some inspirational insights on life. ;)
[2] Pulmonology // Dr. AM ;
- had a very short clinic time here. :( managed to see common cases like URTI, sinusitis and even a not very medically-related case of anxiety attack. chest X-ray of pleural effusion and pneumothorax! definitely need more practice.
[3] Cardiology // Dr. LC ;
- plenty of CAD cases. heard murmurs and measured pulse (only hands-on here). had to run to keep up with the doctor who loves using the stairs. saw stress test, stress ECHO, DSCT, and waiting for angiogram! doc loves to kacau, but we're now best friends. LOL!
[4] Hematology // Dr. NSC ;
- here is where i do early morning ward rounds every day! common cases like leukemia, lymphoma, ITP, multiple myeloma, DVT, IDA and uncommon ones like Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. saw bone marrow aspirate biopsy and lumbar puncture. :)
[5] Surgery // Dr. CKH ;
- pioneer batch of IMU! :) cases of anal fissures during clinic duty. wound dehiscence patient in the ward. 5 hours in the OT - removal of hernia in right groin; hemithyroidectomy; excision of cyst in right breast. surgery for a first-timer is always interesting.
[6] Rheumatology // Dr. RR ;
- got to be one of the friendliest doc ever! covered osteoarthritis, RA, plantar fasciitis, spondylitis, fibromyalgia, etc. also had a chance to view some X-rays (narrowing of joint space!). if you think there won't be that many patients here, don't be deceived. ;)
[7] Gastroenterology // Dr. GK ;
- again, very short clinic time spent here. :( he had FOUR students under him. *salute for patience! managed to see OGDS, and another endoscopy for a bleeder in ICU. liver pathology :( need to study again. drilled on Hep B, Hep C, HIV. TIPS for portal hypertension![8] Dermatology // Dr. CSM ;
- who knew so many things could go wrong with the skin? lichen planus, vitiligo, herpes labialis, fungal infections (mostly tinea), psoriasis, urticaria, pityriasis alba, and the list goes on. the in-thing to get rid of pimples is retinoic acid. salicylic acid? so 40 years ago - doc.
[9] Pediatrics // Dr. SW ;
- by far, my favourite. :) APGAR score! most of the babies that come in are due for their vaccination. saw the art of giving them injections (but yes, they will still cry anyway). my task was to guess their developmental age by observing their actions. doc is a super family man. :)there's just so many things that goes on every day and so many new things to learn. i highly doubt that i will be able to remember everything. :( but the up side is that at least i can have an idea about most of the specialties available. :)
well, another week left to go!
