The early years..

A forum message got me reminiscing about my early years as a 'kuli batak' houseman.

To tell you the truth, I seriously don't know how I managed to get through med school. I'm not sounding arrogant and truth be said, I almost DIDN'T. Failed my second year, I think and had to redo some of the modules. By my final days in med school, I was thinking in much disbelief that I, the know-nothing, most lazy final year student was going to be let out unto the real world and managing real patients.

Now, isn't THAT scary.

Coming back to Malaysia to work was an easy decision. Choosing WHERE to work was another story. I wanted to be near Abg; Ma wanted me to remain in the same state. I pondered upon the idea and discarded it instantly. Being away from home all this while: MRSM Kuantan, Walthamstow Hall and Belfast, I wasn't sure if I could adjust to being at home, if you get my drift.

Thankfully, HKB wasn't a popular choice among the final year graduates, so I got in rather easily. Ma actually drove from KL, just to get me there on my first day.

I was told to report to the Medical Department. Hah, little did I know what a life changing experience Medical Department HKB was going to be! :) Early next morning, I went to Ward 4 (Male Medical), all scared and excited at the same time. Met Roshaini who was busy zooming up and down the aisles, taking vials after vials of blood. To say I was overwhelmed on my first day is an understatement.

To give a better picture of how overwhelmed and so-thrown-and-floundering-in-the-deep-end I was, I'll let you in on a secret, something I never told anyone.....when my MO told me to review a CVA case, I actually went up to a nurse and asked her what REVIEW meant!
I had no idea what BHTs were and when my nurse wanted me to write medications, I was looking at her face as if she was speaking to me in Swahili.....


Gelak la.....I definitely snicker to myself whenever my mind returns to that fateful day...:)


I can laugh now but I definitely wasn't laughing then. It got so hectic and so mad that I didn't have time to be sorry for myself. Patients were lying on foldaway beds in the middle of the ward; some days, even right to the doors. Visiting time was like making your way through people at an exhibition or something. I lost 10kg in my first week (and unfortunately gained much much more during the next 2 years, haha) and on some days, only survived on drinking cold plain water in the pantry's fridge.

I remember being shouted at by MOs-particularly by pissed off Radiology MOs who just couldn't be bothered to get off their asses in their comfy homes to do an urgent CT scan at 11pm at night. Referring cases to other departments was another chore that I didn't look forward to. Maybe I sounded too much like a houseman who didn't have a clue what she was doing, haha....they could smell the fear! :)

A typical day would start at about seven (HOs had to come in early to complete the morning bloodtakings, you see); MOs would start their rounds at about eight and then Specialists would come by at about half nine. Rounds are usually done by ten or so when a fresh round of blood investigations have now been ordered, sometimes making your early efforts obsolete. While you struggle with the morning instructions, new patients would be wheeled in and you'd be the person responsible for 'clerking' them. All these new cases would have to be informed to the MO in charge and at the same time, discharges (patients going home) have to be completed.

Some specialists do afternoon rounds as well and if you're lucky, maybe get to trudge along home by six. Some housemen even come in later to finish discharge summaries and what nots.

The Obs&Gyn posting was another matter; definitely eye-opening. EOD (every other day) on calls! How on earth did I manage to survive a full month of EOD calls?! :)

I do think, though, that the best decision I made was to postpone getting married till after I completed my housemanship. I don't think I would've made a good wife when I was either on call, OR too stuporous to even eat...! Having Abg for support definitely helped, as well as having gila-gila fellow housemen.....:)

Seriously lah....if you have relatives who think doctors are glamorous, and want to shove your kids into med school, think again. Semangat kena kuat, telinga kena tebal and muka kena selamba. Kena marah tu perkara biasa, and I strongly believe that whatever/whomever doesn't kill you, will only make you stronger and a better person.

On a less morose note, :)....congratulations and a Yippe-dee-yay tu Dr. M who is now a proud father of two! MDQ no.2 rolled out all pink and nice on the 27th February, 1952H (hours, bukan Hijrah..hehe).