Lmst

My Grocery List As A Junior Doctor – While I Was In My Vegetarian Phase

Click here for more articles & daily dose.

Being a Junior Doctor or a House Officer, we are located the lowest in the hierarchy of medical personnels. That is because we have just started practicing which means there is still a lot for us to learn on top of learning how to be a safe doctor as well as the simple management of the patients’ condition down to their tailored management. Thus, this automatically translates into long hours at work, a mentally and physically tiring journey as well as a reduction in our total night’s sleep.

Are we married to our work? In a way yes and also no.

Not that we want to or that we are workaholics but being in this field, it is an unspoken expectation which seems to have befallen us.

Thus, our so-called “work-life balance” is almost always in disequilibrium and we try our best to destress in whatever way suits us best.

For me, it is cooking and recently, I have embarked on a vegetarian journey for the Lenten season (at the time of writing this article, it was during Lent), as well as a way of trying to be a pinch healthier to my already unhealthy lifestyle.

Since I enjoy making my own meals, I rarely eat outside. Thus, the idea that vegetarian food is a little bit difficult to be obtained or ordered online, does not really bother me.

A bright side to this is that, I’m lacto-ovo-vegetarian, meaning I consume egg amidst being vegetarian as well as dairy products and throughout my vegetarian season, I did not reduce my food portion (which may be bad). Rather, I simply changed my food choices from non-vegetarian to vegetarian and from ordering take-outs to consuming more home prepared meals.

Thus, what are the grocery items that I ensure I stock up on a regular basis?

1. Tofu

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

I absolutely CANNOT live without tofu. It is extremely versatile as I could make any kind of dish with it. Most of the time, I would simply dice it and marinade with some spices and air fry it.

At times, when I’m feeling fancy, I would use it as a burger patty as well.

2. Mushrooms

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

This is another versatile ingredient. From enoki mushrooms to crab mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or button mushrooms, you name it. I’m a big fan.

I try my best to stock up on fresh mushrooms. However, since I go through it pretty fast, I would usually fall back to dried mushrooms since it is readily available in the mart of my residential area.

3. Eggs

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Luckily, I chose to be lacto-ovo-vegetarian, meaning if I ran out of ingredients, I could pretty much add egg, be it just cracking them into my broth or frying them.

4. Bird’s Eye Chilli

Photo by Anna Nekrashevich on Pexels.com

Bird’s eye chilli or “cili padi” as we call it in Malaysia.

I am a big fan of spicy food and since I go through chilli powder pretty fast, I started incorporating them into my dishes.

Be warned though, if you’re not a fan of spicy dishes, adding one too many may render the dish unconsumable.

5. Rolled Oats

Photo by Karyna Panchenko on Pexels.com

This usually takes some time before it finishes.

Since I am a “heavy eater”, I started substituting my rice with rolled oats instead, which is something I started doing 2 years ago.

I’m not a big fan of having my oats with milk as I find it rather sweet or sometimes just bland for my palate. Instead, I prefer savoury dishes and the oats complements most of the dishes well.

6. Curry Leaves

Photo by Rahul Sonawane on Pexels.com

This does not really serve any purpose except I merely enjoy the aroma emitting when I sizzle it with oil, adding a nice aroma to my dishes.

7. Random Vegetables – Cabbage, Leafy Vegetables, Potatoes, Cabbage

Photo by Mark Stebnicki on Pexels.com

I started eating greens again.

I have always loved eating vegetables. However, it is not easily obtained since I do not have a car, I rarely go out and the nearby residential mart does not sell them.

Thus, I order online, I usually have a few fallback vegetables which I would add to my cart which are cabbages, any leafy vegetables, potatoes and aubergines.

Photo by Laker on Pexels.com

Cabbage is another versatile vegetable as I could add it to my curry dishes and it does not wilt immediately, as an extra ingredient in my stir fried noodles as well as when I cook “okonomiyaki”.

These are my food grocery list by default. I’m not exactly a health conscious person despite being a doctor myself nor do I reduce my food portion. It is merely a step for me to try and be a little bit healthier which is sustainable for me and hopefully in time, it deems fruitful.

Click here for more articles & daily dose.

YouTube | Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Spotify

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#Articles #Blog #blogging #cook #cooking #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1812 #dailyprompt1813 #dailyprompt1829 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1920 #dailyprompt1936 #dailyprompt1944 #dailyprompt1956 #dailyprompt1962 #dailyprompt1976 #doctor #eating #egg #food #groceries #grocery #healthyEating #healthyMeals #houseOfficer #housemanship #juniorDoctor #kuching #Malaysia #medical #Medicine #sarawak #vegetable #vegetarian #writing

Part 2 – Life As A Peri Medical House Officer In Hospital Umum Sarawak | Main Building, Side Building, Infectious Disease Ward

Related Posts:

The Peri Medical House Officer Team takes care of:

The Emergency Department
- Green zone
- Yellow zone
- Yellow respiratory zone
- Green-Yellow zone
- Asthma Bay
- Red Zone I
- Red Zone II
- Decon
- CSSD
- EDOU
Main Building
Side Building
Infectious Disease Ward
SDC (Surgical Daycare)

In this article, I will be sharing my experiences as a Perimedical House Officer covering main building, side building, SDC as well as the Infectious Disease (ID) ward.

As I previously mentioned in my previous article, the work begins from 7am till 6pm (short days), 7am till 10pm (long days) and 8am till 9am (night shifts).

Covering this part of the hospital meant taking care of “stranded patients” which are medical patients who are lodging in other department wards as there are no space or beds available in the main medical wards. Usually, patients like these are somewhat stable enough to be left on their own without constant supervision. Those that do require, are usually left in the Emergency Department or transferred straight to medical wards.

The Main Building

Taking care of the Main Building meant that one would have to cover:

2nd floor: Urology Ward
3rd floor: Male and Female RTU Wards
4th floor: Labour Ward
5th floor: Maternity 2 (Antenatal Ward), Maternity 3 (Postnatal Ward)
6th floor: Female and Male Orthopaedic Ward
7th Floor: Male and Female Surgical Wards

On some days, there would not be any perimedical patients in certain wards. Thus, there are days that we do not have to go to these wards. On bad days, there are perimedical patients on every floor and the patient count will be extremely high.

During my time serving in the main building, I was blessed enough to have a partner. Thus, despite the high volume of patients, it felt manageable.

Upon my arrival, I usually begin from the highest floor and work my way down. Thus, I begin from the 7th floor by checking with the TL or Team Leader to identify new cases and update the list followed by tracing the blood investigations.

This is to ensure that the patients are not missed during rounds.

I proceed with doing this in the wards of every floor till I am done prior to beginning my morning reviews.

Usually by then, the Medical Officers have arrived and are proceeding with their morning reviews.

Sometimes, we join in and sometimes, we are asked to review the other patients and on our own until the specialist arrives.

Upon the specialist’s arrival, we would all meet up at one place to begin out rounds.

Rounds in perimedical is similar to that in the ward. The only difference is that rounds are once daily and the patients are all around the place.

In between, there would be new transfer ins, attending to acute issues of which the nurses from other wards would call or inform the House Officers from other departments.

After that, it is followed by preparation of the coming morning bloods. The wards and bed numbers are labelled on top of the forms and kept in the ETD for the night House Officers to take.

The Side Building

The Side Building is less hectic than main building and that meant we had to cover:

3rd floor: Neurosurgical ward / Neurosurgical HDU, ICU extension
4th floor: Paediatrics Orthopaedic Ward
5th floor: Gynaecology Ward, Ophthalmology Ward

As usual, upon my arrival, I would begin at the topmost floor and check for any new patients as well as to trace the bloods.

After all of it is done, I begin my review in the ICU Extension 2 Ward. The ICU Extension 2 ward consists of unstable, intubated patients of various departments.

Usually by the time I begin my morning review, the specialist would have just arrived and we begin our rounds.

After the ICU Extension 2 is followed by Neurosurgical Ward since they are located at the same place, then Neurosurgical HDU.

Upon completion of morning rounds is followed by carrying out the active joblists, discharges and requesting for radiological scans.

Similar to Main Building, the coming morning bloods are prepped and kept at the Emergency Department for the night house officers to collect.

SDC – Surgical Day Care

SDC is the Surgical Day Care as per the name. Usually patients who are admitted here come in on the day of the procedure itself and is discharged in the evening.

However, when the wards are fully occupied and the Emergency Department is overflowing with stranded patients, the SDC converts temporarily to host the stranded patients.

At max, the patient load is only two cubicles full and the patients being admitted there are usually relatively stable.

Similar to main building and side building, I begin my day with tracing the bloods, x-rays or any relevant radiologist reports before beginning my review and rounds with the medical officer and specialists.

The Infectious Disease Ward

The Infectious Disease Ward or “ID Ward” is located in a building separate from the main or side building.

Previously, it used to be the House Officer’s Accommodation. However, it was subsequently converted into a ward.

The ward consists of two floors with each floor containing 6 isolation rooms for each floor. Upon entering the ward itself, one has to change into the hospital scrubs and prior entering the ward isolation rooms, one has to don apron, shower cap and gloves, the standard PPE.

The casenotes are not allowed to be brought in, thus all reviews are written outside.

What do I do if I were stationed to at the Infectious Disease Ward?

The house officer allocated to the ID ward are those from the Peri Pool, meaning our shift is from 7am till 6pm for short days.

Thus, upon my arrival, I would change into the hospital scrubs. Then, I would proceed to trace the bloods. The bloods sent from the ID ward are usually late. Thus. It would either be pending in the system or yet to be in the system.

Next, I will begin my reviews, first to the newly transferred in patients followed by the rest while awaiting the medical officer.

There is a whiteboard consisting of the names of the patients in the isolation rooms. Usually in the morning prior to entering the isolation rooms, we would have a short round and presentation with the ID consultant with the whiteboard.

Thus, during my time there, I would constantly update and personalise it according to my style which would be easier for me during my presentation with the ward consultant.

After that, we will all proceed to the isolation room. As House Officers, we are the scribe and assistants of the medical officers. Since, we are not allowed to bring the casenotes into the isolation room, thus we will type everything inside our phone and transfer it onto paper after our grand rounds with the patients.

Rounds at the Infectious Disease Ward is only once daily.

After the completion of rounds, just like any ward is the completion of active joblist.

Personally, I enjoyed my time in the Infectious Disease Ward a lot, mainly because I was given the autonomy to customise the board as I liked, present to the consultant myself and was asked multiple questions during rounds and having discussions which I find rather stimulating and enjoyable.

On top of that, I even had time to return home for a quick lunch every time I was stationed at this ward.

In the afternoon, some patients on high oxygen support may need arterial blood gases (ABGs) at certain time. If not, it is the preparation of coming morning bloods and transfer ins of any new patients.

Being in charge of the other places is considerably less hectic than being allocated in the Yellow Zone which can get rather crazy at times as there is massive movement of patients constantly. It actually feels like as if I am at KL Sentral during peak hours.

However, do not fear if you are allocated into the Peri Medical Pool. The workload can get extremely hectic and it can be rather messy. But, always try your best to learn as much as you can during your period serving there and to enjoy your journey.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1813 #dailyprompt1823 #dailyprompt1826 #dailyprompt1828 #dailyprompt1949 #dailyprompt1950 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1952 #dailyprompt1953 #dailyprompt1954 #dailyprompt1955 #dailyprompt1956 #dailyprompt1957 #dailyprompt1959 #dailyprompt1962 #dailyprompt1963 #dailyprompt1971 #dailyprompt1976 #dailyprompt1977 #dailyprompt1978 #dailyprompt1979 #doctor #emergency #emergencyDeparment #healthcare #hospital #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #medical #Medicine #periMedical #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #write #writing

Part 1 – Life As A Peri Medical House Officer In Hospital Umum Sarawak | The Emergency Department

Related Posts:

Upon entering the Medical Posting, I was stationed into the “Peri-Medical Pool”. My “birthplace”, so-called.

Prior to entering the Medical Posting, many of my colleagues commented that the Peri-Medical pool is probably one of the worst place to enter considering that it is rather hectic, busy and messy, not to mention the joblist is never ending.

The working shift for a Medical House Officer is as such:

Short Day (SD): 7am till 6pm
Long Day (LD): 7am till 10pm
Night Shift (ON): 8pm till 9am

The Emergency Department in Hospital Umum Sarawak is rather huge and consists of:

Green Zone
EDAU
CSSD
Yellow Zone
Yellow Respi Zone
Green Yellow Zone
Red Zone I
Res Zone II
Decon

Usually a House Officer is allocated to take care of more than one zones.

For example:

Green Zone / EDAY / CSSD
Yellow Zone / Green Yellow Zone
Red Zone I / Red Zone II / Yellow Respi Zone

When the amount of manpower is high, the job gets done quickly and keeping track of the patients is easier.

However, in days where we are stretched thin it is rather difficult.

The Day Shift

Photo by Laura James on Pexels.com

Since I entered the Peri Medical Pool on my Day 1 of tagging in the Medical Posting, my working hours were from 7am till 10pm every day till I offtagged.

I begin my day by first tracing the casenotes of the patients in the zone I am allocated to, snap pictures of the chest x-rays, any relevant radiological reports as well as to trace their bloods.

If bloods were not taken or not in the system, we would then proceed to “summon” the post-night team for help with their bloods.

After all the patients have been traced and the Google Lists have been updated (this is to aid us during our rounds as well as following up on their location later, to ensure that they are not being missed), then I would proceed with my morning reviews.

The morning reviews are just as usual as any morning ward reviews, rounds with the Medical Officer and Specialists and finally carrying out any active joblists.

Since we are in the emergency department, there is usually no afternoon reviews. It depends on the medical officer. Most of the time, rounds are just once daily.

After we are done with our morning joblists, we have to actively screen through the patients in our allocated zones as there is constant movement of the patients in both in and out of the emergency department.

Thus, this means assisting the current on-call team for the day with any STAT bloods or STAT radiological requests as well as updating their progress.

On most days, it is manageable despite the chaos. However, on days where we are lacking in manpower, the difficulty sets in.

The Night Shift

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

The night shift begins at 8pm till 9am the following day or until we are done with our “summons”.

I was blessed enough to have gone through perimedical with a partner. Thus, there were two House Officers allocated for the night shift.

As night House Officers in Peri-Medical. We are expected to continue screening through all the casenotes for any new joblist or patients in all the zones in the Emergency Department as well as to assist in any procedures, take STAT bloods or request STAT radiological procedures.

In addition to that, we also have to cover the main building and the side building. This means, if there are any medical patients lodging in non-medical wards, we are in charge of them as well. Most of the time, it is just new transfer ins, sometimes, it is attending to any acute issues.

This is then followed by taking the “coming mornings” or bloods of the stranded patients in the Emergency Department of the lodging patients.

The amount of patients in the Medical Department is extremely high and thus, the medical patients can be stranded up to days in the Emergency Department which can even last till they are being discharged.

Thus, this ensures that the patients are being continued on their treatment irregardless of their location within the hospital.

The night shift as a perimedical house officer can get rather hectic if there are back-to-back influx of new patients in the Emergency Department, tons of coming mornings as well as acute issues in the ward.

In the morning, the “summoned” list can get rather extensive and chaotic as well and can be rather endless.

Hence, on top of the constant walking about the whole hospital, it can get rather tiring. But like I said, it is doable and manageable.

In fact, I enjoyed life as a perimedical house officer a lot.

If you are due to join Peri-Medical, fret not. Keep yourselves equipped with necessary forms and just work quick and as fast as you can.

On some days, one might get lost in the sea of chaos. However, stay strong and know that help is always within reach and that you are not alone.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyblog #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1813 #dailyprompt1834 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1844 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1855 #dailyprompt1857 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1959 #dailyprompt1962 #dailyprompt1971 #doctor #emergencyDepartment #hospital #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #periMedical #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #writing

An article regarding my Evening Routine while I was serving as a House Officer in my Fifth Posting, the Department of Medical.

-

#housemanship #houseofficer #malaysia #doctor #evening #routine #healthcare #medical #blogging #writing

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/04/13/my-evening-routine-in-the-medical-posting-housemanship-diaries/

My Evening Routine In The Medical Posting | Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

On most days in the Medical Posting, at least in the hospital that I’m practicing in, we are allocated to work the “Short Day” or “SD” shifts.

“Short Days” last till 6pm. Occasionally, we would have to work the “Long Day” shift or “LD” which lasts till 10pm or “on-night” which is the night shift.

On days where I’m allocated to work the short day shift, I try to leave work by 6pm. Most of the time, it is feasible while on some days, it is not so.

However, my evening routine is pretty much the same upon returning home irregardless of the time I leave work.

1. Preparing My Dinner

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I love to cook. However, considering I live alone, the meals that I prepare are usually many for one person. Thus, I would keep the extra, rendering me an extra meal prepped for a day or two.

Depending on my mood as well, should I be working the morning shift the following morning and I’m just too exhausted after work and there is no food, I would go for my regular comfort food, instant noodles.

My version of instant noodles involves sautéing chopped onions, curry leaves, mushrooms and diced chilli before adding the water and mixing the instant sachet powders into the broth. I usually add additional curry powder as I like the broth of my instant noodles to be extra soupy and not dry. Once it has come to a boil, I would crack two eggs into the gravy and boil it for a minute or two before adding “half” of the instant noodles and finally topping with some leafy vegetables.

Yes, that’s right, I only consume half. My instant noodles are extra soupy and has less noodles.

Partly because I love adding rolled oats into my broth, thus the whole meal would be too heavy for me if I were to eat all the noodles.

What do I do with the other half of the uncooked noodles?

I keep it and usually comes in handy if I were to cook stir fried noodles.

Photo by Amar Preciado on Pexels.com

Then, there are evenings where I’m filled with energy and the following day happened to be an allocated off day or my night shift, allowing me to cook something different.

Nevertheless, irregardless of my dish of choice for the evening, I would always prepare a set of chopped tofu and mushrooms which I would marinade with some oil, salt, crushed black peppers, diced chilli, slides garlic, curry leaves and some curry powder or chilli powder prior to air frying it.

Thus, by the end of 10 minutes, my dinner would usually be ready.

2. Resetting My Room

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

I don’t go through a major spring cleaning in the evenings, just simple tiny actions to reset my room back to an “acceptable” state.

This includes folding my clothes and keeping them back in my cupboard and their designated places, taking out the trash and vacuuming.

Considering I wash my hair every morning prior going to work, there would be strands of hairs on the floor after drying my hair and dusts and tiny debris begins to gather. Thus, I would vacuum almost every evening.

Since I live in a studio apartment, this action is merely a 5 minute job.

3. Preparation For The Next Day

Photo by Alena Darmel on Pexels.com

“Your morning begins the night before.”

I’ve forgotten where I’ve heard this but it’s what I’ve been practicing since I was a kid. Usually the night before, I would know of the set of clothes that I would be wearing the following day.

Next, I would prepare my jars of cold coffee. I usually save up spaghetti glass bottles or jam bottles to keep my tea or coffees or sometimes to be even used as drinking glasses.

I usually carry two 1.5L of flasks to work, one of it contains green tea and the other, my special prepped coffee.

After all of that is done, next would be…

4. Unwinding for the Day

Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

This begins with me pampering myself with a hot long bath to wash myself of the stench and tiredness of the day, followed by donning myself in a soft, flowy night dress and going about my self-care nighttime routine.

Only after that would I have dinner as I usually fall into a state of food coma after eating.

This is then followed by me clearing the dishes for the last time and finally, heading to bed, which on some days, would be as early as 8pm. However, on average, it is usually around 9-10pm.

This is my evening routine in my Fifth Posting, the Department of Medical, as a House Officer thus far.

I often get questioned by my fellow colleagues as to why I would even consider cooking considering that there are a lot of steps or effort that goes into the process.

However, I do not find it tiring at all as it is my version of de-stressing.

Nothing calms my mind more than listening to music or putting a good show on Netflix while going about my dinner preparations with my phone in “Do Not Disturb” or “Sleep” mode.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #cooking #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1813 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1844 #dailyprompt1852 #dailyprompt1857 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1862 #dailyprompt1865 #dailyprompt1881 #dailyprompt1928 #dailyprompt1941 #dailyprompt1943 #dailyprompt1944 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1979 #doctor #eveningRoutine #healthcare #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #sarawakGeneralHospital #selfCare

Working on New Year’s Day (2025)

Related Posts:

This will be the second year in a row that I’ve chosen to work on New Year’s Day. If you’ve read my previous similar article last year, I’ve mentioned how my father has this tradition of working on New Year’s Day every year, ever since he started working at the age of 18. It is something that I’ve adapted as well.

This year, I began my year in the Department of Medical which is my Fifth Posting in my Housemanship Journey. I entered this department on the 11th of December last year.

Having just off-tagged the week before, I was still allocated in my first pool which is the Perimedical Pool.

Looking back as it is currently April 2025, at the time of writing this article, I do not quite remember where I was allocated to. I think that I was most probably taking care of the stranded Medical patients in the main building.

Thankfully, I remembered it not being a hectic day and I was allocated the “short day” shift, meaning that I had the opportunity to return home at 6pm.

Considering it was New Year’s Day which is a Public Holiday here, things were rather slow and tuned down.

Thus, it was a rather slowed down and uneventful day, ending with me returning home on time and unwinding early.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#2025 #article #Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailypost #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1829 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1852 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1854 #dailyprompt1855 #dailyprompt1857 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1862 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1865 #dailyprompt1945 #doctor #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #lifeAsADoctor #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #newYear #sarawakGeneralHospital #work #writing

A short article written in March 2025 on my reflection towards 2024.

-

#reflection #writing #article #malaysia #blogger #blogging #housemanship #houseofficer #doctor #2024

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/04/09/my-reflection-of-2024/

Surviving Tagging And Finally Celebrating Christmas In The Medical Posting – Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

In the Medical Posting, seniors were required to tag for a minimum of 10 days prior to off-tag while juniors had to tag for a full 14 days.

I was due to have my off-tag assessment and in the Medical Posting, we were required to off-tag with Physicians, meaning the specialists.

Tagging everyday in the Medical Posting was rather annoying for me since we had to stay until 10pm and being a regular early riser, I would start feeling sleepy around 8pm as that is the time I start to unwind and go to bed.

However, I can’t because I am still tagging. On top of that, since I am tagging, I would be too exhausted by the time I reach home to even consider studying. I had to prioritise my sleep more or I would crash.

Thus, I tagged for a total of 12 days which consisted of two off days. Thus, in reality, I only actually tagged for 10 full days.

In order to officially off-tag, I had to have my logbook signed by the physician who assessed me as well as to have each procedure filled and countersigned by the medical officers.

Long story short, I finally off-tagged on Christmas Eve and did not realised that I have been allocated an off day on the 25th of December.

This was perfect as my parents flew in on the 24th night. Thus, upon having officially off-tagged, I left and started getting ready to travel to the airport to meet my parents.

The following day of course was Christmas which was well spent with my parents.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #christmas #dailyBlogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1812 #dailyprompt1826 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1855 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1861 #dailyprompt1862 #dailyprompt1865 #dailyprompt1873 #dailyprompt1881 #dailyprompt1884 #dailyprompt1885 #dailyprompt1892 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1904 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1950 #dailyprompt1951 #doctor #healthcare #hospital #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #internship #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #sarawakGeneralHospital #writing

A short article regarding the time I officially off-tagged just in time to celebrate Christmas with my parents in my Fifth Posting of Housemanship.

-

#housemanship #medical #malaysia #doctor #houseofficer #blogging #writing

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/04/07/surviving-tagging-and-finally-celebrating-christmas-in-the-medical-posting-housemanship-diaries/

An article regarding my first day of tagging in my fifth posting, Medical, as a House Officer.

-

#blogging #writing #article #malaysia #housemanship #malaysia #medical #houseofficer #healthcare

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/03/22/my-first-day-in-medical-posting-tagging-day-1-housemanship-diaries/

My First Day In Medical Posting – Tagging Day 1 | Housemanship Diaries

Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.

Related Posts:

Finally, my much awaited posting… Medical!

Ever since I was a first poster, I have always looked forward towards the Medical Posting but one I decided to keep as my last as I wanted to “learn“ and understand the posting rather than just “float” through.

This served as a disadvantage in other postings as when it came to simple management of hyperkalemia or hypokalemia, I wouldn’t know, neither hypoglycaemia or hyperglycaemia.

Instead, I simply memorised my way in terms of the simple management and “referred to Medical” rather than actually learning to correct them myself in other postings.

Thus, I went complex and complicated first prior to building my way up.

My first day in this much awaited posting was on the 11th of December 2024. I had just completed the Surgical Posting and was on a 5-days-break.

On my first day, I was allocated into the “Perimedical Pool”. Deemed as probably the “worst place” to be allocated in. Thus, as usual, the fear starts creeping in.

I started asking around in regards to my job scope as well as the superiors.

Most of them advised to just arrive on time, which I did, at 7am sharp.

That morning, I was allocated to handle the “Yellow Respi” zone of the Emergency Department.

Thankfully, I had a good friend who was my partner for the day.

We began with tracing x-rays of the patients as well as their blood investigations.

After we have gone through all of the patients, we began with our morning reviews while awaiting our medical officer and specialist.

The medical officer arrived and started reviewing the patients with my friend. Here I was, on Day 1, extremely blur.

I introduced myself to the medical officer and he proceeded to tell me to go about my own reviews while he assessed the other patients with my friend.

Alright, here we go again, just like in every posting. Just how and what am I going to review?

Soon, the specialist came and I proceeded to follow the rounds as I was used to in the Surgical Posting where we all followed the grand rounds.

Instead, I was again asked to proceed with reviewing the other patients in the other cubicle while they go about their rounds.

Feeling quite lost and left out, I proceeded as such. Before I knew it, I reviewed all the patients in that particular cubicle just in time when the medical officer and the specialist came.

Thus, I started presenting and writing, still being tuned to the work culture in the Surgical Posting.

Just like rounds in the other postings, we presented, followed, write and after rounds, proceeded with discharges and carrying out the active joblists.

Surprisingly, I had time for lunch.

Afternoon rounds started at 2pm with just the medical officer and my superior was more than kind enough to start explaining and teaching me as to why certain things are as such.

After the PM rounds, I proceeded to screen through the casenotes and update the list of patients in my zone as well as to take any STAT bloods. Before 6pm, I went for my early dinner.

Considering I was tagging, I had to stay till 10pm whereas the rest who are “Short Day” or “SD” went home by 6pm. Thus, from 6pm till 10pm, I was actively screening through the casenotes in the Yellow Zone, Yellow Respi Zone, Red Zone, Red Zone 2, CSSD, EDOU, Green Yellow Zone and updating the list as well as to take any needed STAT bloods which mainly included blood cultures.

A little before 10pm, I approached one of the medical officers to get my signature for the day and went home.

That concludes my first day of tagging in the Medical Posting which surprisingly turned out rather well. For the first day at least.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyBlog #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1829 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1852 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1861 #dailyprompt1862 #dailyprompt1949 #dailyprompt1979 #dailyprompt2151 #doctor #emergencyDepartment #firstDay #hospital #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #internship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #perimedical #sarawakGeneralHospital #tagging #writing

My Morning Routine Being A House Officer Leader In The Surgical Posting | Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

There are three main leaders in the Surgical Posting. One is in charge of curating the weekly schedule, the other, in charge of ward and cubicle / bed allocations as well as to reallocate if there are any people who took emergency leaves or medical leaves and the third one, in charge of our attendance at work.

I was the daily allocator. Being the “allocator”, I would be in charge of designating the house officers to the selected cubicles of both the male and female surgical wards (MSW and FSW), the Peri, EMOT and ETD as well as to look for substitutes if there are any last minute changes or leaves.

Usually, I will prep my allocation in advance after the schedule leader has done the schedule and make necessary changes along the way. The leader in charge of the schedule usually determines which person works the night shift and when as well as to approve any leaves. Usually, the house officers will be divided into their respective wards.

The night before, I usually run through the suggested allocation in the “Leaders Group” with the medical officers in charge of the House Officers to screen through.

After receiving the green light from them or making necessary adjustments, I would then upload the list in the House Officer’s group. Thus, they would then know where they would be covering.

The list is usually sent in the “MOHO” group, meaning the group containing the House Officers and Medical Officers at 6:30 a.m.

Thus, I would wake up and be on standby at 5am everyday, even on my off days as I would wait for any messages should anybody take medical leaves or emergency leaves and make the necessary adjustments needed.

At 6:30 a.m sharp, I forward the daily allocation into the “MOHO” group.

If I happened to be working on that day, I would pause in between work just to send and then go about my work.

However, if I happened to be on leave or having my off days, I would then return to sleep or go about my other activities after 6:30 a.m.

It was an interesting experience having had the privilege to hold the position as one of the posting leaders.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyBlog #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1844 #dailyprompt1852 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1854 #dailyprompt1856 #dailyprompt1857 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1861 #dailyprompt1862 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1865 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1903 #dailyprompt1930 #dailyprompt1957 #doctor #healthcare #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #internship #kuching #leader #Malaysia #medicalOfficer #morningRoutine #sarawakGeneralHospital #surgery #surgical #writing

Reflection Of The Surgical Posting | Housemanship Diaries

Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?

Related Posts:

As you can see based on the prompt that I would be answering, Surgical Posting is definitely the place where the environment among the superiors felt more like a family to me and I’ve always felt the love and care towards one another and the patients in the whole team.

Prior to entering this department, I’ve always had my doubts and fear considering that I’ve heard numerous negative comments in regard to the department. Mostly, the department was deemed “toxic”.

However, upon entering there during my first day, I was guided and encouraged to follow rounds even when I seemed rather lost. I was not reprimanded or shouted at but instead I was guided and taught.

No doubt it is a tiring posting and after having completed my tagging period in all of the 5 major postings (Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Surgical and Medical), the tagging period in the Surgical Posting is the most tiring for me.

This posting sort of reminds me of Orthopaedics except the amount of patients are full-blown, never ending with random or common surgical-related issues and the patients are even more unstable.

The thing about being in this posting is that usually when an order is given by our superiors, it is expected to be carried out STAT, meaning immediately and they will usually keep checking in to know the progress and status of the patient which is both good and also annoying. Good because it keeps you on our toes and ensure things are being carried out. Bad as the day could be burning with multiple issues and joblists and there is lack of manpower and you barely had time to sit or even had a drink and next, you’re being summoned again.

However, looking back, I definitely enjoyed every bit of my journey over there. Eventually, I was given the responsibility of being one of the leaders in this department, the daily allocator to be exact, by my friend.

This unknowingly deepens my relationship among my superiors as we would constantly reach out to each other.

Along the way, I made friends with the nurses at Male Surgical Ward and I will always be grateful for their help.

The Surgical Posting also made me realise how much I enjoy Surgical-based and that I am one. Despite my initial interest in Medical upon entering my housemanship journey, I realised that I love hands-on more and I need to “see” the issue. For example, if a patient complaints of abdominal pain, assess the patient, send some blood workups which might help and in your direction of care as well as scans.

Most of the time, the issue is identified through the scan with the blood workup being highly suggestive. Thus we move on from there.

I can’t quite explain. Somehow it just make sense to me just like when I was previously in the Orthopaedics Department.

This posting is also where I spent the longest time. I entered the posting on the 4th of July 2024, which is around 5 months as I took a break in between due to my injury.

The Surgical Posting definitely holds a dear place in my heart. Upon bumping into my old superiors, I still greet them with joy and a smile, reminiscing my good times within the department.

If you are due to join the Surgical Posting, please prepare yourself both mentally and physically.

In my opinion, the Surgical Posting is a physically tiring and not as bad as it seems despite the multiple negative remarks. Perhaps, it was a different experience for others but in my humble opinion, it is NOT a toxic department. At least at the place that I am practicing in.

Have faith, hang in there and try your ultimate best everyday in both your work as well as in trying to learn the most you can out of this posting and journey.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyBlogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1820 #dailyprompt1822 #dailyprompt1826 #dailyprompt1828 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1834 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1844 #dailyprompt1852 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1854 #dailyprompt1963 #dailyprompt1976 #doctor #healthcare #hospitalLife #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #internship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #reflection #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #surgical

My Experience as A Plastics House Officer | Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

When I entered the Surgical Posting, we initially did not have the privilege of experiencing subspecialities like other batches.

This was due to the fact that there were lack of house officers.

However, mid-Nov, there was redirection of House Officer allocation and suddenly, the posting was overflowed with House Officers.

Hence, subspecialities were reintroduced. The subspecialities reintroduced are neurosurgical, plastics and urology.

Ever since my first posting in Orthopeaedics, I’ve always wanted to experience being in Plastics after assisting my medical officer at that time with SSG.

Thus, during my final weeks, I was given the priviledge.

The Burn Ward is located at Level 3 of the Main Building, and is able to host at most, 10 patients, with each patient having their own room/cubicle.

Usually the burnt patients are kept at Burn Ward whereas other patients who are admitted for AVF creation or SSG are placed at Surgical Ward.

The timing for us House Officers is from 7am till 6pm, Sunday till Friday with an off day on Saturday.

During my time in Plastics, I would usually arrive on time at 7am and proceed to trace the bloods first. After all the bloods have been traced, I would proceed to help out with morning reviews.

Morning reviews are usually done by the postcall medical officer. This is then followed by rounds with the surgeons, usually starting with the acute or rather, the intubated patients followed by the rest.

Rounds at Burn Ward is only once daily. After morning rounds, we would gather at the “Handover Room” whereby the patients who are not in the Burn Ward but is being seen by Plastics as another team or as a primary team are being handed over in terms of case and progress as well as the newly admitted ones.

Next, we will proceed to follow the “Peri rounds” and change dressings if needed. Usually after the Peri rounds is when us House Officers go about our joblists in terms of posting case, referrals or bloodtakings or imaging request.

The rest of the day could be pretty chill if there is nothing going on but usually, there would be new patients to be transferred in, take blood or any post-op patients to be reviewed.

Sometimes there are cases being called and we are more than welcome to join the operation. In between, there are arterial blood gases (ABGs) to be take in between or bloods to be sent.

Finally, in the evening, prior to leaving at the end of our shift, we would prep the coming mornings and leave them nearby before informing in our Surgical House Officer’s group in regards to the “coming mornings”.

My time in Plastics was rather short-lived and I felt that there was so much more to be learnt. But my time spent there was extremely wonderful and the medical officers and surgeons were more than helpful and welcoming towards the new people into their team.

Definitely, a department that I would want to return to.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #burnWard #burns #dailyBlog #dailyPrompt #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1812 #dailyprompt1813 #dailyprompt1819 #dailyprompt1820 #dailyprompt1823 #dailyprompt1826 #dailyprompt1828 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1854 #dailyprompt1857 #dailyprompt1865 #dailyprompt1878 #dailyprompt1940 #dailyprompt1954 #dailyprompt1962 #dailyprompt1976 #doctor #doctorSLife #experiences #healthcare #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #internship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #nursing #plasticSurgery #plastics #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #surgery

The Wards In The Surgical Department | Sarawak General Hospital

Related Posts:

The main General Surgery wards in this hospital is located on the 7th floor of the main building which are Male Surgical Ward (MSW) and Female Surgical Ward (FSW).

I entered my General Surgery Posting during a time whereby there were no House Officers being allocated into sub-specialities. The only so-called “sub-specialities” that were available were “Vascular” and “Hepatobiliary Team – HPB”. Both of which are added under General Surgery.

Other teams such as Neurosurgery, Plastics, Urology and Paeds Surgery did not have House Officers. It wasn’t till towards the end of my service in this Posting that it was reintroduced.

Thus, our exposure towards the wards in General Surgery were limited but also made it pretty easy for us to manage.

1. Male Surgical Ward, MSW

Located on the 7th floor of the main building, it is considered the ward which is feared and avoided by many but is also where I’ve spent most of my time while being in this posting.

As the name suggests, it is mainly for male patients with underlying surgical issues or at least being managed by Surgical as the primary team.

This ward is usually avoided by many due to the overwhelming amount of patients which is twice the amount in Female Surgical Ward.

Twice the amount usually meant twice the amount of drama as well as the usual chaos.

My journey in General Surgery ended with my service in this particular ward.

2. Female Surgical Ward, FSW

This ward is also situated on the 7th floor of the main building and it is opposite the Male Surgical Ward, MSW.

As per its namesake, it mainly consists of female patients with underlying surgical issues or at least being managed by surgical team as the primary team.

Albeit it being a “Female” Surgical Ward, there would occasionally be male patients being treated there as the beds in the other wards are usually filled, causing an overflow of patients into this ward.

I started my tagging days in this particular ward and I would consider this ward relatively chiller and laid back compared to the other.

3. Vascular Ward

The Vascular Ward is located on Level 3 of the main building.

If you have done the Paediatrics Posting, it is situated in the same location as “Paeds Nursery Level 1″.

The ward is essentially divided into two, catering to both the Paediatrics Team as well as the Vascular Team.

4. Vascular Extension Ward

The Vascular Ward could only cater to at most, 10 patients. Thus, if there were any more patients to be managed under the Vascular Team, they would be placed in the Vascular Extension Ward or in the main surgical wards.

The Vascular Extension is located on the second floor of the main building, inside the Urology Ward which is situated opposite the emergency department, ETD.

During my service period in General Surgery, I have paid a few visits to the Vascular Ward and Vascular Extension Ward. However, I have never served my time there as I was not allocated to be the House Officer in the Vascular Team and also because it was a team I was avoiding.

Upon my exit from this posting, the sub-specialities were reintroduced again and House Officers were being allocated to other teams.

Thus, if you are due to experience the General Surgery Posting, I hope that you will find it as enjoyable as I did especially while working in the Male Surgical Ward.

It is indeed hectic and busy and going home on time is almost unheard of. Albeit MSW being an extremely busy ward, the medical officers I worked with as well as the specialists were kind, helpful and willing to teach.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1903 #dailyprompt1904 #dailyprompt1905 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1907 #dailyprompt1908 #dailyprompt1911 #dailyprompt1913 #dailyprompt1915 #dailyprompt2014 #doctor #generalHospital #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #Malaysia #medicalOfficer #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #surgery #surgical #wards #writing

My First Day In General Surgery – Tagging Day 1

Related Posts:

My “Day 1 of life” in the Surgical Department commenced on the 4th of July 2024 which fell on a Thursday.

I was allocated to work in the side room of Female Surgical Ward (FSW) with a fellow colleague whom I’ve worked previously in the night shift in Paediatrics.

I left home round 5.45am and arrived at almost 6am and started reviewing as usual. I took some time as I read through the previous entries and used it as a guide to write my morning reviews.

Upon reviewing around 4 patients, a fellow medical officer arrived and automatically, I greeted him and followed him. It has become a reflex of mine as in other postings, we had to be like that, which is a good practice.

He was friendly and had a kind demeanour. Thus, I followed him, not knowing that he is actually the medical officer in charge of the HPB (Hepatobiliary) patients.

Usually, there will be a house officer in the ward in charge of the HPB patients, which I did not know of course, considering that it is my first day. Thankfully, I had a partner who followed. The “GS – General Surgery” rounds with the other medical officer instead.

As usual, rounds with medical officers followed by rounds with specialists in the morning and as House Officers, we are their assistant and scribe. The morning rounds ended and we proceeded with tracing the joblists for each patients in our allocated cubicles and updating it in the “MOHO” group as well as proceeded to complete the active job-lists.

This is then followed by afternoon reviews, afternoon rounds with medical officers and specialists followed by the completion of the active joblists and finally starting with on-call reviews and preparing our handover lists.

Considering that I am still tagging, I had to stay till at least 10pm. After completion of the on-call reviews, we followed the on-call rounds and HPB (oncall rounds), clerked and transferred in the new patients, completion of the active joblists before finally heading home.

Overall, my first day in Surgery was surprisingly good and calm. The medical officers and specialists seemed rather kind and patient. Thus, giving me the encouragement to continue despite having heard that this particular posting seemed like a rather toxic one which only serve to instil fear in me prior to joining this department.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#Articles #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1903 #dailyprompt1905 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1907 #dailyprompt1910 #dailyprompt1983 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1993 #dailyprompt1995 #dailyprompt2003 #dailyprompt2008 #doctor #generalHospital #generalSurgery #hospital #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #Medicine #sarawak #surgery #surgical #tagger #tagging #writing

The Worst Morning Shift In General Surgery | Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

I can’t really remember when as at the time of writing this article, I am about to cross into the second week of 2025.

Perhaps it was somewhere in October last year or early November.

It happened to be the day shift on a weekday and we were lack of manpower. 3 House Officers in the Male Surgical Ward, 2 House Officers in the Female Surgical Ward. Out of the 5 of us, I am the senior and the rest are first posters, three of which are only Day 3 into their housemanship life.

Oh dear…

We all know how busy Surgical can get and being the only senior that day surrounded by newbies, it was as good as being alone as they were not familiar with the system or the work or the procedures.

Learning does take time.

The day started with me taking care of the acute beds. The acute beds in the ward is considered the most unstable, hence it only made sense to allocate the senior, which is myself there, followed by the subacute cubicles.

The front cubicles and back cubicles are relatively stable patients. Hence, I allocated my juniors there. Usually for first posters in their first week of life, I would not allocate them independently to take care of a cubicle. However, we were desperately short staffed that day and taking care of the front or back cubicles are not easy either especially if you’ve just entered.

The day was busy enough. Started with me following rounds at acute and subacute with my medical officers and again with the ward surgeon, only to leave midway as the Hepatobiliary Team (HPB) had their own separate rounds and I was the HPB house officer for that day.

After rounds, it is the completion of the joblists. Amidst trying to complete the joblists, we had to transfer in new patients, take and send off the bloods of patients who have just entered as well as attending to any acute issues.

On that day, I had to assist with the front and back cubicles as well and in the afternoon, the juniors left for their Operating Theatre (OT) orientation.

My phone literally rang non-stop that day and the nurses kept haunting me down for everything. If only, I had the ability to clone myself…

Suddenly my phone rang and I had to assist a registrar to help tend to a visiting outpatient, attend the female surgical ward acute issues because the medical officer on-call called me as well as attend a virtual meeting.

Time flew by rather quickly, one minute I was escorting a patient, next was being called upon by this and that medical officer or registrar or nurses. To the point, my post-call registrar stayed back to assist me.

As the evening progressed, most of my patients desaturated. The annoying thing about Surgery, we had to update the whole story properly in the oncall WhatsApp Group for the day.

If only it were as easy as that.

We couldn’t just take a picture of our entry and update. Instead, we had to properly type the whole summary or stay.

I finally completed my task for the day at 10pm. It was an extremely exhausting and tiring day. One which I have no interest in relieving again.

That was probably the worst morning shift I’ve ever experienced.

However, looking back at what I’ve written, it doesn’t do justice to what I actually felt that day.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1826 #dailyprompt1828 #dailyprompt1829 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1834 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1914 #dailyprompt1920 #dailyprompt1982 #dailyprompt1995 #dailyprompt2003 #doctor #generalHospital #generalSurgery #healthcare #hospital #houseOfficer #housemanship #Malaysia #medicalOfficer #morningShift #surgery #surgical #worstShift #write #writing

I Ordered A Chest X-Ray For The Wrong Patient | Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

It was during my tagging period in the Surgical Posting and I was a Female Surgical Ward.

It was my first day being in charge of the acute beds and side room. I recalled one of the patients being a Urology patient. Usually, if the patient is from other departments, we are not required to review them. This patient in particular was intubated and sent to our ward to be placed in one of the acute beds for further monitoring from the Urology ward.

Upon transfer into the ward, the patient required a portable CXR for post-intubation. I did not screen through the casenote since it was from another team. The nurse in charge informed me of a new case but did not tell that the patient needed a CXR. Hence, my reply was “it’s not our patient, it is from a different team. They will review later.”

Hence, the Urology Medical Officer on call came after a while and reviewed the patient. He went to check the system and was confused as to why the chest x-ray was not done for the patient. The nurse immediately informed that I did not want to do it considering the patient is from another team.

At that time, afternoon rounds with the Surgeon was currently ongoing and I was disturbed from writing my reviews. I immediately proceeded to fill the form and had it sent to the Radiology Department to request for a portable chest x-ray.

Amidst the rush, I had wrongly written for another patient instead.

I only realised it when the radiographer came and did an x-ray on two patients at the acute beds. One, the intubated patient from another department and another which is a patient of ours.

I realised my mistake and rushed back to check the form and was met with a very angry daughter of the patient.

I admitted my mistake and was yelled at. After such a tiring week and a hectic day on top of tagging itself, I could not contain myself any longer and tears started streaming down my eyes uncontrollably.

Thankfully enough, it was just a mere chest x-ray and nothing more or a wrong operation done. Since the patient is under the colorectal team, the surgeon in charge and the medical officers in charge will proceed with their rounds again and I could not contain myself again and tears started to stream down my face again.

The medical officer in charge noticed and asked me to go to toilet, understanding that I needed some time for myself to recollect myself again. Hence, I excused myself.

After a while, I went out and rejoined the rounds and admitted my mistake to the medical officer in charge to which she laughed and said “well she has a free x-ray now and were there any changes as compared to the previous one?” To which I answered none.

She was amused considering that it was over a mere x-ray which was requested for the wrong patient that I started breaking down.

Thankfully, it was just an x-ray.

The lesson learnt here was for me to be extra careful in the future because it could have been worse and become medicolegal.

Please try to avoid doing anything out of rush or pressure and always slow down for a bit and reconfirm the patient and procedures to avoid or minimise errors.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #chestXRay #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1903 #dailyprompt1904 #dailyprompt1905 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1908 #dailyprompt1910 #dailyprompt1915 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1985 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1993 #dailyprompt1994 #dailyprompt1995 #dailyprompt2003 #dailyprompt2005 #doctor #errors #generalHospital #hospital #houseOfficer #housemanship #Malaysia #medicalOfficer #mistakes #surgery #surgical #write #writing

My First Surgical ETD / ED Night Shift Experience

Related Posts:

My first ETD “on-night” or night shift in Surgical was with a fellow junior who I considered as my senior in the posting as she was in the department much longer that I was.

Prior to joining the Surgical Posting, I have went through the Orthopaedic Posting as my first posting and people said that the ETD shift is similar to that in the Orthopaedic Posting, except that we would be taking the bloods, requesting necessary scans ourselves and posting the case.

Before I went to the emergency department, I stopped by the ward to steal some forms and stock up my “file”. After that, I went downstairs and received handover from the morning team.

During my first “ETD ON” shift, there were two medical officers as the first call. One is a tagging medical officer as she had just joined the department.

The night was rather cold I would say with minimal referrals, probably less than 10.

Every time there is a new case, we would be asked to clerk the patient first. However, usually the medical officer would be there by then and we would see the cases together.

I remembered it being “cool” enough that night that we even had time to have dinner for a while before proceeding to take our coming mornings and even rest for a while somewhere.

In the morning, we requested scans that were rejected the day before and followed rounds with no surgeon to know the latest plans, handed over to the following morning team and returned home on time.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1820 #dailyprompt1834 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1897 #dailyprompt1903 #dailyprompt1904 #dailyprompt1905 #dailyprompt1906 #dailyprompt1907 #dailyprompt1912 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt2003 #dailyprompt2009 #emergency #experience #generalHospital #hospital #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #nightShift #sarawak #surgery #surgical #write #writing

My First Night Shift In Surgery | Housemanship Diaries

Related Posts:

My first “ON” or “On-night” or night shift in General Surgery was in the Female Surgical Ward with a friend whom I’ve known since around my first posting but have yet to be in the same posting together till our fourth posting in General Surgery.

We were blessed enough to have at least 2 people per ward for the night shift.

Our shift as “on-night” in Surgery began from 7pm and will usually last till all the discharges are done the following morning.

Upon my arrival to the ward, I was informed that one patient in particular had no urine in her CBD (urinary catheter) bag and that she felt like urinating but was unable to void. Considering that she had a urinary catheter in-situ, voiding should not have been an issue.

I attended STAT and assessed her. She had a mass over her abdomen which was hard, non-mobile but had smooth edges, around 15cm by 10cm, a rather large one which I assumed was a tumour, probably pressing onto her urinary bladder as well.

It did not occur to me to check if the patient was previously passing urine, it also did not occur to me to check her intake and output chart. All I could think of at that time was, she felt like voiding, she is in pain, there is no urine flowing into her urine bag.

Thus, I prepped the trolley to reinsert a new CBD. I donned my plastic apron and prepped my materials needed and proceeded to clean the patient’s vagina and reinsert a new urinary catheter in as probably as sterile as I could, bedside.

Upon insertion of the new urinary catheter, there was no urine outflow. Thinking that I may have blocked it or inserted not all the way in, totally abandoning my theoretical principles learnt, I proceeded to reinsert about 3 times and each time was met with no urinary outflow but there were bloodstains from the urethra.

I called my partner for help and he proceeded to help me in informing in the oncall group and referred to Urology medical officer oncall who was rather grumpy.

It was during his referral that I realised that the patient had been anuric (not passing any urine) for sometime now. Clearly, she would not have any urine output and although she felt the need to void, it would not have been an issue considering there is a urinary catheter in-situ.

I had unnecessarily caused trauma and I felt foolish for acting prior performing a thorough examination and understanding her case.

The Urology medical officer came and reinserted a CBD to which she asked us not to remove and to request for an ultrasound the following day for assessment as she suspected that the tumour over her abdomen had infiltrated into her urinary bladder or urinary system.

That was settled but definitely ate up a huge amount of our time because of my mistake.

Subsequently I was rather slow and there were a few post-operative patients and new patients admitted into the ward. Hence, I proceeded to do the needful. By the time I was done, my partner had completed taking the blood for the whole ward and at that time, it was around 3am. I could sense the back-to-back disappointment I have caused him and at that point, I have given up on apologising.

We then proceeded to complete our planned discharges of the patients and by 6am, started tracing the blood results of the patients before retiring into the house officer’s room for a break.

In the morning, as usual as in other postings, we would be “summoned” in the group to take any bloods or to start our discharges.

We returned home around 11am and our post-night shift was followed by an off day.

Personally, I felt that I could’ve done a lot better as I was rather slow that night. However, for a first night shift in Surgical, it was not as bad as it seems.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Blog #blogging #bloggingAsADoctor #dailyBlogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1834 #dailyprompt1955 #dailyprompt1959 #dailyprompt1962 #dailyprompt1963 #dailyprompt1971 #dailyprompt1977 #dailyprompt1978 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1982 #dailyprompt1983 #dailyprompt1985 #dailyprompt1986 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1995 #dailyprompt2003 #doctor #healthcare #hospital #houseOfficer #housemanship #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #nightShift #surgery #surgical #write #writing

#houseOfficer

Client Info