1) And so... another two weeks have passed. Time for a summary of events. I started off the first week with a three day visit to the Private Clinics (in my case, at Island Hospital). I was initially supposed to shadow a neonatalogist (someone who specialises in neonatal health (babies below 1 month of age), but ended up following a paediatric cardiologist for the first two days instead. I must say I learnt a lot observing patients in a clinic setting (compared to the wards) as I got the opportunity for one-on-one teaching. It was really interesting to watch multiple echocardiograms (ultrasounds of the heart) as well as appreciate the different types of heart murmurs and clinical presentations of patients with heart disease.
2) On Thursday, we had our mid-module appraisal (MMA) at Hospital Kepala Batas. Thankfully, transport was provided for by van, although we had to leave really early to reach on time. Dr. Violet took us for the appraisal, which involved going over (confidentially) areas we were weak in, critique and feedback over the course so far, as well as a semi-mock exam for each of us. In the afternoon, she brought us over to the T&CM (Traditional and Chinese medicine) department - one of the few hospitals with this type of department that is endorsed by the Ministry of Health. It was a really interesting experience, and by interviewing some of the patients, we found out that the majority of them had a) tried Western medicine first and failed, then b) adopted a traditional approach and found that it worked. Whether by placebo or by some other method not demonstrable by science, these patients swear by the alternative medicine that they receive. Most of them had chronic pain or disability e.g. following a stroke.
3) Over the weekend, I've been trying to catch up with studies, as any medical student would want to haha. The mid-module appraisal represents the turning point (and halfway mark) for our paediatrics rotation. That means we have another four weeks to go before our end-of-rotation assessment (OSCEs and short cases). In addition to those, we have continuous assessments as well, in the form of online quizzes, preparations before class, and three online report submissions (on Paediatrics, Neonataology, and Evidence-Based Medicine respectively). Our group (B12) has but one more report to finish - on Paediatrics. After that, it's study all the way till finals - as caffeine consumption increases and sleep deprivation too.
4) Next week, we'll be in Penang General Hospital, with our so-called Self-Directed Learning, before finishing off our final week in the Seberang Jaya Hospital Clinics. Week 8 (the final week) is filled with any replacement classes, revision time, and the exams themselves. So all in all, a very packed rotation, with endless information, but enjoyable and interesting nonetheless. And on that note, I'll end this edition of my blog post. Thanks very much for visiting as always, and have a nice day. Cheers!
Kepala Batas Hospital - waiting for our Mid-Module Appraisal
(l-r: Mahitha, Athirah, Myself)
Posing in front of the Main Administrative building :)
Huge fried fish for lunch today <3
Chicken rice in college :)
Penang "Muar Chee" (glutinous rice balls) coated in savoury ground-up peanut :)
Chicken cheese lava at Coffee Elements
MPU U3 Members
(l-r: Myself, Ice, Girvana, Mehwish, Zi Yan)
- we've since expanded our group members to nine :)
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