DAY 1772-1786

Jul 10 - 24

1) It has been a good two weeks since my last blog post. Things have been chugging along for us in Group B, as we continue our clinical exposure in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G). This is our last rotation before the end of fourth year examinations. As expected, the pressure of exams is building up, as we barely have a week's respite after O&G exams before having to sit for the final examinations. 

2) Regardless, I have found O&G to be a very interesting, if challenging field. Essentially, obstetrics covers care before, during, and after pregnancy, including childbirth and the post-partum period, while gynaecology covers the health of the female reproductive system i.e. vagina, uterus, ovaries, and breasts. Our curriculum is structured such that we spend a week each in the obstetric ward, obstetric clinics, gynaecology ward, and gynaecology clinics. We also have a session each in the fertility clinic and urogynaecology clinics, as well as five labour on-calls (essentially "night-shifts") where we are given the opportunity to witness childbirths. 

3) In addition, we have a total of five case reports to write: three labour cases, one obstetric case, and one gynaecology case, where we discuss the management of the patient as well as outline any learning points from each case. It's a busy rotation to say the least. I'm not going to lie - waking up early to clerk at least one case for presentation before 8.00am is not something I look forward to, given that we have two bed-side teachings in day - one at 8.00am and another at 12.00pm. At the end of the day, my mind is usually saturated with information. Thankfully, we have the rest of the day for self-study. 

4) Last Monday, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that an art submission of mine had been selected as one of the top three winners for the "Artist's Impression: The Heart" competition organised by the RUMC Peer-Led Assisted Learning Society (PALS). As the title suggests, the theme revolved around the heart - so that inspired me to draw a heart undergoing a heart attack, along with the progressive build-up of plaque leading to atherosclerosis, which can result in a heart attack. It was really fun to take my mind off studying medicine and instead concentrate on one of my old hobbies i.e. drawing.

5) Next week, it is our turn to enter the gyanecology wards. So I think it best to end on here. Thanks very much for visiting as always, and have a lovely weekend. Stay safe, and stay happy. Cheers! 

My submission for the art competition:

i) The main picture shows a heart undergoing a heart attack, with the shaded zones representing myocardial (heart muscle) necrosis (death), injury, and ischaemia 

ii) The diagrams on the right show the sequence of plaque formation, which can result in a heart attack

iii) The wavy lines on the bottom show the ECG changes over time in a patient with a heart attack

My O&G group mates @ the infertility clinic

(l-r: Myself, Ainin, Vinny, Ain, and Aida)

A negative COVID-19 swab test was required for us to resume our clinical training in the wards

We booked our free screening and received our results in under two hours :)