DAY 1892-1913

Nov 7 - 28

1) Finally, a breath of fresh air. As the end of the year approaches, so too are the number of exams remaining in our penultimate semester. This week, Group B finished their end-of-rotation assessment for medicine. Basically, it's a continuous assessment where we have a 20-minute session with our examiner after clerking and examining a patient in the ward. Overall, it has been an interesting four weeks here in medicine, as we were finally allowed to return to the wards to practice clerking patients (before this we were only permitted in the clinics). 

2) Returning to medicine (after our fourth year sabbatical in other rotations) reminded me of just how wide the scope of medicine really is. Each ward is specific for a particular system e.g. the cardiology ward for the heart, respiratory ward for the lungs etc. In addition, there are outpatient clinics for walk-in consultations and follow-ups, as well as procedure rooms for specific interventions. Case in point, in the cardiology clinics, we were able to witness echocardiograms being performed, as well as exercise stress tests, dobutamine stress tests, and ECGs. Simply reading about all these in text books is not useful, as only by seeing them performed in real time do we actually remember better.

3) The only two assessments left for this semester are the public health examination as well as the surgery continuous assessment. In the meantime, we have a dedicated week off for both self-directed learning (SDL) and a basic life support (BLS) course, the latter which we had already passed in our pre-clinical years but are required to attempt again before we graduate. Anyway, that aside, we have a further two weeks of SDL before our Public Health II rotation begins. That concludes the end of Semester 9, our penultimate semester in this course.

4) The final semester begins next year, and consists of "just" medicine and surgery, as well as pre-internship training. But we'll leave that for another time. For now, the public health module requires my attention. And with that, I'll end this edition of my blog here. Thanks for visiting as always, and have a great one. Cheers!

Photoshoot for the yearbook!

L-R: Helmi, Tenisha, Myself, and Angel

End-of-rotation assessment (EORA) for medicine - DONE!

L-R: Helmi, Shang Chen, Lay She, Nasuha, Tenisha, and myself

Exploring Penang - Hin Bus Depot (an art and events space located in George Town)

Granola and different organic nut butters on display

As you can see, it's a busy Sunday indeed :)

Stopped for our burger and kefir soda lunch 

Tried Vietnamese egg coffee for a third time - still loving it!

Sounds like a weird combination but believe me it's wonderful

Cake and coffee - nothing else really compares :)

Chinese fan dance (left) juxtaposed with the kuda kepang dance (right)

Not sure what the bull signifies here - perhaps it symbolises the Year of the Ox?

Apparently the space behind me used to be a bus depot, now converted into a setting for indoor and outdoor exhibits, as well as a cafe and weekend market.

Lunch at a cafe with an interesting name - D' Fat Mona Lisa Cafe

Really liked the food - huge portion sizes at an affordable price, complete with sides and a drink!

Photoshoot time :)

Yes - the RCSI tie is mandatory 

(even though I haven't earned the right to wear it yet XD)

Art exhibition in Gurney Plaza today :)

Incredible painting of the food culture that permeates Penang Island

Huge fireworks display over the Penang Bridge (top) 

and over Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple (below)

Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) Statue at Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple, Air Itam

I realise that I've never really taken a photo of my usual weekend lunch spot - Han Sik Ga

Lunch at Han Sik Ga, Gurney Plaza

A quick lunch before heading back to Penang General Hospital to clerk patients

Post-examination destress brunch at Coffee Elements @ All Seasons Place :)

(And so begins our three-week "holiday")

DAY 1879-1891

Oct 25 - Nov 6

1) I've been really busy and stressed out this past week. Essentially, there were two really important events taking place: i) the International Undergraduate Medical Research Conference 2021 (IUMRC21), and ii) the Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) interview. To make things more difficult, there were both held on weekdays, giving me very little time to prepare after our clinical rotations in the morning.

2) After emerging as the best overall presenter for RUMC Research Day 2021, I was privileged to be sponsored by my university to present my research findings (on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) at the IUMRC 2021. My abstract had been accepted for oral presentation, where I was required to submit a 10 minute recorded video of me presenting my PowerPoint slides. On the day of the conference itself, this video would be played to the audience (and adjudicators), followed by a live Q&A session for two minutes. 

3) It took some time for me to remember all the details regarding my research, and to prepare for the possible questions during the Q&A session. Also, my WiFi has a habit of failing me whenever I have important events coming up. Fortunately, there were no hiccups on the day itself, as I managed to answer the two questions posed by the audience. On a side note, it was really interesting to listen to the other presenters and find out more about how research is conducted in other disciplines. It reminded me of how diverse research can be, and why I enjoyed research in the first place.

4) I had to wait until the next day to get my results. Indeed, I was incredibly lucky to be awarded the Best Oral Presentation Award in the category of "Discovery Science". I certainly would not have been able to do so without the continuous support, encouragement, and advice from my university, and for that I am truly grateful.

5) After attending the conference, I had less than half an hour before the next event - the Specialised Foundation Programme (SFP) interview. This is basically an interview for aspiring clinician scientists hoping to train in the UK as a Foundation Doctor. Although this is very much a longshot, I knew I had to at least try. After the hour-long interview, we were informed that the results would be announced next year. I had done my best during the session, so the only thing left to do is to keep my fingers crossed. That, as well as to start preparing for the upcoming Situational Judgment Test (SJT), the end-of-rotation examinations for medicine, and the second half of the Public Health Examinations. There's never really a break is there? XD

6) I did spend the past few days finishing off my Public Health Report, just so I could get it out of the way. I have been neglecting both my medical and surgical rotations, so it is time for me to start revising properly. Thanks very much for visiting as always, take care and stay safe. Cheers!

My expired student ID card - had to trade it in for a new one :)

Finally received my prize for winning the Anatomy Heart Sketching Competition

- a set of very appropriate pens

I also finally got myself a new watch (from Lazada) after the strap broke off in my old one

First time trying out An Viet - a restaurant in Gurney Plaza serving authentic Vietnamese cuisine :)

As you can see, they gave me so many clams in my coconut broth!

Kimchi burger from "Dream Burger" - smells and tastes absolutely phenomenal! 

Thanks Tenisha for the recommendation :)