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 936-948

Mar 26 - Apr 7

1) And yet in another blink of an eye (for me, at least - I've lost all concept of time) another two weeks have flashed by. Our medicine rotation is finally over (for Group B), and the upcoming public health rotation promises to be more "relaxed". I am delighted to have survived both surgery and medicine rotations, and to have public health as the last rotation before our end-of-semester exams in May.

2) As it is, I cannot believe that four months have passed by so fast! I still remember coming to Penang in January, and moving in to Sri York with my housemate, and saying goodbye to my family once again :'( Heck, it was just yesterday that I touched down in KLIA, after spending my last days in rainy Dublin. Everything seems to have whizzed by so fast - a little too fast if I'm honest. I sometimes like to take a breather and to think back about all the adventures and memories that I've made - it's so easy to forget in the midst of everyday life!

3) Back to reality then. The other day, as part of our portfolio review for medicine (consisting of 10 case write-ups and some other stuff), we had to print out the feedback of those write-ups. Uproar ensued as the library printers (and if I'm honest, all printers in the college) stopped functioning in accordance to Murphy's Law - whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. It was at the last opportune moment that the librarian managed to fix the printer, and I was first in line to print the remaining feedback (for those wondering, I couldn't print it out any earlier as I needed to get the feedback from the examiners first). What a RELIEF!

4) The medicine portfolio was a cinch compared to the surgery one. Just 10 case write-ups, as opposed to 23 cases, and we could type it out as well! The only downside is there was no added time after our medicine end-of-rotation assessment (EORA) to compete the portfolio (in surgery we had around 5 or 6 days to finish our surgical portfolio after EORA). For public health, continuous assessment (similar to EORA) is via a 10% report regarding a health-related topic (mine is entitled "Effect of Monsoons on Health in Nepal"). At the end of the semester, we have our end-of-semester exams, consisting of an MCQ (multiple-choice questions) paper for Medicine, and an MCQ paper and OSPA (Objective Structured Practical Assessment) paper for Public Health. There is, thankfully, no MCQ paper for surgery, yet. (Please don't get any ideas)

5) For public health, we are split up to three groups - one for each District Health Office (DHO) location, namely Seberang Perai, Barat Daya, and Timur Laut. I've been assigned (without much choice actually) to Seberang Perai - the furthest location. The upside is my entire Seberang Jaya Hospital "crew" (namely Ray, Mahitha, and Ruth) have been posted here too, which is great! We only travel to the DHO thrice a week; the other two days are spent in the lecture theatre at RUMC.

6) That is basically our rotations in a nutshell, hopefully it provided some insight/ was at least mildly entertaining to read haha. Thanks very much for tuning in, and have a nice week ahead. Cheers!

On the road back home (just the first left and voila - Sri York!)

Spotted this during MPU (General Studies) Presentation (our "Ethnic Relations" module is in 

Malay Language)

Close-up of the white text from above - showcasing the diversity of our language (or serving to confuse just about everyone else)

So the other day Denise introduced me to this cafe called Harvest Times Cafe - a 10 minute drive away from accommodation...

Their soup of the day - creamy mushroom soup with bread basket

Garlic butter chicken kiev - served on a bed of mashed potatoes and salad

Grilled tilapia in basic white sauce

Our set menu came with dessert - cake and ice cream! :)

So another one of Denise's recommendations - chicken shawarma @ Gurney Paragon!

Thumbs up and all smiles XD

Gula melaka (brown sugar) ice cream - as you can see I am a desserts kinda guy XD

Finally got round to trying this - a huge bowl of tom yam (sour and spicy) seafood noodles

- at Sri York Cafeteria! 

Absolutely wonderful and spicy too haha

DAY 899-911

Feb 17 - Mar 1

1) And just like that, we're three weeks into our first rotation (two weeks surgery, one week orthopaedics). Having completed our first three weeks in Penang General Hospital, it is time for a breath of fresh air - so it's over to Seberang Jaya Hospital for the last two weeks of rotation. Seberang Jaya is one of the main hospitals in Penang, and strategically located in Seberang Perai Tengah, near the PLUS (North-South Highway) and BKE (Butterworth-Kulim Highway), and the industrial areas of Prai and Bkt. Mertajam. Along with Penang General Hospital and Taiping Hospital, it forms the three major teaching hospitals for our college.

2) It is a challenge waking up in the wee hours of the morning to go all the way there, but after a while we have gotten used to the routine. The sunrise as we cross the first Penang Bridge is always a magnificent sight, and enough to brighten anyone's day. We had many "bedside teachings" (BST) with the surgeons/doctors, and were lucky enough to enter OT on the last day for a laporoscopic cholecystectomy (surgical removal of the gallbladder). It was exciting seeing the entire procedure from start to finish, and looking at the freshly removed enlarged gallbladder afterwards.

3) RUMCSA (Student Association) recently organised our Lunar New Year celebration, at the Multi-purpose Hall. As I had already bought the ticket many moons ago (see what I did there?) I had no choice but to go. In the end, I was really glad that I did. We had loads of fun tossing the yee sang, and the performance by the trio of Melvin, Melissa, and Esther (rendition of "The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心) was truly heart-warming. We enjoyed the friendly banter with the professors and heads of department, and especially the lion dance ensemble at the end. Some of us were even lucky enough to receive ang pows (red packets) from the "God of Prosperity"!

4) Last weekend, a group of RCSI and UCD students attended the inaugural RUMC Medical Careers Day, in Novotel KL. The aim was to promote our college while providing future medical students with a flavour of life as a medical student and doctor. Our task then, as scholars and therefore student ambassadors for the college, was to give a brief (i.e. 15 minutes) presentation on our life in Dublin, where we did our preclinical years. Aneesha did her presentation for UCD while I gave mine for RCSI. We were also involved afterwards with the two workshop sessions, one for Basic CPR Skills Training, and the other for blood pressure examination - two vital skills that any doctor (and I would argue, layperson) should have.

5) It was a tiring weekend for me as I skipped the last half hour of tutorials on Friday to make the PMC van to Kuala Lumpur. The journey was long, but the conversation pleasant. We stopped by Tapah Rest & Relax, just past the exit where I take when going to Tenby. That means I was within 10 minutes of home XD. Overall, we felt the event was a success, and many eager students stayed back to ask us questions and obtain our contact details.

6) Fast forward to today, and we had our first EORA (End of Rotation Assessment) - essentially a "Long Case" Examination. We are given 40 minutes to clerk a real patient in hospital, which includes history taking and physical examination. Then a further 15 minutes is allotted for questioning by the examiner. We had to be in quarantine at 7.05am, so I had to wake up really early. I was really glad to have finished our long case, eventhough we do not receive our results until later in the week. With a huge burden lifted from my chest, I returned to the college, had my breakfast, and went up the library for a short "nap" - which turned out to be more than an hour XD.

7) Preview for the coming weekend --> as part of the compulsory MPU "Hubungan Etnik" (Ethics Relations) module, our entire cohort is required to perform a task as part of our assessment. That "task" has manifested as a dance showcasing the many cultures and backgrounds of Malaysia. I'm involved in the Dikir Barat dance, along with many of our friends. We will be showcasing dances from all over Malaysia, as part of our very own RUMC Charity Carnival & Open Day. To be honest, practice has not been easy, as most of us had our end-of-rotation assessments this week. But we will give it our all, and hopefully it will be an eventful day for everyone. Stay tuned...

8) That's basically it for today's edition of my blog. Thank you very much for visiting as always, and have a nice weekend ahead. Cheers!

Group B1

l-r: Myself, Mahitha, Helmi, Hajar, Ruth, Esther, Matthew, Ray, Amirah

@Seberang Jaya Hospital

Clerking partners

Last day of surgery rotation for this semester!

Surgical masks on...

@OneDeLand Restaurant

I ordered the nasi lemak special - was not disappointed! :)

Sunday lunch with Aly and Denise

Kung pao mantis prawn rice set - @Sri York Cafe

The morning Sun was breathtaking

- on our first day of rotation in Seberang Jaya Hospital (for orthopaedics)

 

At Sri Ananda Bahwan for lunch today :)

Banana leaf rice will remain one of my all-time favourites ^^

Masala chicken set

Lunch with Ray and Mahitha

Cili padi merah - basically some chilli with a K-I-C-K!

Thai style mantis prawn with rice set

Chinese New Year Dinner with RUMCSA and Heads of Department

Prosperity Yee sang - tossing our food for good luck and prosperity :)

Prof Doughty clearly distracted by the humongous ears of the "God of Prosperity" XD

Happy CNY everyone!!

A beautiful rendition from our dear friends to enrich the night

l-r: Esther, Melissa, Melvin

Root beer float @ A&W

- at Tapah Restover

(on our way to Novotel KL for RUMC Medical Careers Day)

Huge bed all to myself?

Yes please!

My Friday hospital attire

To my Saturday presentation attire XD

Nothing like a buffet breakfast to kickstart the morning :)

Nasi lemak was lit

Breakfast with Aneesha

The venue for today

(the main event would begin in an hour)

Buffet self-service with the participants

With the other scholars

l-r: Myself, Sabrina, Rueben, Aneesha

Prof. Whitford enthralling the audience with his superb presentation on choosing the right medical school

My turn to present - my experiences in Dublin retold... ^^

Thomas was the main event coordinator, and all credit goes to him

- he did an awesome job! :)

Group photo with all the participants

Returning to the PMC Van

How does one fill up RM656 worth of petrol in one go?!

The van wing mirror is shinier than my future XD

Saying goodbye to Hospital Seberang Jaya, only to say hello again the following week when we start rotation in Medicine

Collage by Google Photos is very interesting :)

Extra photos :)