DAY 1690-1704

Apr 19 - May 3

1) Having finished our eye posting at Bukit Mertajam Hospital, Group B1 has continued with the ENT (ear, nose, throat) posting in Penang General Hospital. ENT medicine, or to give it its proper name, oto-rhino-laryngology, is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical and medical management of conditions affecting the ears, nose, throat, head, and neck. For the past week, we'd had clinical teaching at the hospital, where we learnt how to use an otoscope (a medical device used to look into the ear canal and eardrum). We also had a chance to see how hearing assessments are conducted (usually in sound-proof rooms).

2) Throughout our two weeks in ENT, we are attached to two different doctors, with three 4-hour sessions each week. At the end of the second week, we have a clinical exam, which involves an otoscopic exam and a short viva requiring us to interpret results of various ENT diseases. So far I am really enjoying this posting as the workload is not too heavy, giving us time to self-study and revise. I like to think that less is more - by focusing less on exams, case reports, and group presentations, there is more time for the medical student to actually focus on what they are weak in, as well as to delve further into what they might later specialise in.

3) After obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) posting and the ensuing fourth year finals that I've repeatedly mentioned in previous posts, we will commence our clinical electives. The idea is to give students a chance to explore an area of their own interest, in any hospital of their choice (subject to approval of course). Initially, the duration of our electives was to be eight weeks (2 months), but this was slashed in half due to the ongoing pandemic. The only problem now is that most hospitals have closed their doors to external medical students, leaving very few options behind. That being said, I have been really fortunate to be accepted as an elective student at Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (otherwise known as Ipoh General Hospital). 

4) I guess that is all for this edition of my blog post. I wish it were more fun and exciting, but I suppose that is the downside of being smack in the middle of an ongoing pandemic. Anyway, thanks very much for tuning in, and have a great week ahead. Stay safe and stay healthy, cheers! 

Lovely decor spotted at Gurney Plaza, 

to commemorate the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan

Tracheostomy tube - a tube inserted into the trachea of a person who is unable to breathe using their nose or mouth (can be used in emergency situations or for long operations)

DAY 1675-1689

Apr 4 - 18

1) The eyes are the windows of the soul. From one specialty to another, our group has moved on from radiology to ophthalmology - the branch of medicine and surgery that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the eye. Out of all the five senses, vision is undeniably the most important. We are unique in our reliance on sight as the dominant sense and this is reflected in how complicated our eyes are relative to other creatures. Also, while most of us could probably make do with a reduced sense of smell (i.e. myself as I have a congested nose most mornings), the same cannot be said for vision loss. 

2) Anyway, it's two weeks of ophthalmology and two weeks of ENT (otherwise known as otorhinolaryngology) for us. Unlike the previous two rotations that we had (emergency medicine and radiology), there will actually be an end-of-rotation clinical assessment for both eye and ENT postings. For our current rotation, the clinical exam is mainly to assess our ability to properly use the direct ophthalmoscope (a handheld device that allows the doctor to look into the back of the eye at the various structures). 

3) The past week has been well spent clerking patients and examining them in the wards. We noticed quite a few patients who presented with cataracts, either age-related or due to trauma (e.g. motor vehicle accidents). Other conditions included thyroid eye disease, inflammatory orbital cellulitis, intra-ocular foreign body (another way of saying "external object lodged in the eye"), and sixth nerve palsy. Suffice to say, we've learnt a lot in the short span of a week, with one more week to go before exams. Hopefully it'll be another fruitful week ahead.

4) With that, I'll end this edition of my blog here. Thanks very much for tuning in as always, and have a great week ahead. Cheers! 

So we celebrated Melissa's birthday on Friday!

(l-r: Esther, Myself, Jason, Melvin, Melissa, Girvana, Ice

@ Soul Cafe)

Spaghetti carbonara

Cappuccino in a rather curious-looking cup

Chocolate birthday cake as hand-picked by Girvana

What a decadent and moist chocolate cake it was!

It was lovely meeting up with you guys again!

(All the best for finals! :)