The ending of 1st term.

I've been going to the gym really often, since JOEL GAN said that I look fatter. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN!

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Time flies. Teaching period 1 is over, means, I've been in the course for a good 2 months, in Sydney for 3 months already. My rotation started with Ageing and Endings, which is equivalent to Oncology, Palliative Care and Geriatrics. I was the whiny one who complained about my start of clinicals with these 2 disciplines back then, and now that it's over, I realise how much I actually enjoyed this term.

I LOVE GERIATRIC MEDICINE for this term. I was dreading to start the term when my oncology term ended, don't know what was I thinking! Anyways, for aged care term, the 3 of us who are posted to the Prince of Wales Hospital, are allocated to a different team each at the ward, lead by a different consultant each. Mine was Team Caplan, led by Prof. Caplan. Dr. Gogulan was the Jr. Reg, and Dr. Tyler Chan was the intern. So, under the prof's order, the registrar and intern had to babysit me for 4 weeks, haha. Bad for them, good for me! 

Geriatrics is really a good field to practice general medicine, taking into consideration of VARIOUS factors that might affect the normal prescription, patient's compliance, mental health, social status, family etc... It selects only the most wholesome doctors. One of the lecturers said, "In geris, think paeds!" Soooo true! You're not only treating the symptoms, often in elderly, it's a combination of syndromes, taking into consideration of the family as well. In paeds, anything you do or plan has to be involved with the family. It's fascinating how one can revert back to their inner child behavior as they age. Countless times, have I spoken to my patients as though they were little kids, urging them to stay still; have I held their hands through procedures just so they would feel more secure and reassured, as how a child would feel like.

I'm so thankful for being the kid in the team, this particular Team Caplan =) 

1. Everyone in the team was very verbal and interactive, and had a good sense of humour! 
2. The doctors were all dudes, so I was the only girl in the team tagging along, MADE ME THE SPECIAL ONE, hehe. I love how the reg, Tyler and I joked around so often in the office.
3. I had 2 awesome babysitters, especially Tyler, who spent time teaching, showing and guiding me through venepunctures and iv cannulations! Well, we'll only be taught to do those things officially during our Internal Medicine rotation, which for me, is in late September, what a shame. 
4. My team doctors were multiracial. I liked how all of us traded experiences, although I don't have much. Tyler would happily talk bout USA (he's an American), Gogulan would talk about Sri Lanka and UK (he has worked in MANY countries) and Prof. Caplan would talk bout Australia from his intern days. Total coolness! 

The rheumatology reg asked me, "So, what year are you in now, Seeki?"

Me, "Oh, 4th year."

Him, "Oh, hahah, you're still a baby!"

Then, the 2 dudes, Tyler and Gogulan suggested that I should sit on the ward round cart (it really looked like a cradle) and they'd push me around. Silly!

Somedays I'll just be the assistant to them, like tying their aprons, prepping the equipments, turning the patients, holding the files while Tyler charts, hunting for the bed charts... Other days I would be the student doctor who "does Tyler's dirty job"- as said by the nurses. I didn't mind that, not for a bit, for this apprentice of his could practice procedures and communicating with the nurses and patients! I always reply, "No, haha, he means well, he wants me to learn, he checks on me when he's free too."

Young interns and regs are cool babysitters! Really. They always teach me new mnemonics for protocols, pharmacology, X-rays, physiology etc...

It's so sad that this term ended so soon. I won't say I'm depressed, for we have had 4 lectures on it and I know for sure I don't fit the criteria for Dx. Next term, on Monday, is a new term, Society and Health for 8 WEEKS!!!!. Eeeekkks, I'm doing Community Health of all the disciplines, and I DIDN'T CHOOSE THIS! I picked ambulatory medicine, community paediatrics, drugs and alcohol, cardiovascular health and psychiatry. Sigh... Well, I was told by the seniors that we'll have a lot of free time and that we won't learn much from this term anyway, so I should visit the wards to practice.

YEAP! That's what I'll be doing! At least until the reg and intern are rotated to other departments.  

Tyler, "I'm happy to teach you if you're happy to come back =)"

He's sooooo cool!

THANK YOU, TYLER (even though you won't read this and that I've said this so many times to you already).

Peace out.

xxxxseekixxxx