I realised sometime ago that both lecturers and seniors serve as role-models for us to learn from.
During gynae, we went to PD and got SD for teaching. Well, from the start we got the shelling edi. As we were moving from one bed to the other, my friend asked me sumthin about the last pt. SD got really upset. "I am trying to teach here and this clowns are talking behind me," he told the accompanying MO. "Listen to me when I'm talking!" he screamed at us. "Observe how I interact with patients! How I give consultation, what mistakes ur seniors are making, how I comfort pt!"
Even though I didnt get to take down a shred of note dat day, I learnt alot of lessons about character. I realised that there is more to just tailing doctors while they do their ward rounds and waiting for them to directly teach us med students. I think we should take active steps to try and be inspired by them as they do their work. Watch how they talk to patients, try to follow their train of thoughts as they work out the management for a complex case.
I take my inspiration to be as hardworking as possible and to share what I have learnt with others (in contrast to ppl who are really kiasu and dont wan to share stuff) from the juniors one batch before ours. They are really an amazing batch, demonstrating hardworkingness and always helping each other out without having a sense of superiority over each other or fear of lookin stupid in front of the smarter students.
I was inspired to study out of topic for the sake of being a safe doctor by a really super senior, now workin in Sabah i think. He knew how to read ECGs long before others, and always organized things into categories and lists. He also said to not always trust textbooks, and to always see what was REALLY happening in the wards.
My inspiration to become a doctor with a sense of mission comes from 5 lecturers who really demonstrated sumthin far more than just a lecturer.
I found this quote while studyin for a Buddhist exam that I'd like to share with u all. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, a Japanese teacher and founding father of SGI, writes:
"We learn how to live by imitating others. We observe what others do and copy what we see, trusting in their example. The same is true of flower arrangement, dance, kendo, judo or any other art or skill. We trust our teachers and do what they say. After mastering imitation, we move on to creativity. That is how one learns to live."
Ah, my last imitation was also during gynae, where i "imitated" one of our lecturers who kept sayin "give me 5 causes of recurrent miscarriage" or "tell me 10 causes of PPH". I find that assigning lists a set number or grouping things into categories make them easier to memorize. Another gynae lecturer told about how during his student days, med students had vivas, so the nite b4 exams they would be practicing non-stop. I tried that the other day, pretending i wuz at a viva, and found the learning experience to be quite fun (and u can ensure u know all ur stuff about a disease).
Our time here at uni is not all about memorizing stuff, but to also glean as much as possible from the characters of outstanding ppl around us. And that leads us to becoming great and competent doctors (and also give SD some peace of mind, now dat would be a great way to pay back for all the teachings he gave us). Gambateh for finalz!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Near-Fail Experience
Gynae clinical exam wuz quite bad on Thurs. Couldnt get a proper history from patient, confused her with too detailed questioning, but she had so many symptoms that i had to filter out the really significant ones. She was a 48 year-old who had a thyroid problem, a fibroid and presented with a mysterious cyclical bleeding with dysmenorrhea. Menses irregular, sumtimes 3 days, sumtimes 2 weeks, i suspected the 3 days wuz intermenstrual bleeding.
Spent alot of time clerking, abt 30mins, left onli 10mins to examine. No chaperone, everyone left for CME, super-panicked, luckily got juniorz next door safe us 3 guys. Now have to belanja them makan...
Dem shocked, last min Dr.Z couldnt make it, ended up having Dr.VS. From someone who gave quite good grades, to someone who failed u cuz u didnt palpate liver and spleen in obs case. Presented history dem kelam-kabut. I reported no findings on examination, he asked me to palpate the abdomen again, still i didnt feel anythin. He palpated, then took my hand and placed it on the suprapubic area. Crap, got mass....
I knew he wuz goin to fail me for missing de fibroid, but i kept my spirit up and din give up under the questionin. Later in the afternoon, i timidly asked him whether i had failed. He said he wuz goin to fail me for missin such an important finding, but reconsidered when he considered how complex the case wuz and i didnt miss the thyroid findings.
Dr.Vs then told me the 4 mistakes that lecturers will fail students for:
1. A student killed the patient bcuz of carelessness.
2. A student lied.
3. A student displayed an attitude problem (getting cocky with lecturers, or rude to patients).
4. A student kept talking nonsense.
Im sure we know friends and batchmates who've (perhaps unknowingly) commited these mistakes. Ah, now we now the 4 cardinal "sins" to avoid when goin for a viva or clinical exam!
Spent alot of time clerking, abt 30mins, left onli 10mins to examine. No chaperone, everyone left for CME, super-panicked, luckily got juniorz next door safe us 3 guys. Now have to belanja them makan...
Dem shocked, last min Dr.Z couldnt make it, ended up having Dr.VS. From someone who gave quite good grades, to someone who failed u cuz u didnt palpate liver and spleen in obs case. Presented history dem kelam-kabut. I reported no findings on examination, he asked me to palpate the abdomen again, still i didnt feel anythin. He palpated, then took my hand and placed it on the suprapubic area. Crap, got mass....
I knew he wuz goin to fail me for missing de fibroid, but i kept my spirit up and din give up under the questionin. Later in the afternoon, i timidly asked him whether i had failed. He said he wuz goin to fail me for missin such an important finding, but reconsidered when he considered how complex the case wuz and i didnt miss the thyroid findings.
Dr.Vs then told me the 4 mistakes that lecturers will fail students for:
1. A student killed the patient bcuz of carelessness.
2. A student lied.
3. A student displayed an attitude problem (getting cocky with lecturers, or rude to patients).
4. A student kept talking nonsense.
Im sure we know friends and batchmates who've (perhaps unknowingly) commited these mistakes. Ah, now we now the 4 cardinal "sins" to avoid when goin for a viva or clinical exam!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Remaining Singletons, Desperate Times
Holy cow, a junior juz informed me dat we only had 7 single guys in our batch onli, our batch of 63 ppl. Crap, sum of us juz study, study, study...and 4got all about gettin a girl. Jeez, dats not a good thing! I thought damn hard of the guyz who were single just to dispute her, and i couldnt count up to 6! Now dats worryin...
J
Y2
TS
TL
ST
W
I cant think of the 7th fella, but heck, if u girls out there are lookin for handsome med students with charm and an attitude, plz come to IMU and study, we'll meet u when u get posted as a houseman (housegirl more like it) and we're already macho MO's throwin our weights around when the specialist is at home.
J
Y2
TS
TL
ST
W
I cant think of the 7th fella, but heck, if u girls out there are lookin for handsome med students with charm and an attitude, plz come to IMU and study, we'll meet u when u get posted as a houseman (housegirl more like it) and we're already macho MO's throwin our weights around when the specialist is at home.
Friday, May 23, 2008
A Useless Lecturer...and a Great Teacher
Haha, time for me bitch abit, let off some steam after a tension-filled exam week.
Recently got told off for smiling and apparently "laughing" at a patient during class by one tight-ass of a lecturer. What more, in front of our fellow elective students, wah, dem freakin embarassing. Outta de blue he looked to me and said, "Why are u smiling? I've seen u smilling all this time. Do u know ur disturbing the class? Whats so funny about the patient?"
He then spent the next 3.5 hours calling authors of various books, "not clinicians, they never go to ward..all that is wrong..." and correcting the dosages of TB medications in the CPG. Wow, he's suddenly smarter that the whole MOH commitee who made that CPG. Ah, i could have been doing better things, like studying desperately for my exams, rather than listen to someone brag about how great his knowledge is that it surpasses all textbooks. I list 2 interesting points he insisted that he was right:
Apparently, we also heard that he criticized one of our previous lecturer who we always looked up to. And using our lecturer's name as well, during class in front of students. Dats the biggest med ethics error to make: criticizing a fellow doctor (haha, that makes two of us!). Tsk tsk tsk, bad move, it may have been during just one class, but the whole uni knows about it edi. And of course, as with all rumors, it gets twisted up and added on to along the way, so it wasnt surprising how evil a picture was painted of him at the end of the receiving line.
Amazing, I've rarely met doctors who u can learn what NOT to be. What an arrogant tit. Ah, take ur damned degrees and shove it up ur stenosed butthole.
I believe every academic doctor has a heavy role to play. Not just to teach, but to inspire their students. Very hard to find such teachers, and I shall now give one of them their due appreciation here.
I still remember, back in sem6, i was walking up the stairs and bumped into this doctor with a waist pouch at level 4. Amusing to see doctors walking around with a waistpouch, reminded me of mum and dad. I always saw her eating at a place i eat across the street. Well, there was a piece of rubbish on the floor, and before I could pick it up, she bent down to pick it up and threw it into the bin. I was touched by such a simple and humble act. A doctor doing such thing in front of a medical student? Quite unheard of. Later, when I found out how big this "little" doctor was, i was even more touched. Funny, its the greatest teachers up there who are the humblest people of all.
True, she may have made many stinging comments, and we all fear her case presentation sessions (we'd stay up like mad trying to cover every patient in the whole ward), but every of her sessions was worth more than the RM31,000 we'd pump into every semester. Two things I gained during her sessions that have stayed with me till now.
1.
She inspired us on how to take an intelligent history, not just for the sake of presenting during class. How to carry out a very rigorous physical examination, and not having to take too much time. Practice, practice and practice. What you dont know, quickly go back to the textbook to reference, then return to the patient. Then, use ur history and PE to come to an intelligent diagnosis, not just shotgun ur way with a long mindless list of differentials. I found out that was a very effective way of studying medicine.
2.
And she demonstrated humility when in front of patients, treating them as true human beings, not some "case" for presentation. I was impressed by how she turned from a high-ranking doctor to a fellow human being when dealing with a patient (and how she turned back to being very, very sharp when turning back to us naive students :o).
I may have screwed up Paediatrics (i still hate it), but i think thats the most precious lessons i got from the posting, how to take a powerful history and do a thorough PE, and how to be humble. Everytime we met for class, she would always correct our techniques, trying to fine-tune our skills. Seldom have i bumped into a lecturer who would take great pains to raise us as future doctors.
Its rare to find such teachers. Best to learn as much as we can from them and be inspired. I'd bet 75% of all the knowledge we get here at med school we'd forget, but its the character that we've built thru being inspired by such great people that'd stay for the rest of our lives. Now dats worth all the RM270,000 our parents have invested for, to see their children grow up to become powerful characters.
I leave u with 2 of her quotes that have been my favorite:
And, yeah, examz are over, holz are here!
Recently got told off for smiling and apparently "laughing" at a patient during class by one tight-ass of a lecturer. What more, in front of our fellow elective students, wah, dem freakin embarassing. Outta de blue he looked to me and said, "Why are u smiling? I've seen u smilling all this time. Do u know ur disturbing the class? Whats so funny about the patient?"
He then spent the next 3.5 hours calling authors of various books, "not clinicians, they never go to ward..all that is wrong..." and correcting the dosages of TB medications in the CPG. Wow, he's suddenly smarter that the whole MOH commitee who made that CPG. Ah, i could have been doing better things, like studying desperately for my exams, rather than listen to someone brag about how great his knowledge is that it surpasses all textbooks. I list 2 interesting points he insisted that he was right:
1. On percussion, pleural effusion is dull, while solid masses are stony dull.
2. An empyema is a pleural effusion.
Apparently, we also heard that he criticized one of our previous lecturer who we always looked up to. And using our lecturer's name as well, during class in front of students. Dats the biggest med ethics error to make: criticizing a fellow doctor (haha, that makes two of us!). Tsk tsk tsk, bad move, it may have been during just one class, but the whole uni knows about it edi. And of course, as with all rumors, it gets twisted up and added on to along the way, so it wasnt surprising how evil a picture was painted of him at the end of the receiving line.
Amazing, I've rarely met doctors who u can learn what NOT to be. What an arrogant tit. Ah, take ur damned degrees and shove it up ur stenosed butthole.
I believe every academic doctor has a heavy role to play. Not just to teach, but to inspire their students. Very hard to find such teachers, and I shall now give one of them their due appreciation here.
I still remember, back in sem6, i was walking up the stairs and bumped into this doctor with a waist pouch at level 4. Amusing to see doctors walking around with a waistpouch, reminded me of mum and dad. I always saw her eating at a place i eat across the street. Well, there was a piece of rubbish on the floor, and before I could pick it up, she bent down to pick it up and threw it into the bin. I was touched by such a simple and humble act. A doctor doing such thing in front of a medical student? Quite unheard of. Later, when I found out how big this "little" doctor was, i was even more touched. Funny, its the greatest teachers up there who are the humblest people of all.
True, she may have made many stinging comments, and we all fear her case presentation sessions (we'd stay up like mad trying to cover every patient in the whole ward), but every of her sessions was worth more than the RM31,000 we'd pump into every semester. Two things I gained during her sessions that have stayed with me till now.
1.
She inspired us on how to take an intelligent history, not just for the sake of presenting during class. How to carry out a very rigorous physical examination, and not having to take too much time. Practice, practice and practice. What you dont know, quickly go back to the textbook to reference, then return to the patient. Then, use ur history and PE to come to an intelligent diagnosis, not just shotgun ur way with a long mindless list of differentials. I found out that was a very effective way of studying medicine.
2.
And she demonstrated humility when in front of patients, treating them as true human beings, not some "case" for presentation. I was impressed by how she turned from a high-ranking doctor to a fellow human being when dealing with a patient (and how she turned back to being very, very sharp when turning back to us naive students :o).
I may have screwed up Paediatrics (i still hate it), but i think thats the most precious lessons i got from the posting, how to take a powerful history and do a thorough PE, and how to be humble. Everytime we met for class, she would always correct our techniques, trying to fine-tune our skills. Seldom have i bumped into a lecturer who would take great pains to raise us as future doctors.
Its rare to find such teachers. Best to learn as much as we can from them and be inspired. I'd bet 75% of all the knowledge we get here at med school we'd forget, but its the character that we've built thru being inspired by such great people that'd stay for the rest of our lives. Now dats worth all the RM270,000 our parents have invested for, to see their children grow up to become powerful characters.
I leave u with 2 of her quotes that have been my favorite:
"I fail u in exams for ur sake. I fail u in the finals for the public's sake."
"We as doctors are both scientists, and humanists."
And, yeah, examz are over, holz are here!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tips: Pumping Petrol
I still remembered my SAM English teacher saying, "It's pump gas, not petrol." Ah, English.
Well, someone left an article about pumping gas on the desktop of the library computer. Here are the tips without the long-winded scientific explainations behind em:
Well, someone left an article about pumping gas on the desktop of the library computer. Here are the tips without the long-winded scientific explainations behind em:
- Fill up in the morning when the ground temperature is cold (colder petrol, denser petrol, ur car takes in less air).
- When filling up, do not squeeze too fast (pump handle has 3 modes, squeeze at fast mode, and petrol will turn to vapour on entering ur tank).
- Fill up when ur tank is already half full (petrol station storage tanks have an internal floating roof to minimize evaporation).
- Do not fill up when a fuel tanker is pumping into the petrol station storage tanks (the fuel underneath is being stirred around, most likely stirring up the debris and dirt at the bottom as well).
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Klang Exchange and Performance
11.30pm, warm and humid outside. Back from band practice. Today got new song, Rising Sun, its cute and cool at the same time. Played with Rainbow Choir, dem alot of children (about 50 i tink) singing and dancin along, kinda even cooler. Playin mostly bass parts, but still dem cool. First time see score, so play and play and play b4 rehearse with kids, blow so hard until giddy after every 20 or 30 bars. Haha, just changed reeds, dem hard, have to mature it again.
Tmrw have to wake up early for performance at Wisma Kebudayaan, opening ceremony for some exhibition. Last minute called up to perform, must be ever-ready to play music!
Paeds paper was a killer, got 2 out of 4 diagnosis right only. Sigh, most likely fail again. Swear i will not specialise in paeds next time. What did i do to kids in my past life to earn such bad karma? Did i sacrificed em atop ziggurats as an evil Mayan priest or sumthin?
Last Sat went down to Klang to exhange with the SGM Klang Kiboo Kotekitai and Music Inspiration Band, MIB (formerly known as Music Instructors Band). MIB has been 'assimilated' into RM gov band, so they've been mixed up with the other race, which have resulted in the overall standard being dragged down by certain players who are just paid to run the screwed up RM programme and have not a single iota of passion for playing music. MIB is a dem high standard band, from wat i hear when they played in past exchanges.
Me, Pak Kin (our bassoonist) and my other bass clarinetist were grouped with this idiot from RM, the other race. He bought his bass clarinet for only RM2000 over E-bay. Dats cheaper than a beginner's clarinet. The brand is called "Woodwind", made in China. Not dat i condemn things from China, but heck, i was expecting a Selmer or at least a Yamaha, not a woodwind instrument branded "Woodwind". Well, he came 5 hours late to our sectional, took his sweet time to set up and warm up, and bcuz he was older than us, didnt take us seriously. When he started to play, i knew he didnt know how to play the bass clarinet, let alone any reed instrument. He had the goldfish embochure, which meant his cheeks bulged out. He couldnt find the Eb key.
Pak Kin, my partner and I looked helplessly at each other. Who was goin to train this clown? Ah, 2 pairs of eyes were lookin at me. "Doctor, can u help our friend?"
So...
...I spent the next 1.5 hours outside the room tryin to correct his embochure and get him to play the right notes before our public performance in front of Klang members and non-members the next day. Barely played 1/5th of the 3-band-combine song with him. So this is what the gov money is spent on eh...
Sigh, i pity Mr. Lee when he conducts the MIB with all these jokers around. Hell, he and the MIB original conductor just didnt care and spoke mandarin during the 3 band combine rehearsals. And sigh, i was expecting to exchange with a skilled MIB bass clarinetist and learn some killer skills, not some clown from the gov. Wasted my time tryin to teach him. He didnt care about all the tips i shared with him about playing music, just kept playin the same mistakes over and over again. I wuz tryin like hell not to get angry, with all the Kiboo girls walkin past me. To hell with him.
Next day, he ffk'ed 3 hours b4 the actual performance. Mr.Lee walked up to me and asked, "Wanna play in the MIB?" Haha, what an (accidental) honor indeed! I had a bass solo part which the idiot kept messin up, so Mr.Lee asked me to play that 20 bars. Since he has been tutoring my band for the last few months, I went even further and volunteered to play both MIB performance pieces. "Wonderful!" he said. So i spent 30 minutes sight-reading and familarising myself with both pieces outside the hall during the dry rehearsal.
Right after band 2 was MIB performance, so on the way stage out, i u-turned and quickly went back up stage, so not time to change costume. I ended up with my white shirt and bowtie sittin in a sea of black shirts, so i was dem obvious to the audience. I enjoyed the songs so much , dat when my solo part came up, i played a damn beautiful tone. Problem is, I forgot to look at Mr.Lee when he changed conducting, so i continued in 4/4 time while the whole band played in 3/4. We clashed for 6 bars b4 i got my senses together and continued on. Haha, the MIB tuba player even came in to try and save me by playing my solo. Hopefully the audience didnt realise the blunder :o)
In total, i played 8 songs non-stop, 2 songs of which i have never seen b4 3 hours b4 performance. Dats 4/5 of 60 minutes of music. By the finale, I was already moderately cyanosed. Luckily no one at the back shouted, "Encore!". Haha, now im more confident with my sight-reading edi!
See if got ppl pirate our performance again, saw quite a few handphones being held up as i sneak-peeked at the crowds.
Gotta sleep now, nitez!
Tmrw have to wake up early for performance at Wisma Kebudayaan, opening ceremony for some exhibition. Last minute called up to perform, must be ever-ready to play music!
Paeds paper was a killer, got 2 out of 4 diagnosis right only. Sigh, most likely fail again. Swear i will not specialise in paeds next time. What did i do to kids in my past life to earn such bad karma? Did i sacrificed em atop ziggurats as an evil Mayan priest or sumthin?
Last Sat went down to Klang to exhange with the SGM Klang Kiboo Kotekitai and Music Inspiration Band, MIB (formerly known as Music Instructors Band). MIB has been 'assimilated' into RM gov band, so they've been mixed up with the other race, which have resulted in the overall standard being dragged down by certain players who are just paid to run the screwed up RM programme and have not a single iota of passion for playing music. MIB is a dem high standard band, from wat i hear when they played in past exchanges.
Me, Pak Kin (our bassoonist) and my other bass clarinetist were grouped with this idiot from RM, the other race. He bought his bass clarinet for only RM2000 over E-bay. Dats cheaper than a beginner's clarinet. The brand is called "Woodwind", made in China. Not dat i condemn things from China, but heck, i was expecting a Selmer or at least a Yamaha, not a woodwind instrument branded "Woodwind". Well, he came 5 hours late to our sectional, took his sweet time to set up and warm up, and bcuz he was older than us, didnt take us seriously. When he started to play, i knew he didnt know how to play the bass clarinet, let alone any reed instrument. He had the goldfish embochure, which meant his cheeks bulged out. He couldnt find the Eb key.
Pak Kin, my partner and I looked helplessly at each other. Who was goin to train this clown? Ah, 2 pairs of eyes were lookin at me. "Doctor, can u help our friend?"
So...
...I spent the next 1.5 hours outside the room tryin to correct his embochure and get him to play the right notes before our public performance in front of Klang members and non-members the next day. Barely played 1/5th of the 3-band-combine song with him. So this is what the gov money is spent on eh...
Sigh, i pity Mr. Lee when he conducts the MIB with all these jokers around. Hell, he and the MIB original conductor just didnt care and spoke mandarin during the 3 band combine rehearsals. And sigh, i was expecting to exchange with a skilled MIB bass clarinetist and learn some killer skills, not some clown from the gov. Wasted my time tryin to teach him. He didnt care about all the tips i shared with him about playing music, just kept playin the same mistakes over and over again. I wuz tryin like hell not to get angry, with all the Kiboo girls walkin past me. To hell with him.
Next day, he ffk'ed 3 hours b4 the actual performance. Mr.Lee walked up to me and asked, "Wanna play in the MIB?" Haha, what an (accidental) honor indeed! I had a bass solo part which the idiot kept messin up, so Mr.Lee asked me to play that 20 bars. Since he has been tutoring my band for the last few months, I went even further and volunteered to play both MIB performance pieces. "Wonderful!" he said. So i spent 30 minutes sight-reading and familarising myself with both pieces outside the hall during the dry rehearsal.
Right after band 2 was MIB performance, so on the way stage out, i u-turned and quickly went back up stage, so not time to change costume. I ended up with my white shirt and bowtie sittin in a sea of black shirts, so i was dem obvious to the audience. I enjoyed the songs so much , dat when my solo part came up, i played a damn beautiful tone. Problem is, I forgot to look at Mr.Lee when he changed conducting, so i continued in 4/4 time while the whole band played in 3/4. We clashed for 6 bars b4 i got my senses together and continued on. Haha, the MIB tuba player even came in to try and save me by playing my solo. Hopefully the audience didnt realise the blunder :o)
In total, i played 8 songs non-stop, 2 songs of which i have never seen b4 3 hours b4 performance. Dats 4/5 of 60 minutes of music. By the finale, I was already moderately cyanosed. Luckily no one at the back shouted, "Encore!". Haha, now im more confident with my sight-reading edi!
See if got ppl pirate our performance again, saw quite a few handphones being held up as i sneak-peeked at the crowds.
Gotta sleep now, nitez!
Friday, April 4, 2008
An Honor to a Fellow Colleague
Life is fleeting.
I still remember Dr.Khor, UM graduate, houseman of HTJ for the last 8 months, when i first met him back in Obstetrics posting. He had arrived to start work at the labor room about the same time i was posted there. A friendly chap, especially to the IMU students. Always joked around with us, so it was fun tagging behind him. He gave me lotsa of chances to set lines (of which most of em he had to redo after i mess up), taught abit of knowledge to me (which was not the same as the textbooks) and i assisted in one delivery with him. That 1 week was memorable, waiting alongside him for mums to deliver (which happened all at once, late at night). Its true then that at times of stress and crisis, bonds of friendship become stronger.
I bumped into him again in Surgery 6 months later. Ah, it was a precious 4 weeks i spent with him then. We always walked up to him with the same question "Dr. Khor, any interesting cases in ward today?" And he would not hesitate to point out a few, as if he was ready for our arrival everyday.
It was a Weds that i stayed back with him and a few juniors. 3 MVAs had just arrived in the dim-lit surgical ward, one with his face in pieces. Dr.Khor was the only houseman in the ward at that time, so he was frantically sewing up the patient's face while awaiting the arrival of 2 more from casualty. With the bad lighting and getting the suture mixed up with the hair, i took turns with 1 junior to hold up 2 pen torches so that Dr.Khor could see. Reminds me of the days i spent holding the lamp with the broken fixture for him to repair an episiotomy back in the labor room. Dat night, he oso gave me the chance to do my first cathetherisation (on a "live" model). Unfortunately, i screwed up with the sterility process and such, again he had to undo my mess. Well, in the end, the catheter went in, and i returned to helping to hold the torch for the rest of the night. A memorable night indeed.
The last words we ever exchanged was after my surgical exam. "How was ur exam?" "Bad shape." "Dun wurry, no problem wan." "Haha, thanks Dr.Khor. See you around!"
How shocking it was to hear he had passed away in an accident 3 days later.
How sad, when u think about the times u witness a resuscitation succeed in the AnE dept, or even helped out in one, and managed to bring patient back from near death. Dr.Khor had probably helped to save many patients' life. It must be really unfair that his own couldnt be saved.
Even doctors, no matter how much good deed is done, are not immortal.
We musnt let his death be in vain. Strive to work hard, and continue in the wake of Dr.Khor's calling. His mission in life. Medicine beckons.
Life and death is a tough issue to talk about. Buddhism tells of the eternity of life, of passing from one life to another continuously. The karma u have created in this lifetime will surely bear fruit in the next, and I pray that i can work with u again, Dr.Khor, in the near future, in ur new life. Surely u will return to this honorable calling again!
Working hard to carry on ur calling, i pledge.
I still remember Dr.Khor, UM graduate, houseman of HTJ for the last 8 months, when i first met him back in Obstetrics posting. He had arrived to start work at the labor room about the same time i was posted there. A friendly chap, especially to the IMU students. Always joked around with us, so it was fun tagging behind him. He gave me lotsa of chances to set lines (of which most of em he had to redo after i mess up), taught abit of knowledge to me (which was not the same as the textbooks) and i assisted in one delivery with him. That 1 week was memorable, waiting alongside him for mums to deliver (which happened all at once, late at night). Its true then that at times of stress and crisis, bonds of friendship become stronger.
I bumped into him again in Surgery 6 months later. Ah, it was a precious 4 weeks i spent with him then. We always walked up to him with the same question "Dr. Khor, any interesting cases in ward today?" And he would not hesitate to point out a few, as if he was ready for our arrival everyday.
It was a Weds that i stayed back with him and a few juniors. 3 MVAs had just arrived in the dim-lit surgical ward, one with his face in pieces. Dr.Khor was the only houseman in the ward at that time, so he was frantically sewing up the patient's face while awaiting the arrival of 2 more from casualty. With the bad lighting and getting the suture mixed up with the hair, i took turns with 1 junior to hold up 2 pen torches so that Dr.Khor could see. Reminds me of the days i spent holding the lamp with the broken fixture for him to repair an episiotomy back in the labor room. Dat night, he oso gave me the chance to do my first cathetherisation (on a "live" model). Unfortunately, i screwed up with the sterility process and such, again he had to undo my mess. Well, in the end, the catheter went in, and i returned to helping to hold the torch for the rest of the night. A memorable night indeed.
The last words we ever exchanged was after my surgical exam. "How was ur exam?" "Bad shape." "Dun wurry, no problem wan." "Haha, thanks Dr.Khor. See you around!"
How shocking it was to hear he had passed away in an accident 3 days later.
How sad, when u think about the times u witness a resuscitation succeed in the AnE dept, or even helped out in one, and managed to bring patient back from near death. Dr.Khor had probably helped to save many patients' life. It must be really unfair that his own couldnt be saved.
Even doctors, no matter how much good deed is done, are not immortal.
We musnt let his death be in vain. Strive to work hard, and continue in the wake of Dr.Khor's calling. His mission in life. Medicine beckons.
Life and death is a tough issue to talk about. Buddhism tells of the eternity of life, of passing from one life to another continuously. The karma u have created in this lifetime will surely bear fruit in the next, and I pray that i can work with u again, Dr.Khor, in the near future, in ur new life. Surely u will return to this honorable calling again!
Working hard to carry on ur calling, i pledge.
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