Introducing... ME. My story so far. ( Pt. 1 )

I'm a medical student. unlike most students, however, i wish to continue being a student a bit longer. but alas, i'm starting my final year in a week's time!! which means that, in about 365 days i must have all the knowledge at my fingertips and master all the skills that i would absolutely need..... not to kill someone!!

It's probably not as bad as i made it sound. but in many ways, this one year is going to be even more crucial than all the last 4 years add up. it will determine how competent i am going to be as a doctor; how much can i be trusted to manage the life of another human being under minimal supervision - safely, efficiently in the least amount of time, and as economical as possible for both patients and the government.

So this is just a scrape of my life at present. and what may lie ahead for me.

Currently, i'm having a break after completing my elective at SGH for a month. and the experience? indescribable. in a good way, of course.

I was posted to colorectal surgery for the initial 2 weeks, followed by another 2 weeks of internal medicine.

What can i say? the surgeons were superb! along with their state of the art equipments, they are probably the most experienced colorectal surgeons in this region, and yet they are as modest as the next person can be. they spoke to me (or any other students, for that matter) like an equal(!) and with respect, something which is quite rare in my country.

another wonderful thing about this department, that i can't help but notice is how close the surgeons are within their teams. but of course it was hard NOT to notice it, because on my very first day, our team, which consist of 4 surgeons, 1 MO, 1 HO, 1 intern and myself, went out to chinatown for lunch, treated by one of the surgeons! i was the only girl there, btw. which made me realise that surgery is still very much a guy's thing. but that's another issue, another time. anyway, what made it even more memorable was that it was my first time sitting in a brand new (1-month-old) BMW 5-series! comfort- got a whole new meaning that day...

of course those were just small parts of the whole experience.

the learning part was endless. never once did i not find colorectal surgery interesting. so do i want to specialise in it? well, that's a different issue, a different time.

anyway, after 2 weeks of continuous fun and learning, (even though i have to wake up at 5.30am every monrning, including saturdays! and my sleeping time was getting earlier and earlier. towards the end i was sleeping by 9pm!), it was time to bid farewell to the surgeons, and greet the physicians.

only after one day, i regretted applying to switch to a different department! of course my supervisor and the team were nice and all but the department itself was rather dull and tedious... now don't get me wrong, i don't mean, "medicine" is boring, neither are the patients. it's just the things they do everyday, is boring. i need to do something with my hands and see fast results (which is why, i would most probably go into surgery).

so after a few days, my enthusiasm plunged. everyday i carry some hope with me to the hospital to make the most out of the rest of my posting.. (i'm exaggerating!)

overall, it was a very fulfilling experience in every aspects. it is without a doubt a good hospital, not only for patients, but also for learning opportunities. SGH is definitely one of the hospitals i would consider working in, in the future.

Thanks SGH for this invaluable experience!