Another chapter has ended

After what felt like forever, my surgical posting finally ended with 7 days of break, including Merdeka break. So what have I learned in my 2nd posting? ALOT- in terms of medical/surgical knowledge and skills in procedures, survival skills, social and EQ.

There’s no doubt that during each posting you learned the clinical knowledge that may or may not have been acquired from the textbooks. Some may be differently practiced, since our textbooks are from US and UK. Nevertheless, the principles are the same. So, as you progressed in the posting, as you see more cases, this clinical knowledge can be picked up along the way.

However, what’s so different about this posting as compared to other departments is the mental stress. The work load is more than tolerable, but the mental stress that comes from being at work is a torture. Knowing that your every move is being observed and constantly under scrutiny by the specialists. That being just one aspect that contributes to the mental stress.

When things are not done fast enough, it’s your fault- no reason is entertained, period. And when it is done right, it’s your duty- don’t expect to get any credit. Because when a sick patient recovers from his illness after a surgery and a long stay in the hospital, the credit goes to the surgeon, not the staff who look after him/her in the ward, and nurture him to health.

Maybe that’s why surgeons are stereotyped as arrogant. But of course, there are always exceptions.

Some specialists are so nice, it humbles me just to be around them, whether it’s assisting them in a surgery, chit-chating with them or having meals with them. My sub-specialty postings to neurosurgery and urology, were both wonderful breaks in between my general surgery posting. Not only am I able to learn better, the environment as a whole is so much “healthier”.

My MOs are all wonderful people, who allowed me quite a decent hands-on surgical exposure in the operating theatre. Towards my last 2 months of posting, I managed to perform 2 appendicectomies, a few saucerization of carbuncles, some incision and drainage of abscesses, chest tube insertion and suprapubic catheterization and many, many bandings of haemorrhoids.

It was a wonderful feeling after each procedure- a sense of “high-ness” without needing any booze or drugs, which I realized can be quite addictive. So am I “addicted” to surgery? Yes. Am I specializing in surgery? Perhaps, but that’s another day, another story.

All in all, I’m glad I had the opportunity to go through surgery posting in this hospital. It was really quite an experience and truly an eye opener, with its own drama, betrayal and gossip.