The hectic third year

Surviving Third Year in MDUKM

In UKM, third year consists of  3 major postings which are Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and a minor posting Public Health.

We'll have to go through 2 of the postings in 1 semester. Then the other two postings in the next semester. After each of the semester, there will be the final exams which consist of the theory paper and OSCE.

I was very fortunate because I got the posting that I was most looking forward to first. SURGERY! So I went into third year veryyy excited. Despite not having any of my closest friends in the same posting, I am determined to make the most out of it.

so Surgery, around 70 people in a posting were divided into several teams (hepatobiliary, colorectal, upper gastrointestinal, breast&endocrine, vascular). and in that team, we were divided further into our respective supervisors. I was put under the hepatobiliary team throughout 7 weeks of surgeryyyy.

UKM syllabus is ever so changing. I was third year in 2015. and I think currently, the schedule has changed. During my surgery posting, we were basically really free. Few days, we would have lectures & seminars. but that would only be 1-2 hours in the morning or maybe 1-2 hours in the afternoon. Other than that, we are basically on our own.

Hepatobiliary team has morning ward rounds every day. and I once counted if i go to the ward at 7 am. I would go through ward rounds three times. (one with HO&registrar, 2nd registrar with specialist, 3rd would be when the consultants come) *means same patient 3 times* tapi tak semua patient la.. hahaha.. hepatobiliary team has a lotttt of patients. and usually these cases are the *must know* topics in surgery. for example : jaundice, gall stones, cholescystitis, hepatocellular carcinoma etc. a.k,a usual short case & long case. But during my time, it wasnt really "mandatory" to follow the rounds. "means the doctors doesnt really care if you are there or not" . But you are student and you know nothing so, its better you do follow the rounds. ask questions. cover bed. and clerk the cases before ward rounds.

Basically the main point you need to know in clinical year is that everything is your own initiative. No, the doctors will no tell you to do this and that anymore (certain), to read this or that. Teach you step by step. If you want teaching, you have to ask for it. When you do come for teaching, you must be prepared. Dah clerk patient. Case dah ada . dah tau investigation and managment. (usually teaching would pretty much be a long case presentation or a bed side teaching) . If its a bedside teaching, you have to search for the patients before hand (minta izin dulu okay), you are already prepared to volunteer to do the examination. Our lecturers/Doctors will be there to correct what is wrong and and add in some information. It is our responsibility to read up the topic first and come with knowledge.

Its not like PBL anymore - tau topic tu. start first session baru nak search kat medscape, wiki, dan sebagainya. NOPE.

Clinical year macam ni  - "okay esok buat abdomen" - so before teaching you'd have to study about the liver, the stomach, the colon, hernia, what ever causes masses in the abdomen, causes of acute abdomen. and you need to know everything. examination, clinical feature, investigation, management. semua tu dah tau dah. tunggu nak present je kat doctor je. haaaaaa.

So my suggestion for the clinical year.

1) Spend loads loads and loads of time in the wards. Practice history taking, physical examinations. So you can gain confidence, you'd be comfortable. tak takut. Dah clerk case kat ward, balik pergi baca investigation and management dia pulak. Dont think that you are in third year you don't need to know the treatment/management. You call yourself a future doctor kot. YOU NEED TO KNOW! (its better if you do though. tak rugi apa2)

2) Get guidance from your senior. this is applicable as well for internal medicine and o&g. I myself was close to my seniors during surgery and O&G and the amount of knowledge they gave me.....I cant thank them enough. I followed them everywhere, I ask them too many questions. They tell me a lot of things without me asking. And because of them... I survived the hectic third year!

but everything depends in what team you're in what supervisor you got. ada juga team yang ada "hala tuju". I unfortunately was not in it HAHA.


Next, I went into O&G. I got yellow ward. This is another posting that I had no "hala tuju" . and everything was on my own initiative. especially when my supervisor would only see us on the 4th week of posting. that means we had to learning everything about O&G before we had teaching. (HMMM....) yeah thats clinical year... O&G -WAJIB ikut ward round everyday. tak rugi apa2 pun. WAJIB cover bed. tak rugi apa2 pun juga. its all for our own good.

O&G was fun because there were a lot of procedures and labour to assist(yeke?)/observe.

IM- set your aim 2 short cases a day. 1 short case a day. go back home and read! simple. In this posting I had a more "hala tuju" . I'd follow my supervisor's ward round everyday. We'd have long case presentation everyday of different cases and systems. we'd have short case bed side teaching twice a week. and sometimes even just a group discussion. I was fortunate to have some guidance compared to my other posting mates. but with that, I had to find my own extra time to search for the cases. which was quite difficult as well because most of the time we were with our supervisor. So for IM, theres alot of "your own initiative" kinda thing. cari case. clerk. physical examination. present. REPEAT. balik baca investigation, management. REPEAT

Assesments:
1) Case Write Up
2) Long Case (from history, physical examination, investigation, management)

3)Short case (physical examination, investigation, and maybe management)
4)OSCE

5)Theory

My asian third culture kid experience

My Third Culture Kid Experience.

it took me a while adapting to a place im supposed to call "home" . "Home" because it's where I was born. But it's not "home" because it's not a place im comfortable in. and heck Im still adapting to it right now. Despite being here for 10 years already. There are still struggles that I face and still learning to cope. But i'd say I'm a quite normal Malay now because I spent my teenage phase here. so it shaped me to becoming who I am now. but I'll never forget my childhood, that valuble exerience  I'd never change it for anything.

Being an asian TCK, it's hard to commit. until now, Im so used to changing schools, saying goodbye that it's hard for me to remain in close contact with people. I get jealous of people who are still close with their primary school friends and they'd have reminiscents of the time when they were in first grade. and look forward to school reunions. and Im like my elementary school friends are all over the world.

I remember when I was a kid, I would make friends and I would tell myself. Ain, dont get yourself too attach. you know one day you'd have to move again. and it'd be hard to let go. Thus, I am someone who is okay with having transient friendship but has difficulty to remain a friendship

Being an asian TCK, Im not called by my name how it's supposed to be pronounced. come on, can I expect an American be able to pronounce Ain. Aaaain (kat tekak tu). Norain. you think they know that my name has three syllabus? So because im tooo lazy to teach people how to pronounce my name everytime. im okay with No-Rain. coincidently my 3rd grade teacher's name was Ms.Lorraine. it was similar. hahaa. I told my high school friends this, and they end up calling me by that. (mesti orang pelik kalau dorang comment kat FB dorang tulis Norain. cam apehal skema gila tulis nama penuh. but actually they're really saying No-Rain. haha)

Being an asian TCK, my "mother-tongue" is soo poor. and it still is. haha. Im sorry if I have trouble pronouncing certain words, or I misspelled words, or misused words, or get my grammar so wrong. I didnt go to primary school here. so I missed the wholeeeee grammar and vocab part. suddenly when I came back to Malaysia Im supposed to write a 300 words essay? pffffft. hah. speaking of struggles. I remember in form one, i'd get comments from my BM teacher "jangan guna perkataan bahasa inggeris dalam karangan bahasa melayu." welll waddaya expect? you want me to leave a space blank there? (shrugs)  I think Im like the only malay student who literally reads "Tatabahasa" book. like literally read about all those grammar things just to pass the exam. I shocked people by getting an A for BM in pmr and spm . bahaha but is unable to apply the knowledge. lol.

Being an asian TCK, I acquired this "accent". it used to be an American accent, but now after mixing it up with malay language, it doesnt sound so american anymore.. ? (shrugs). i'd get, are you indonesian? are you from UK? noooo, I can not do a British accent. no. epic failure. I'd still have friends who'd mock my accent because of how I pronounce my R's and T's. like Butter. i'd say budderr. not bate(softR). or Uterine as Uderrrine. and paper as payperrr. and soil as soy-yel. But I like my accent. it's like the one and only thing that I still have of US and that reminds me of my childhood.

Being and asian TCK im fine with humblity (is that a word). I have a big family, and my dad was just a PHD student. the whole family had to work for extra money. So im not ashamed that my clothes were from goodwill, and we'd shop for 2nd hand clothes, and my family would be excited looking for garage sales. and we'd collect cans every football season to get extra pocket money. We'd go to foodbanks to get free food. We'd wait for the community to give out free winter clothings. Dont think that we who grew up in the US had a daisy and blossum life there. shopping in branded stores and wear lavashing clothes. nope. So I dont mind if I buy clothes in pasar malam. I dont mind if I buy things from "bundles". I dont mind if my things are old and rugged. as long as I can still use it.

The struggles. nope I wouldnt say it as a struggling. more like "the way of life." You have to work hard to get what you want/need, and you have to adapt to how much you can afford.

2 kerja? my dad did like 3-4 kerja when he was a PHD student to raise his 6 children in the US. ingat senang ke? my dad is a dean and he gets picked up from the airport by a KENARI. and he doesnt mind that XD

We just had a humble life growing up in the US. not like what you see in the TV.  but the experience I gain, I wouldnt change it for anything