Hi. No time no see. I even had to convert my Blogger account to under my Google account.
This was something I wrote for the Medicine gradbook. Thot I shouldn't waste my effort and decided to put it up here 'cos it sounds remotely like a blog entry anyway.
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Osler’s Notes in Reflection (With apologies to Sir William Osler)
“Learn to love the freedom of the student life, only too quickly to pass away; the absence of the coarser cares of after days, the joy in comradeship, the delight in new work, the happiness in knowing that you are making progress. Once only can you enjoy these pleasures.”[1]
In retrospect (pardon the self-indulgent navel-gazing that ensues), I wish I had come across this quote five years earlier, upon “admission to the medical course of the National University of Singapore” (at the then-named Faculty of Medicine) because then I would have realised earlier the many truths that this statement underscores, as examined at the conclusion of these five years. Then again, if you recall, the Dean did offer us advice to similar effect at the Welcome Tea, urging us to make friends widely within and outside of the class, and in so doing, it was hoped that some among us might find our potential lifelong partners. It was also at this Welcome Tea in the CRC auditorium where we collectively, led by Wesley, the M1 class rep, took the students’ pledge which was styled after the professional oath that we will ultimately swear. With that pledge, we engaged, and committed, ourselves in “not a college course, not a medical course, but a life course”[2]. One-odd year later, in the same venue, we further underwent a symbolic White Coat Ceremony, after which we were granted permission to roam free (well, sometimes not so freely) in the wards.
“freedom of the student life, only too quickly to pass away”… It is with some reluctance that I am approaching the completion of my undergraduate medical education. For one, these five years mark the final – and second longest – chapter in our formal schooling lives at institutions of learning. The liberty and the sheltered environment that we have enjoyed thus far would sorely be missed by many, including myself, once we start our working lives, assume responsibilities of patient care, face the music for our mistakes, feel unappreciated (and underpaid?) for our work, and in the middle of a night/weekend/Public Holiday call with no end in sight to the continuous stream of admissions and nurses’ CTSPs.
“the absence of the coarser cares of after days”… I dearly appreciated the opportunity to get a taste of what “coarser cares of after days” as a HO would be like during SIP. This was felt most keenly during the calls that I shadowed: the HO answering phone calls on speaker mode while drawing blood (the trick lies in pre-emptively putting the phone on the patient’s bed); carrying a “battle plan” (use a conspicuous blue letter so you won’t misplace it) and recording “battles” based on priority/location; sleep while he/she could but trusting the phone to ring in the next minute; tempers frayed and thrown, unfortunately, at nurses. The experience often made me wonder if I would be up to the task (and kinder to Ms Nightingales) come this time next year, although the mental preparation and survival skills gained through it should help – fingers crossed.
“the joy in comradeship”… On a personal level, the friendships I’ve made, starting from the Anatomy tutorial group, LT seating arrangements (in which certain territorial rules are tacitly observed) and PBL groups in the pre-clinical years, to the CGs, fellow CGs in the same rotations and CHP group in the clinical year, are a highlight of the past five years. Some of my best friends were made from this class and even if we might have minor tiffs every now and then, it is reassuring that I can always rely on them for company, consolation and support. On a class-wide level, admittedly, we have not been the most cohesive of classes. But events, circumstances, common experiences and grouses have roles in building our camaraderie through the years: Medicamp, Rag and Flag, inter-faculty games, Playhouses, CHP, clinical rotations, social gatherings, parties, communal mugging, as well as recovering from the shell-shocks of O&G OSCEs, and I believe, soon enough, the final MBBS. For many among us, the Medical Library in which they bonded through long hours of studying together left memories to be cherished. Also, over the last few months in the run-up to the final lap, the manner in which we ‘share cases’, help one another better our clinical skills, and pack ourselves in a room clearly meant for smaller capacities to attend neurological teaching have impressed me of our increasing solidarity. While we are hardly one of the most proactive, vocal or conspicuous cohorts in recent years, lacking in the pioneering spirit of the preceding batch (which spearheaded the first faculty-level production) or the spontaneity and exuberance of the succeeding one, we are no less remarkable and interesting as a class. Remember that we have our fair share of Medsoc committee members (Kimberly, George, Anin, Cheesie, Belle…), performers (dancers like Amy and Felicia, musicians such as Wenyuan and Mingwei), volunteers (Ek Khoon in ReliefAsia in the wake of the tsunami crisis), high-achieving individuals, and class ‘jokers/jesters’ (they-who-shall-not-be-named).
“the delight in new work”… Yes, despite having suffered “ischial bursitis” from the occasional “superfluity of lecturing”[3] (recall the mind-boggling neuroanatomic pathways, did-not-yet-make-sense antibiotics, and excruciating pathology of glomerulonephritides), there was a counterbalance of satisfaction in entering the Anatomy Hall (even if we missed our chance at hands-on dissection by a year), clerking and examining our first patient, performing the first venesection/intubation/CPR/delivery, watching/assisting in the first operation, wrapping up the CHP for final presentation, discovering one’s field of interest during electives etc. Having said that, we were, time and again, humbled by our ignorance, our patients’ plights, and our often-limited means to alleviate their suffering.
“the happiness in knowing that you are making progress”… Most of us may be happy that we are improving in terms of clinical skills and judgement, making gains in book knowledge, or progressing to the next stage of our medical career. However, the personal development and character-building – or the so-called “education of the heart”[4] – as an individual I have undergone during my medical school days hearten me and count much more.
“Once only can you enjoy these pleasures.” In conclusion, while we may have had to “study until twenty-five” in order to graduate, let us remain constant to the course of “investigation until forty” and “profession until sixty”[5] (or beyond); pray that we do not lose our initial youthful idealism, interest for Medicine, appetite for learning, and zest for life; and treasure the friends and memories we have made in our five years together. The Class of 2003-2008, I wish us the very best!
Jack Class of 2003-2008
[1] Osler W. The Master-Word in Medicine. In: Aequanimitas, With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1932: 362. [2] “The hardest conviction to get into the mind of a beginner is that the education upon which he is engaged is not a college course, not a medical course, but a life course, for which the work of a few years under teachers is but a preparation.” Osler W. The Student Life. In: Aequanimitas, With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1932: 400. [3] “Superfluity of lecturing causes ischial bursitis.” Bean WB, ed. Sir William Osler: Aphorisms from His Bedside Teachings and Writings. New York: Henry Schuman, 1950: 46. [4] “As the practice of medicine is not a business and can never be one, the education of the heart – the moral side of the man – must keep pace with the education of the head. Our fellow creatures can not be dealt with as man deals in corn and coal; ‘the human heart by which we live’ must control our professional relations.” Osler W. On The Educational Value of the Medical Society. In: Aequanimitas, With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1932: 333. [5] “The teacher’s life should have three periods, study until twenty five, investigation until forty, profession until sixty, at which age I would have him retired on a double allowance.” Osler W. The Fixed Period. In: Aequanimitas, With Other Addresses to Medical Students, Nurses and Practitioners of Medicine, 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1932: 383.
Hi, I know I did say that I'll try to blog as much as possible. Well, I'm trying. This is a meek first attempt as I approach the twilight zone between consciousness and zzz-land. I'm at the JHU Residence Hall (Reed Hall) computer zone transferring photographs from my camera into thumb drive to free up space for NYC this weekend. To recount the last four days, I developed pangs of homesickness as soon as I passed through the passport check counter and started sms-ing my sister telling her how much I would miss her and my mum. I guess it was due in part to my vulnerability in travelling alone (without family for the first time) and worrying how I could cope by myself. But my JHU elective mates are a wonderful bunch of people who made the journey thus far extremely fulfilling, smooth and enjoyable. We look out for one another and call ourselves a 'family'. The family things we have done so far: Popeye Chicken (something like KFC) family set for yesterday's dinner, last night's gathering in Wenyuan's room to book accommodation for next weekend's DC trip and today's Cup Noodles party in my room. :) Well, I better write things in a more chronological order. We arrived at JFK International Airport on Sunday morning around 6.30 am local time after a god-knows-how-long flight from Bangkok. I mean, I could watch 5 movies (didn't sleep much even though I said I would) and have 3 meals (good food) on that plane. Customs was smooth-sailing. At the airport, we called Char who told us about another bus company which departs for Baltimore at 12.30 pm rather than 11 am. With time to spare, Wenyuan, Fur and I decided to embark on an adventure on the New York subway to Manhattan's Penn Station. So we stowed our heavy luggage down and up lifts to and from the platforms and sat through stations we couldn't locate on our maps (took only the Manhattan subway map but the train traversed through Queens and Brooklyn before reaching Manhattan from JFK). The characters we saw in the carriage were so interesting but I daren't use my camera on the train. We spent about 3 hours hanging around the area surrounding Penn Station (Macy's, Madison Sq Garden) and had breakfast at a BK outlet (we each won a scratch-and-get-free-food-the-next-visit coupon as part of the Spiderman promo). NYC was supposedly at its coolest for that week; I was shivering against the strong, chilly winds and developed windburns on my hands. Finally at around 12 noon, we met with Char and her boyfriend at the bus stop outside Macy's and took a 3-hour-plus bus ride on Double Happinness (one of the Chinatown bus companies) to Downtown Baltimore. A taxi transfer (2 cabs cos we had so much luggage) brought us to Reed Hall. After a quick wash-up, we took the Baltimore MetroRail to Inner Harbor where we had dinner and walked around. Woah. Just recounting Day 1 took so much time but I guess the first day of arrival is the most interesting. We covered parts of 2 cities from the moment we touched down and took so many modes of transport it was a tiring but thrilling experience. I'll stop here now first. To be continued. Photos will have to wait. Need to select and downsize them before uploading. Sorry.
How do I feel now, blogging at Changi Airport (free internet access -- yet again, if you recall pre-HK!) while waiting for the boarding time for my first leg to Bangkok (transit stop)? I feel so sleep-deprived for the last week (in fact, last month) it seems like jet lag even before the trip has commenced. Sigh. Looks like in-flight entertainment has to wait for the return flights. Eager for the wines (no inebriation la!) though. It'll be a long day tomorrow. The boarding for BKK-JFK is at midnight, departure at 0.40, arrival at 6.35. Then a cab ride to Penn Station in Manhattan and a 4-hour bus ride to Baltimore Travel Plaza station, followed by another cab ride to Reed Hall (where I'm staying in the Johns Hopkins campus). Keep you posted.
Any kind soul can tell me how to upload pics onto blogspot in the form of collages? Suspect it requires some software other than the uploading options on blogspot itself...
4:59 pm .::.
Food, glorious food. Well, if you have been following my blog for some time (ago), you'll know I dig food photography as well. Quite obviously, you can tell where this plate of grilled rib fillet was taken (and eaten). We came here to celebrate Tun Tan's birthday last Monday.
4:46 pm .::.
This blog has been dormant for a year, chiefly because I've run out of time and material to write about my mundane life. The last few months in the run-up to the Paeds posting test and subsequently Second Pros Part Three were trying. I picked up the bad habit of coffee-drinking to endure the late, sometimes even self-imposed sleepless, nights. In fact, I've just spent the whole of last night staying awake to finish up the current elective report. I'm reactivating Carcinogen again to keep you, my friends, updated on my trip to the US. I'm leaving this Saturday night by Thai Airways for a month's elective at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland where I'll be doing Adult Medical Oncology. I'll be arriving in JFK in New York on Sunday morning, local time and taking a 4-hour bus ride to Baltimore. Over the next 3 weekends, I will make short trips to: 1. New York City from 12-13 May 2. Washington DC from 19-20 May 3. Boston from 26-28 May (Memorial Day weekend) After the elective, I am remaining in the States for two-and-a-half weeks. There are yet-to-be-confirmed travel plans to the West Coast, covering Vegas, Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion Canyons, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone National Parks etc. I am so looking forward for this to be a photography orgasm with my new Sony T100 digicam (5x zoom, 8.1 megapix!). Although my acrophobia is another issue. Well, all the planning for this mega trip (mega for me to be away from home by myself for the longest period ever -- chance for self-discovery and learning to be independent?) has sapped quite a lot from me. So I'll use every opportunity I have to upload and share the photos and experiences (I sure hope they don't suck) here. So keep a close eye on this blog. US of A, here I come!
Finished watching Grey's Anat (except Episode "Code Black" 16... wonder if it has been shown on Channel 5). Can't wait for Season 3 to start. I visited the official site and found 2 funny spin-off blogs, one written from the perspective of a gossipy nurse and another from Joe of the bar across SGH (Seattle Grace, not Singapore Gen... haha). And an interesting medical trivia page related to the series.
An open invitation to a wine-tasting session next Friday evening. I need company! $10 for an hour's session, minimum 3 drinks, selection of cheeses included. Whoever's interested, please sms me!
1:42 pm .::.
Fellow medical students, ever wondered what you want to become? A simple (light-hearted) algorithm to help you decide...
