First day do's and don'ts

First day in a department or a ward is always nerve-wrecking! Here I'm gonna list down the things people don't tell you but are ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. okay here we go:

1. Introduce yourself

Entering the ward without introducing yourself to the sister of the ward will get you into big trouble. its deemed as rude as you're entering someone's house without saying hi to them. the sister is the head of staff nurses and usually wears a blue uniform instead of white. they work office hours. there will be a sister on call but thats not the sister you want to introduce yourself to.

Next, introduce yourself to the MOs in the ward. then to the staff nurses. cause these are the people you will be working with and you will see day in day out. they need to know your name. wearing your name tag when you introduce yourself to them will make them remember it better.

2. Know where to get forms and supplies
I'll usually pull out all the drawers to see which form is located where and where do I get tubes for blood samples. and I'll explore the whole store room so I know where to get IV drip sets. instead of feeling lost when my staff nurses are busy, I can just go and grab whatever needs to be grabbed cause I know where things are. I cannot stress this enough. and the nurses would be grateful cause you help make their lives easier

3. Know what time rounds are and what are the times you can sit down and take a break
its all part of learning how to become a functional houseman. you have to first identify what kind of ward you are in. is this an acute ward? where patients can change conditions very fast? or is this a chronic ward where most of your time will be spent doing summaries for these patients? then you can plan your day (deciding how long breaks you can have and how frequent do you have to take a look at your patients to make sure they're alright).

Identifying when to take a break and sit down and have a meal or a quick bite (if its a busy ward) is as important as identifying what time bosses need to do their rounds. theres no need to constantly work. we are not robots. we deserve some rest time.
with that being said, if a patient is unstable, you are NOT ALLOWED to just leave your patient just so that you have rest time. IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO LEAVE YOUR COLLEAGUE TO DIE ATTENDING TO A PATIENT while you get your rest time.

when a patient changes condition or becomes unstable, you who knows where things are should be lending a helping hand. help get that nasal prong or help endorse that Neb or help prepare drugs for intubation. if you don't know how to manage acute conditions, learn on the job. nobody will blame you if you say, "I dont know what to do, but i'm here to offer my help". People would in fact appreciate that. Your bosses will know who helps to attend patients who are unstable and who are the ones who run away when crisis happens.

4. Be prepared for emergencies
checking the emergency trolley is sometimes done by nurses, sometimes by housemen. if you don't check the emergency trolley, when crisis happens you won't know how to get what and where. learning up ACLS is really important cause when a code happens, I make sure that I take the lead. if your MO is there already, running the code, observe and see how its run. contribute. take turns CPR-ing.

take your time to study learn up ACLS. cause IT CAN SAVE YOUR PATIENT'S LIFE! its worth taking your time to learn it up

Important thoughts to have

Housemanship is tough, there is no denying of that. but we are tough cookies! We went through high school, college and medical school! the whole of medical school!
So before you start housemanship, you need to have the mindset that YOU ARE ENOUGH. you have been equipped with the basic necessities to not only survive housemanship but to conquer it!

With that being said, here are 5 thoughts to have before you start housemanship

1. It is not as hard as everyone makes it seem
I know i know, experiences are subjective and who am I to say whether something is easy peasy lemon squeasy or tough and draining and reaching suicide point? thats the thing. it is so subjective that i believe we can train our minds to believe that it is not that bad. half the battle is won with your mind. if you have the mindset that its gonna be hard and you grit your teeth everytime someone mentions the word 'housemanship', then believe me, you're not gonna fare so well. but if you react to a certain situation positively, that is half the battle won already. I have been through times where i just jump out of bed and can't wait to go to work! and i can work 13 days straight without feeling tired or bored or drained. (yes, thats possible) albeit only lasted for a short while but i'm happy i manage to reach that point at least once throughout my entire housemanship. you can start off by stop sighing eveerytime someone mentions the word 'housemanship' and start thinking of this as another 'challenge accepted' task.



2. Be keen to learn
- put in the effort to master your skills. read up on emergencies in each department. the way each department works is different from each other. which is why 'tagging' is so important. don't be so precious about who can teach you and who can't. don't ever have the mindset of 'you are more junior than me, so who are you to tell me what to do'. if they know something you don't, you can learn from them.
- see one, do one, teach one. some of us are more afraid than we should be. but the concept of see one, do one, teach one helps us get out of the vicious cycle of 'im not good enough' and forces us to teach someone else who hasn't seen or done it before.


3. Be nice to everyone
- working as a team is very very important. being nice to your nurses or MAs and PPKs doesnt require much. and you can learn so much from them! don't be selective about job scopes. you can learn to do a nurses' job as well. theres no need to discriminate that a job is too low for you. if there is a need, fulfil that need. if you don't know how to do it, just ask. I'm sure people will be keen to teach you. I've learned how to do a lot of nursing jobs even when I was just a first poster. It creates a good habit for you throughout horsemanship. and trust me, nurses talk. if one nurse thinks that you are a caring and helpful doctor, you have practically won the nurses of the ward over.




4. Perseverance is key
Yes, there are some days, your bosses are just unreasonable and letting out steam on you, and yes, thats not fair to you. but as much as it sucks, persevere. take every scolding and every yelling as a lesson. maybe you could have done something to ease their work or help them with their burdens so they don't feel so stressed. they're humans too and they have to answer to people above them as well. its not just you who is stuck in this hierarchy system. there is always an area you can improve. so persevere. don't throw in the towel after one scolding. look at the bigger picture. with that being said, if you feel like you have been pushed to the limit, take some time to speak to your superior about this. I know this is hard, but maybe you can talk to a senior and see if they are going through the same thing and if yes, how are they coping? if that doesn't work, then speak to the hospital counsellor. every houseman should have the right to see a counsellor. Isolation does not benefit you.

5. Have fun
Having a hobby is extremely important. Don't think that you wouldn't have time to engage in your hobbbies cause a houseman's schedule enables you to do all the things you love. I for one, love planting succulents. its a hobby I only developed during horsemanship. I used to hate gardening but somehow gardening has helped me release stress so much that I keep doing it to make myself happy. I love diving as well. for those of you coming to Kota Kinabalu or anywhere else that is close to the beach and has diving as a sport, I highly recommend you do it cause a lot of times, the peace underwater is what I need to relax. take time to cook, go for that massage, sign up for that gym membership. our horsemanship's shift system enables us to do all these things. things that our MOs and specialists never got to do as a houseman before cause of their long working hours. but now we have that privilege. so use it to the maximum!

Starting housemanship in Kota Kinabalu

If you're starting your housemanship here in Kota Kinabalu, then this post is for you.

We rotate between 3 hospitals here
Hospital Queen Elizabeth 1
Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2
Hospital Wanita dan Kanak-kanak Sabah (Likas)

Most main departments are in Queen 1, some subspecialties are in Queen 2, O&G and Paeds are in Likas

Accomodations:
most of us stay at these few places, namely:
1. Alam Damai
2. Puncak Luyang
3. Luyang Perdana
4. Collonades
5. Hilltop apartment
6. Waikiki condominium

more details about pros and cons of each later

Food wise, KK food is good but I don't think its as awesome as the ones we have in KL. They are also a bit more expensive.
but if you know how to cook, thats even better! there are a lot of places where i usually get my groceries, namely;

GROCERY PLACES:
- Lintas Superstore (its quite secluded, behind WK Dim Sum in Luyang)
- Lido market (they have lots of raw stuffs. especially if you want the fresh stuffs)
- CKS Bundusan (seafood here is great)
- Boulevard Mall (if i'm buying groceries after dinner, this is really convenient as i usually eat at Lido anyway. things here are cheappppp and there are great varieties to choose from)
- Merdeka Supermarket (if you want imported stuffs. slightly more expensive but here is where you can get the rare stuffs)
- Foh Sang (a chinese area where its really crowded, they operate in the morning but chicken and pork here are really fresh)


If you’re a Christian and looking for a church here, may i suggest Kingdomcity. That’s the church I’ve been joining since my uni days in KL and I love it! For more information, visit https://kingdomcity.com/ we usually gather at Hilton Hotel every Sunday, 10.15 for pre-service prayer and 10.30 am for service.

It’s important to find a family and a community you can find comfort and solace in. The community here is so warm and welcoming! It’s definitely something i look forward to every week. If i cant make it to church on Sunday, i can make it for connect groups that are happening on the weekdays. Staying connected is of utmost importance cause trust me, horsemanship can be tough and lonely. Having a community that constantly loves on you and checks up on you is important.

Introduction

Just a little introduction about myself.

I'm Anjanette or Angie for short. I grew up in a strict family in Johor Bahru, Johor, but rebellious and playful since young. I didn't initially plan to be a doctor. my parents didnt force me either. I intially wanted to study law, performing arts, marine biology etc but my parents are said no for various reasons. and so the next in line in terms of interest would be medicine. and since they were okay with me doing medicine, i went ahead with it. 

I am the eldest of 3 siblings. My younger sister wanted to become a doctor first, wayyyyyy before i did and it seemed like i copied her. hahhah! She's really smart. but you dont have to be the smartest to be a good doctor. You just need the right attitude cause knowledge is at our fingertips, skills can be learned, but what cannot be instilled is ATTITUDE. 

It wasnt easy to enter medical school. it wasnt easy throughout medical school, it wasnt easy graduating from medical school either. its a long tiring journey. 

Now take a moment to think about YOUR JOURNEY IN MEDICAL SCHOOL. what can you say about it? 

Satisfied? worth it? feel like a load off your shoulders? happy? 

Thats how i feel about my housemanship, now that its ending soon. 

I chose Sabah to do my housemanship because:

1. I love diving. I want to be near the sea at all times. I want to be able to go to the beach whenever I feel down or feel drained out 

2. I can live away from family. I've been living away for 7 years so I'm used to being away 

3. the training in Sabah is tough, but for good reason. I want to be trained to be as wholesome as I can be (that was also the reason why housemanship was increased from 1 year to 2 years training) 

4. I want to try a different lifestyle (outside of the busy city life that I grew up in) 

Starters

First off, thank  you for taking the time to check out my blog!

The reason for the creation of this blog is:

1. there are a few people who took initiatives to ask me about housemanship in Sabah so I figured that making a blogpost so that information can be spread to many more people who want to have some sort of idea about what housemanship is like or have a glimpse about the life of a houseman here in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu

2. I personally find housmanship quite fun and enjoyable, but I know that not everyone sees it that way. so I would like to share a little bit of tips or advice that might encourage medical students who are still studying/ doctors waiting for housemanship post/ current housemen who might find some things useful. or maybe so that someone reading this might have some hope and not just see the bleak future of being a houseman in Malaysia

3. I wish to hear input from you guys too as I am also constantly learning and trying to better myself everyday. So, hopefully this platform can be used to make new friends too!

4. Being a 5th poster now, I see some of my juniors struggle with some daily ward work or understanding things and the system. So, hopefully this will shed some light on the things we need to focus on and zoom in on as a houseman (basically, how to function in the hospital)


Before I begin, few disclamers:

1. this is just based on my personal experience being a houseman here in Hospital Queen Elizabeth, Kota Kinabalu. this may not be the same at hospitals elsewhere
2. whatever my opinions are, its just MY opinions and it does not represent the opinion of housemen as a whole.

More to be added as we go along

Lets dive in!