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!
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