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Here we pen our stories about our latest activities and our weekly feature on Humans of Medicine. Our team is forever expanding, if you’re interest in contributing to our blog, feel free to contact us.
“Depression took everything out from my heart, rendering it empty especially in my darker moments…….”
We often hear a lot about people who have committed suicide, but don’t have as many conversations about those who are still suffering. I grew up in a very normal, loving family. Judging from my usual, bubbly personality, people are often surprised and few even are in disbelief when I tell them I have depression. In our imperfect attempt to understand depression, we build a box of preconceptions. We assume it happens because of a very sad situation. We may expect them to look a certain way. To look, well, depressed. And pathetic……
“Working Here Is Like Being on a Train That You Can’t Get Off”
Working as a foreign doctor in the UK comes with unique challenges. When I applied for specialty training, there was an unspoken pressure to apply immediately after completing housemanship without a career break. If not, you would only be eligible to apply for jobs left over from the first round. Things have changed substantially since October 2019, as foreign doctors are now considered on equal footing with UK nationals when applying for specialty training. However, we still have to meet a minimum salary requirement in order to secure a visa. Assuming you manage to end up in the system, it’s difficult to go part time or take time out of your training. If you do, Health Education England may not be able to continue sponsoring your visa for you to continue with your specialty training……
“All My Patients Were Neighbours”
When the call initially went out, I knew deep down what I had to do as a Medical Officer (MO) and a Malaysian. I had been working as a MO in Johor in the Orthopaedics department for the past 6 months but I knew that there were other places in need. I had to leave my comfort zone and respond to the call of need from Sabah and before I knew it, I was saying goodbye to my parents and off I was to combat the pandemic ravaging the island. I was nervous and afraid of what I was about to face, it certainly didn’t help that the information coming out of Sabah was few and far between……
“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. Now that I’m not- what am I?”
I had always wanted to be a doctor. My mother was a nurse, and so from a young age, I was already very familiar and comfortable in hospitals. Everyone even called me “doctor” growing up.
Hollywood tells us what a doctor should look like - tireless, self-sacrificing individuals, sleep deprived from working odd shifts, and always ready to serve. The media romanticised burnout and exhaustion. I had this image painted in my head. “It’s good to suffer. You’re suffering for a good cause.”. That was what I grew up with– service before self. I prized selflessness and was prepared to forgo my own wellbeing for someone else’s……
“… When Will the Numbing Effects of a Toxic Working Environment Start To Seep In?”
“Berapa kali perlu saya ulang? Saya sudah bagitahu yang ini ialah kanser dan perlu operation!” (“How many times have I told you? This is cancer and it needs to be operated!”), exclaimed an exasperated specialist, in front of three other doctors and two medical students, as she explained to the wife of a patient with oesophageal cancer that her husband would need surgical intervention the next day……
“NURTURING YOUNG DOCTORS – Hope, Reality, Tragedy. (Part 1)”
HAPPY 2021!!
This post is for everyone to read.
I trust you are all actively engaged in staying healthy and safe.
Although this post may be relevant to all and sundry it is specially dedicated and directed to medical students and doctors I have had the opportunity to engage with through their education and development……
“NURTURING YOUNG DOCTORS – Hope, Reality, Tragedy. (Part 2)”
For more than 35 years I have worked in university and hospital settings. I have regularly been consulted with regard to medical personnel facing various stresses during career as a doctor; especially during housemanship and as junior doctors. Some doctors have given up medicine and a significant number have given up on life itself – attempted and committed suicide. Many have found themselves so desperate that they have turned their problems inward and have died a thousand deaths. I have witnessed doctors dying from complications arising from issues associated with ‘housemanship’ problems and how these were ‘mis’-managed. It is indubitable that housemanship has its peculiar challenges and these have metamorphosed over time for many reasons as we progressively live in fraught times……
“‘Sane’tise”
These are tough times for all of us. My heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones and to those who are suffering, directly and indirectly.
The lock-down is about a week old but it is clear that it has caused and can cause more serious stress for all of us, as individuals and as groups living and working together. Now that the curfew has been extended there are many more challenges to deal with. The reactions, repercussions and consequences are unimaginable. It is undeniable that it is affecting all of us in many different ways. ……