June 20 at 8:55am ·
- I have a lot of respect for paediatricians.
When I was a medical student not too long ago (ehem2x), I would hear the surgeons joke about the physicians, and the physicians would joke about the surgeons, and then there were psychiatrist jokes, radiologist jokes, jokes about pathologists, emergency medicine specialists, the family medicine specialists, the public health specialists, the oncologist....and the list goes on.
Until this day, I've never heard a joke about paediatricians. They also tend to be by nature, the kindest and most gentle of all doctors.
I already knew at some subconscious level before my 6 months stint in paediatrics, that the experience would just confirm the fact that I was never meant to be one. However, I value much what I learned during that short period of time.
I spent three months in the general medical paediatric ward and another three months in the paediatrics emergency department in a central tertiary referral childrens hospital, and I will never, ever, go back.
Everything was different. The patients, the specialists, the nurses, the approach to taking a history, the physical examination, taking blood, decision to take blood, admitting patients, deciding which ones to admit. I felt like I just graduated from medschool.
The simple act of taking blood, which I could almost do with my eyes closed in an adult patient, required at least two persons to assist in the beginning. Unlike the adult patient, which almost everyone who comes to A&E has some basic blood tests done, for the paediatric patients, they had to be really sick before anyone came even near to getting blood samples let alone put in an IV line. Care was taken to apply topical anaesthetic cream for IV line insertion to lessen the trauma.
We usually asked the father to help restrain the child, because unless the child is very sick, 99% of them will either unintentionally or mostly intentionally move, making not only the procedure difficult, but may cause further injury.
The nurse then would assist both the parent and the doctor, by helping to position the patient correctly, calm and distract the patient, help the doctor to open and close the containers correctly (if you recap the wrong bottle with the wrong cap; that might mean having to repeat the blood test; a big no no unless absolutely necessary). After the line was secured the nurse would help to flush it and check if it is working (if it isn't; need to repeat whole process from the beginning because children can't point out "doctor, this line is not working and my hand hurts", instead they just cry).
At the end of six months, I found that I could IV lines in places I have never put them before; in the scalp, abdomen and other places in some very, very sick children. I also could single handedly take blood without any parent or nurses help, which speeded up work a lot.
I considered myself an "emergency doctor in training" gaining 6 months experience in paediatrics (at that time). I noticed that the crying didn't bother the paediatricians and paediatricians in training, "it must be an unwritten pre-requisite", I thought to myself.
Imagine this:Doctor: HiPatient: (crying)Doctor: Whats the story? (asking the parents)Parents: Bla bla bla Patient: (continues to cry)Doctor: Ok, can I examine your child?Parent; Yes, of course.Patient: Cries even louder
And so I end this by repeating, I have a lot of respect for paediatricians. 3Like · · Unfollow Post · Share · Promote
- Salehuddin Sulaiman, Ahmad Firdaus Ahmad Lutfi, Iwin Soossay and 63 others like this.
- Intan Juliana my mother always makes a point telling me during my postpartum care..."intan, baby nangis tu'. and my responds would always be the same, right from the first baby untill my third baby... 'takpa mama, bagus dia boleh nangis.... intan dah check takde pape... "
June 20 at 9:09am · Unlike · 7 - Munira El-Aziz Heart of stone...the Dark Witch.. Voldermort
June 20 at 9:10am via mobile · Unlike · 1 - Intan Juliana doing paeds makes me appreciate more and enjoys the small, simple and gritty things that might annoyed others... because you will never knows when it will be taken away from you.
June 20 at 9:11am · Unlike · 3 - Mazlyn Mustapha Intan Juliana; that's why I said, I have a lot of respect for paediatricians
June 20 at 9:12am · Like · 1 - Mazlyn Mustapha Munira El-Aziz: I don't understand...how come suddenly Harry Potter? I can see the youth appeal
June 20 at 9:14am · Like - Muhamad Na'im Ab Razak Crying is a good sign unless the irritable cry..hehe.. I love paed too and yesterday i admit 3 red zone paed and 2 yellow zone
June 20 at 9:15am via mobile · Unlike · 1 - Mazlyn Mustapha That's good Muhamad Na'im Ab Razak; if you like paeds, you can become a paediatrician
June 20 at 9:22am · Like - Muhamad Na'im Ab Razak I have a dream..to become emergency and trauma physician..with interest in paed emergency and cardiology
June 20 at 9:26am via mobile · Unlike · 1 - Mazlyn Mustapha Muhamad Na'im Ab Razak: in Ireland you have to choose; adult emergency specialist or a paediatric emergency specialist. After houseman can apply for the respective training program but for paeds, you have to become a paediatrician specialising in emergency medicine. Dr Izzat Ismail, Dr Intan Julianaplease clarify
June 20 at 9:57am · Like - Santharathas Muthusamy PAEDIATRICIAN MAY BE THE GENTLER OF ALL THE SPECIALIST COS THE CHILD CANT COMMUNICATE THEY KEEP CRYING THE HAVE TO DO VARIOUS INVESTION BLOOD IX EXTRA N THEY MUST BE GENTLE COS OF THE WORRIED PARENTS WE CAN MISS DIAGNOSIS IF WE ARE NOT GENTLE N CAREFUL AT TIMES MORBIDITY FORGET ABOUT MORTALITY IS QUITE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGH
June 20 at 10:20am · Unlike · 3 - Mohamed Nizar Adnan want to hear jokes about paediatricians? refer Prof. Raja Affendi Ali .
June 20 at 12:19pm · Unlike · 1 - Intan Juliana to answer you naim, wow that's really ambitious...
June 20 at 12:22pm · Unlike · 1 - Aneesa Abdul Rashid · 69 mutual friends
Just to clarify; this is in ireland?
June 20 at 12:24pm via mobile · Unlike · 2 - Intan Juliana if you like the adrenaline rush, you can trained as a paediatrician, then further subspecialised in paediatric intensivist... which handles all the intensive care management of paediatric patients... i'm not sure about the ED with subspecialised in paeds emergency care in malaysia.... maybe need to get clarification from ED ppls... anyhow...keep the dream BIG!!! i like...
June 20 at 12:25pm · Unlike · 1 - Mohd Ariff Bin Sharifudin Mazlyn Mustapha: I have some jokes related to paeds people... told prof amran and his wife, prof noraida...paediatricians are childish people ( maybe more for those in kuantan). They dont like to share their toys with others. I was suprised sbb prof noraida tak deny. In fact, she admitted that paeds needs to have that childish trait or else you wont understand your patients
My wife pun x marah ba ckp mcm tu..heheJune 20 at 2:54pm via mobile · Unlike · - Aneesa Abdul Rashid · 69 mutual friends
That explains it- coz the 2 hospitals i worked in gave a different vibe from the above Intan Kartika Kamarudin
June 20 at 3:22pm via mobile · Unlike · 1 - Nurul Aminudin Thanks for the above Mazlyn, and the comments are very interesting and encouraging indeed. Paediatrics and child health is a very challenging art to master, simultaneously a very rewarding one as our patients are not only that helpless little whimperin...See More
June 20 at 4:03pm · Unlike · 2 - Mazlyn Mustapha Aneesa Abdul Rashid; are you asking about my status update? yes, that was based on my experience in Dublin. never worked in paeds in Malaysia as yet, though I have seen a few paeds patients in the last few months. care to share your experience?
June 20 at 11:26pm · Like - Mazlyn Mustapha Mohd Ariff Bin Sharifudin & Mohamed Nizar Adnan; only if they are good ones
June 20 at 11:28pm · Like · 1
No comments:
Post a Comment