Getting old

I've been busy running around the wards and holding retractors for five hours these days. I started clinic the other morning seeing varicose veins after varicose veins. It was quite mundane but gave me a nice feeling when the consultant told me to start the clinic.

It's interesting to compare my residents. I've had a different one each week and it was useful seeing how they all multi-task. Been thinking a bit about what sort of doctor I want to be. After hearing residents gossip about other doctors - who is competent, who has no idea and who leaves the night covering HMO to do the paperwork; I realised that one will always be judged by others not only with regards to one's competency but also one's efficiency.

How to get things done quickly yet thoroughly. The reality of all the medicolegal issues and responsibility of being a doctor is fast getting through. Ligitation is becoming more common place and one has to be careful these days to make sure that everything is documented, lest find yourself in a situation that could affect your career for the rest of your life.

Document, document and document. For me, that means checking pathology results twice just to make sure I did not misread something and copying drug charts with absolute anal-retentiveness.

On other news, I've got a job finally. Casual position at the dining room at the halls. It's quite refreshing to work there. Takes my mind off medicine and actually relaxes me to the point that I almost forget that during the day, I walk the corridors of the ailing, holding my breath whenever the metcall alarm goes off and scrub in to assist in amazing transplant surgery. By night, I serve food to hungry university students, wipe tables and counters and working the register.

It also helps that I earn $21 an hour and get to bring home leftover food enough for lunch and dinner. The dining hall is 100% Halal by the way. Even better it's only 10 minutes walk from my place.

Unfortunately work and school has made me quite busy and too tired to blog or read blogs. I'm already looking forward to March for the Good Friday long weekend. Gosh I think I'm getting old. Did I mention my tomatoes are growing?