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At the time of writing this article, I am no longer in my Fifth Rotation, Medical but already in my Sixth Rotation, The Emergency and Trauma Department and at the same time, due for my last shift in my Sixth rotation as well as being a House Officer.
Looking back, my last shift in the Medical Department seemed ages ago.
However, I remembered that I was night shift at that time and was at Male Medical Ward (MMW).
My duration working in this ward was around 3 weeks. However, it was my least favourite as compared to Medical 3, Medical 4, the Infectious Disease (ID) Ward or being part of the Perimedical team. The superiors were alright but it was the vibe of the ward in general that I found unsettling that I can’t quite place my fingers on.
The night shift in Medical is from 8pm till 9am. However, on that day, I recalled leaving home at 6:30pm to go to work as we were not allocated any “long day” shifts.
“Long Day” or “LD” are those who work from 7am till 10pm. Thus from 6pm till 8pm, prior to the night shift person coming, there is a 2 hours gap which is filled by them.
On that week, there were no “Long Day’s” and everyone had the opportunity to return home at 6pm. However, who would fill in the “2-hours gap”?
Thus, I remembered me and my colleagues at that time coming into a mutual agreement and compromise that one person would stay till 7pm and the night shift person would arrive an hour earlier at 7pm.
It was a good compromise except there would be nobody to accompany us till 10pm and usually their help is valuable. Those hours till 10pm can get rather hectic at times.
I remembered arriving around 6:45pm and started receiving handover from the AM teams and was cautioned to lookout for a particular patient in the acute cubicle who was rather unstable.
Upon finishing our handover, the Medical Officer on-call for that ward arrived and things started to go hectic.
I can’t exactly remember what happened but I was on my feet the whole time and did not begin my “coming mornings” till 3am.
Thankfully, I was still able to complete them before 5am and the morning bloods were out in the system on time.
That morning during my post night shift, I was “summoned” for minimal bloods which I completed immediately. Usually during my post night shift, I would remain within the sights of the “AM team” and offer to help out where I could.
But I remembered at that time that I was completely spent. I decided to rest in the House Officer’s room and take any bloods a little later prior to my shift ending, if there were any.
Surprisingly there were none after that. I recalled seeing a junior taking the blood of a patient as I was exiting the ward and asked him as to why he did not just ask me.
He claimed that upon arriving for his morning shift, I looked rather spent and after I left to take a short break in the House Officer’s room, he just did not want to disturb me. After all, he said, it was only one patient.
I was touched and grateful. It was a small gesture. However, it’s small, simple things that sometimes touches you.
After that, I clocked out for the last time as a House Officer in the Medical Department.
Related Posts:
- Preparing For My Exit From The Medical Posting As A House Officer | Housemanship Diaries
- Surviving The Night Shift As A House Officer In Medical 3 | Housemanship Diaries
- Surviving The Night Shift In The Medical Posting In General | Housemanship Diaries
- My First Night Shift Covering Medical 4 / Medical 5 / Infectious Disease Ward In Sarawak General Hospital – Housemanship Diaries
- The Most Enjoyable and Tiring Day In Medical 3
- My Next 6 Months (Post Housemanship)
- Part 1 – Life As A Peri Medical House Officer In Hospital Umum Sarawak | The Emergency Department
- Part 2 – Life As A Peri Medical House Officer In Hospital Umum Sarawak | Main Building, Side Building, Infectious Disease Ward
- My Evening Routine In The Medical Posting | Housemanship Diaries
- My First Day In Medical Posting – Tagging Day 1 | Housemanship Diaries
- Appreciation Towards The Medical Officers (MOs) – Housemanship Diaries
- 1 Year Of Housemanship Update – Housemanship Diaries
- Another Good Advice I Will Remember For The Longest Time – Housemanship Diaries
- Enjoying The Journey – Housemanship Diaries
The Theoretical Doctor 