Letter From A Senior~

I m definitely not the best person to tell you this, but I m willing to take all the stones or banana peels that you going to throw at me for trying to share my bullshit lesson..

1. Do not afraid to ask question.
-Most of the question regarding medical scenario cannot answer with a definite answer. It reminds me our biomechanic lecturer in UKM, he always answered our question with 1 simple sentence: IT DEPENDS.. You definitely will have a lot of questions to ask seniors during your orientation week. But, as you work longer, your sense of curiosity will be numbed by the busy work, the assumption that you know it, the afraid of exposed your ignorance or stupidity , or the laziness itself. There is no stupid question, only stupid people not dare to ask question.
If you feel degraded for keep asking ‘simple’ question to your senior, it is good to discuss your pt with your colleagues or closed friend. During my 1st few months of working, I came across a few diagnosis that I cannot find the meaning. Eg: AMS..ARU.. the 1st time I came across it, I searched in internet but to no avail. I somehow ignored it and work blithely thereafter, until one day I ask 1 of my colleague with the most casual tone while we are chatting, and the answer is: altered mental status , acute retention of urine. BOOM!!!! I put on a poker face and quickly jump to other topic before he find out my excitement..
Besides the abbreviation, the communication skills and handlings of patient are something that can only gain through experience. Appreciate the time when u having wardround, audit by seniors, or any chances to follow a senior. This is the time to learn, to absorb the knowledge from him/she, to breakthrough your robotic routine of treating pt, to reflect on your own practice. Undeniably, the prospect of having a senior observing you, writing something (good or bad) into a form, while you treating patient is quite daunting. But at the end of the day, u will find that you are learning, and this is all that matters.

2. Do hang out with colleagues
Everytime I hang out with them, it is an eye-opener, just the scale is different, sometimes big, sometimes small. I learnt about their ways of talking, some new English vocab or pronounciation, some insight to life, their lifestyle, their funny patients, their difficult cases of pt, how they handling it, how bad is their day in ward, stress and satisfaction when they doing 1 project currently... and don’t be surprise, they have the same bewilderness as you. At some days, when I m so fucked up (new vocab learn from colleagues) after a day of tiring work for searching the elusive casenote, handing a potential complained case or demanding pt, or writing the ‘all discharged at the sametime” memos, I will spit it out about my terrible day to my colleagues. And, I felt relieved, because I know he/she understand what m I talking about. While we hanging out together, it is like a mutual counseling session, an unformal way of CPD (continuous professional development). And the biggest advantage I have over my coursemate who work in Malaysia is, learn to see things from the perspective of different culture, different country, different system, through my daily interaction with my colleagues here.

3. Make UKM proud
Sounds like a standard slogan from a university lecturer. Every1 should proud of where u come from, no1 should let you feel inferior unless u allow it. UKM physiotherapy is a ‘young’ course. Our clinical knowledge about musculoskeletal or some other areas may not as good as our other colleagues, but we have our strength. And it is you to tell them what it is. No superior figure with great career in our alumni? You be the one.

All the best my dearest junior! Enjoy life! suddenly think of 1 sentence in mandarin: 去经历风雨吧！haha..how to translate in english?