Learning little

I'm working this weekend. Huargh. Both days plak tu. Thankfully the registrar on call with me is a super cool dude. He is very thorough and he teaches along the way. I don't know why registrars are usually keen to teach medical students but with interns they expect us to know everything. Have they forgotten that a final year medical student and an intern is not that different in terms of knowledge!?

There's not much learning in the surgical team. Half the time we're trying to scribe for a ward round that lasts for seconds.

Hello. How are you? Passing wind? Opened your bowels? Eating well? Okay. *turns to intern* Continue current management. Bloods. Check Xray. Keep drain in. IDC to come out *turns to patient* Bye.

That's basically the crux of each bedside interview. And you'll see the intern struggling to write everything down and juggling multiple files on the crook of the other elbow. And the rushing to the next bedside for the whole process. This morning while I was running to return the files back to the shelves at the nurses station, the registrar was gone! Talk about getting left behind! Had to scour the hospital to find the rest. Calling them was useless; reception is terrible in the hospital. Had to pre-empt and try telekinetic mind reading to guess where they'd go next.

We don't get to go to the operation theatre because there's too much paperwork to do up in the ward. If we attended theatre (where all the action really is); who is going to do the mundane paperwork and manage the problems on the ward? As an intern I have become very proficient in filling up forms. I am sick of my own signature!!!

But that's the most well-obtained skill so far. Filling up paperwork. As for practising good medicine; hmmph. Far from it.

I have to revise. But when I get home I'm too tired or can't be bothered! Seriously can't be bothered to open the "Surgical On Call" book or something. I know I must though.