Here, I’m writing out lessons I’ve learnt
from my day-to-day experience.
- Learning. It’s a daily activity we do unconsciously. I learnt a new term to describe my learning style now – Mozzaic Pattern. It means that as we sit in consultation or procedure room observing senior staffs, we also pick up their good and bad habits. Sticking all these habits and knowledge together, we modify them into our own Mozzaic Picture – A photographic mozzaic of your own life. As long as you still breathing, never stop learning.
- Respect. I get offended (not to an extent that I’ll get angry or burst) whenever I hear people telling about back in my hometown, how those senior doctors behave and act to their junior staffs. Verbal abuse should be stopped. If junior staff is as clever as you, then why on earth the government still need you to handle those patients?? Everyone has a role to play in patient’s care. As a senior, you should thank your staff and not spitting vulgar/mean words on your juniors for no reasons.
- Master your emotion. This takes times and years to conquer. I’m still doing my best for it. In young age, I was an easily mad person. But, what’s the point? If you ever angry at someone being foolish, why not just give them hints about their flaw? And if they just not listening, SCREW them. I admit that I’m bad in giving hints so I always skip to last step, which is to ignore/screw them… but learning.In medicine, I’m sure everyone has come across that non-medical relatives or frens often don’t understand what you thinking. Remember, it’s not their fault bcoz they didn’t take 5-6years of medic course and you do. I bet you wont understand their career and life either. So, back to Respect and don’t argue with them.
- Failure doesn’t kill people. As long as you are still breathing, you can get back up and change your life. Although it would be best not to fail, but don’t give up. Previous 2 years of unsuccessful OSCE examination, it gains experiences and things that people don’t see. A lot of invisible scars, feeling of palpitation when logging into email, and many faculty staffs will want to meet you after your remediation (which is pain in the arse!)
- Think before you act. Do not ever make decision when you’re angry. Do not make promises when you are happy. This is because once it’s done; there is no turning back. Consequences can be life-long or short term. Life can be hard if you need ur brain cells working hard every time you make decision. Weigh the risks and benefits of each case and decide yourself. There is no such thing as best or good move apart from the person own mission of life. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor his life can be repeated.
- No one is perfect. Human does all the negatives I mentioned above, it’s normal. It’ll be better if we can reduce them.
