| Sunday, 7 October 2007 |
| public health screening |
Public Health Screening '07 was an interesting and fun experience. Nevermind that I spent the bulk of my time there taking patients' history, and only had the chance to take the blood pressure of one patient - and nevermind the fact that I was too tired to stay for the second slot, and thus only stayed for the first one.
I feel as if I've learnt something out of it. I think the greatest take home message I brought back with me yesterday is that communication with the general public is key - and also not an easy task. Its very easy to assume that people can understand what you are saying, when more often than not, they don't. Words like Hypertension and Hyperlipidemia, which are second nature to us, are like Greek to the general public. I think we all have a long way to go to learning how to deal with this problem of communication, and watching the M3s, M4s and M5s overcome the communication barrier is something very inspiring - its amazing what a couple of years in clinical practice would bring.
I've also discovered that I love seeing older patients, especially old ladies. They are so cute and entertaining! They are genuine and they tell the funniest stories ever! I find old ladies very amusing, and I really enjoy interacting with them.
I don't know if this fixation with old grandmas will necessarily lead to a future in geriatrics, but I think I really do have a 'Grandma Complex' in me.
I must say that one of the reasons that I joined medicine arose from the fact that my Grandmothers are/were sufferers of chronic disease. My maternal grandma is a diabetic, while my paternal grandma died of heart failure, renal failure, and lots and lots of various complications. In some sense, I love helping old grannies because they sort of remind me of my grandmothers.
Not very healthy but hey, I think nothing bad will come out of it.
Most importantly, I think that PHS (plus this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy!) sorta restored my drive and faith in being a doctor. It showed that there are people out there that still need and must be helped - and that society isn't as decadent as I made it out to be. While the majority of society is still squandering their health away, there still exists a minority of people that really need out help, and I guess, its this minority of people that I'm living and working so hard for.Labels: school, soul |
posted by voldemort33 @ 11:32  |
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