What I learnt from SIP

Sorry you guys, I think I was so used to not blogging that I just didn’t feel like blogging this past week or so… In fact, the only thing I felt like doing was slacking, which I did.. in abundance.

Anyway, just a little entry abt my SIP experience.

I learnt that……

… Hungry Ghost Festival is my absolut-est favourit-est festival of the year.
I see my SIP month divided into the pre-Hungry Ghost era, and the Ghost month. Because, believe you me, it makes a HUGE difference. In the hideously busy first week of SIP, our ward list was TWO pages long, EVERYDAY! Without lines in betw!
And then, suddenly, in the middle of the second week, our list just start to decrease and decrease until one day, we could even fold it into thirds.. teehee (that was the day when Wk and I walked around with huge silly grins on our faces).. After asking around I realized that Gastro is most affected by this, because I guess the Ges and the IBS all can afford to stay home, whereas the poor AMIs still must be admitted. (We also enjoy laughing at the sudden eagerness of certain departments to reply to our blue letters.)
There was a small price to pay, however, as one of my patients (she’s my patient as Wk refused to have anything to do with her.) started to freak all the nurses out with her antics (I dun think I’m allowed to say more, but it was really quite freaky.)

… the white coat is very powerful indeed, because it allows people to see you from miles away, and then enable them to disperse/hide/pretend to be busy/pretend to sleep when you come near them. I mean, I’ve been wearing that dratted thing for almost 3 years now and it’s only now then I saw the ugly-ness of it in all its glory, ie. We really, REALLY stand out.

… it doesn’t matter who decides to bring the team out for lunch, or who suggested a dinner outing in the first place, the most senior person at the table always treat.
Our team Reg offered to treat us (2MO, 1HO, 2SIP) all to lunch one day and we all went, “wah! Thank you, Dr D!” But he last min invited our Con, and I didn’t even know that the Con treated us all until at the end of lunch when we were parting ways and our Reg thanked her loudly.
And then, our HO wanted to bring us out for dinner to thank us for our help, and also invited the MOs along. But she couldn’t make it last minute, and Wk and I secretly agreed that we should treat them. During dinner, it was quite funny, cos we were all happily chatting, then the senior MO suddenly pushed back her chair, I immediately elbowed Wk (cos I didn’t bring enuf cash), but the dear girl was abit slow on the uptake, and our second MO also rushed to the counter, and by the time Wk reach there, the bill has already been paid by the senior MO. They said that we can treat them after we pass our MBBS but I get the feeling someone else will end up treating again.

… the nurses are nice people who treat doctors and students VERY DIFFERENTLY.

... some departments require carefully worded blue letters to avoid insulting their egos.

... even though someone has written down H today in the notes, you DON'T tell patients they can go home until your con says so. In fact, try not to mention the word 'home' in front of them at all.

... tracing old notes is very irritating, time consuming and physically exhausting.

… I have damn good call luck!!!! Heh!

… when I’m busy, I can go without input (both solids and fluids) or output (PU) for close to 12hours.

… the kick I get out of doing successful bloods is almost as good as the high I get from playing Bejeweled. And this is saying a lot, because I’m severely addicted to Bejeweled. I think my CAGE score is full lor.

… SIP is not so bad. In fact, I really liked it!