A Piece of Advice
I was amused by the news I heard from the Year 3 2009/2010 in Internal Medicine posting. As each group has been assigned to each ward, the students in each ward divide the beds among themselves and held a no-entry zone within their own "territory". Other fellow students were not allowed to clerk their patients, making it a tense situation in the wards. What amused me was the fact that as I recall, only certain animals mark their territories as such, and humans aren't exactly one of them (despite country borders), particularly medical students. Could anyone clarify on this matter? Could this really be a misunderstanding?
Regardless of the news, I'm sure many of us had our fair share of experience in the wards. Students competing to clerk patients, mishandling of patients, and particularly "parasites" of bedside teaching. The wards, clinics, operating theatres are nevertheless the same, a gray area where there is no clear line between what is right or wrong. This is where we would be making use of our PPD skills, to exert a balance between the medical personnel and students' benefits and patients' well being. Thus, there is no reason for territory marking which is not a part of medical professionalism.
"We are not here to compete with each other, but to complete each other."
Regardless of the news, I'm sure many of us had our fair share of experience in the wards. Students competing to clerk patients, mishandling of patients, and particularly "parasites" of bedside teaching. The wards, clinics, operating theatres are nevertheless the same, a gray area where there is no clear line between what is right or wrong. This is where we would be making use of our PPD skills, to exert a balance between the medical personnel and students' benefits and patients' well being. Thus, there is no reason for territory marking which is not a part of medical professionalism.
"We are not here to compete with each other, but to complete each other."
-Jeffrey Lee
As we would have realise later on, each ward has different types of cases, so limiting yourself to each ward holds no impotance, what else only to two or three beds in each ward. Furthermore, there is not even any equality in bed distribution in each ward. Some beds may be empty most of the time, and certain beds may have the same type of cases everytime. Unless you aspire to be a specialist in that particularly disease only and foregoing the rest, I would suggest venturing to other wards, learning about other diseases as well. Imagine having a patient with unstable angine in your "territorial beds" for 8 weeks, it's going to be a nightmare, with no obvious signs for PE most of the time.
Of all postings, the least I would expect of such "territorial marking" mannerism would be from Internal Medicine posting as it houses the most number of patients compared to the rest. There is always enough for everyone, and all it takes is just politeness and some sweet talk, and the patients would be willing to be examined (Unless he had an extremely bad experience previously or too many times, like more than 10 times a day). So, I believe I could wish the Year 3 all the best in their undertakings. Let's just hope it's just the doings of a minor few. Either way, the even if the problem exist, I'm sure they would know how to adapt once they had realise that there is no long-term benefits in such doings.
Good Luck!
* Note: What I heard is still a rumor until proven otherwise. So, please calm down everyone! :P This post is just to share our experience in the wards. Plus, I hope there is someone to correct the perception and prove that I was wrong. That would be better that way.
As we would have realise later on, each ward has different types of cases, so limiting yourself to each ward holds no impotance, what else only to two or three beds in each ward. Furthermore, there is not even any equality in bed distribution in each ward. Some beds may be empty most of the time, and certain beds may have the same type of cases everytime. Unless you aspire to be a specialist in that particularly disease only and foregoing the rest, I would suggest venturing to other wards, learning about other diseases as well. Imagine having a patient with unstable angine in your "territorial beds" for 8 weeks, it's going to be a nightmare, with no obvious signs for PE most of the time.
Of all postings, the least I would expect of such "territorial marking" mannerism would be from Internal Medicine posting as it houses the most number of patients compared to the rest. There is always enough for everyone, and all it takes is just politeness and some sweet talk, and the patients would be willing to be examined (Unless he had an extremely bad experience previously or too many times, like more than 10 times a day). So, I believe I could wish the Year 3 all the best in their undertakings. Let's just hope it's just the doings of a minor few. Either way, the even if the problem exist, I'm sure they would know how to adapt once they had realise that there is no long-term benefits in such doings.
Good Luck!
* Note: What I heard is still a rumor until proven otherwise. So, please calm down everyone! :P This post is just to share our experience in the wards. Plus, I hope there is someone to correct the perception and prove that I was wrong. That would be better that way.
8 referrals:
If this piece of news is true, i am very disappointed because whatever that i have said to as many juniors as i can obviously fell on deaf or dead ears.
I said "Go touch(examine) as many patients as you can, clerk at least 1 long case per day". If you mark your teritory like that, what hell can you clerk? As YM said, you will clerk unstable angina throughout internal posting. You will not even be a cardiologist, you will be a sub-specialist in unstable angina.
DIviding beds is only for postings like O&G,where all cases are almost the same. Definitely not Internal Medicine.
Hopefully, this territory thing will not continue. Whoever who come out with this "brilliant" idea, hopefully you will retract it for the good of your friends. I guarantee those who guard "their" wards are definitely selfish people who is not fit for this profession.Why i put ""? Because its NOT even their wards!! Its for all students. What's wrong with people clerking your patients? Isn't it good you have someone to discuss with??
YM is amused but I felt very disappointed and troubled hearing this kind of things happening. Hopefully it happens purely on ignorance, nothing else.
This is the longest comment i ever give, sorry if i offended anyone.
p/s: Thanx ym for enlightening us on this matter! Not forgetting, thanx for quoting me...no need to write my full name ma hahahaha
Haha..edited ady, ur name not so long now.
Well, I can only say I am amused because I have no proof yet. So, mayb we can try figure out if it's really true. Secondary intervention would have to be implemented if it's true. :P
Anyway, even O&G cases not all the same leh...last time my bed only on post-partum cases (fresh into ward from delivery room only), in the end have to exchange bed to present different cases. lolz!! fortunately, we have no territorial marking, so can wander to other wards, as somehow orange ward at my time houses all the fibroid cases somehow. -.-"
OMG, those jrs are really NAIVE...
dividing territory somemore... sigh...
how come our next generation is like this....
haha..chill.. it's only rumors so far, so must confirm with them oni can.. later we dituduh memfitnah..lol!
what we're just doing is to share our experience with them..n_n
hahaha.....y u so scared got chaos? hehe....maybe shud retract my comments..its a bit emotional ady just now angry with someone else :P
hoho, nevermind, we adhere to transparency. Not scare got chaos, just to clarify only ma. If after clarify still got chaos, can bring it on. keke..
haha... UKM also have this kind of problem ah.. I thought only IMU have. It's human nature anyway! Cheers!
Well, after asking some of them, it seems the rumor was proven not to be true (to our relief). Maybe it happened to only a few of them after all.
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