REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

This writing is my reflective journal which would reflect what I felt and thought about

during my six weeks' elective posting attachment in Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim, Sungai Commented [G3]: Deleted:6

Petani, Kedah. Commented [G1]: Inserted: six

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My first chosen posting was Obstetrics & Gynaecology Department. I was initially

very nervous as I thought I was alone as a student in the department. Luckily, I met few

students from Mansoura University, Egypt, also coming for attachment, even though for only

a week compared to my three weeks' attachment. After introducing ourselves to the Head of

Department, Dr Kunasegaran Kannaiah, we divided ourselves into small groups and went to Commented [G4]: Inserted: three
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our respective locations. In this hospital, there are four wards for O&G, one ward for
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gynaecology patients, one ward for antenatal patients, one ward for post-caesarean patients

and one ward for post-spontaneous vaginal delivery patients and placenta praevia patients.

There is also a Labour Ward comprising of 12 labour rooms, and an O&G clinic. Commented [G6]: Inserted: one
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I mainly attached myself in the Labour Ward and the O&G clinic. During my
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attachment in Labour Ward, I was elated as I was given chances to assist the delivery process Commented [G9]: Inserted: one
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besides helping the doctors and nurses completing their jobs such as weighing the placenta
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and preparing blood samples. My unforgettable experience was when I witnessed a patient Commented [G13]: Deleted:a
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fitting in front of me, 1-hour post-delivery. I observed the process and workflow when a red Commented [G15]: Deleted:a
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alert was initiated. The teamwork between the O&G team and Anaesthesiology team was

very smooth and helped the patient to be resuscitated and survive. I learnt that I should

always be alert to my patients as unexpected events may happen, such as what happened to
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this patient who never had any pregnancy induced hypertension or epilepsy. I should never
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panic in an emergency, as it is vital for the doctor to remain level-headed in determining the Commented [G19]: Inserted: an
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best decision for the patient in the nick of time. Commented [G21]: Inserted: s
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 Besides that, I also spent my time in the O&G clinic, attaching myself to a MO

doctor, Dr Saniah Yaacob who was very kind, dedicated and knowledgeable. She shared her Commented [G31]: Deleted:n

experiences of being more than 20 years in the field, some of them made me rethink about the

reasons I decided to become a doctor and aiming to pursue a speciality in O&G. In the clinic,

I observed that the population differs from Terengganu population surrounding our teaching

hospital, Hospital Sultanah Nur Zahirah (HSNZ). In HSAH, the patients were multicultural Commented [G23]: Inserted: i
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and multi-ethnic, some even from Rohingya clan as UNHCR refugees, leading to some
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difficult information relay due to the language barrier. Therefore, it is up to the doctor to Commented [G26]: Inserted: the

learn a few new words and being able to talk in the language the patient understand, so that Commented [G27]: Inserted: word
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proper information transfer would be possible and efficient.
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After three weeks in O&G Department, I continued my attachment in Emergency & Commented [G33]: Deleted:language
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Trauma Department (ETD). I joined a few students from UCSI, USM-KLE and Universiti
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Malaysia Sarawak. We were briefed by Dr Azah, who was the specialist in charge of the Commented [G34]: Deleted:e
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students. We were given log book as a guide and given an orientation of the department. We Commented [G36]: Deleted:v
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first placed ourselves in the primary and secondary triage to observe the triaging process,
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assisting in every way we could get such as applying ECGs for the patients and help to triage Commented [G44]: Deleted:was
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some of the patients, under the guidance of the medical assistants. Later, we attached to

Green Zone, Asthma Bay, Yellow Zone, Red Zone and Observation Ward respectively. Commented [G38]: Inserted: e
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During my attachment in ETD, we had teaching classes with Dr Noor Hafiza, an
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Emergency Physician, who was very dedicated and spirited in guiding and teaching us. We Commented [G41]: Inserted: get
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presented cases and learned various procedures done in ETD. My unforgettable moment in
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ETD was when I was given a chance to perform CPR on a patient in Red Zone. Even though Commented [G47]: Deleted:anc
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the resuscitation failed, I was able to reassess my skills, as applying CPR to a mannequin is Commented [G49]: Deleted:ing
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very different to a human being. Besides that, I observed that there were multiple simple
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notes of the emergency standard of procedures put on large displays around the ETD. It may
help the doctors from forgetting and committing mistakes, as doctors are also human beings.

However, errors must be minimised and eliminated, as each error may risk the patients' life. Commented [G51]: Inserted: the

I also learned a lot from the nurses and medical assistants. Besides sharing their

experiences, they also allowed us to join their CMEs and do minor procedures such as simple

suturing, wound cleaning and IV cannulation. I was given a chance to accompany patients for

x-ray and CT-scan, allowing me to have more in-depth clerking of the patient, thus helping to

understand the patient more, besides building better rapport with them. I was also taught on

how to handle difficult patients, by being calm, not judgemental and not losing my temper to

them. Commented [G53]: Inserted: a

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In conclusion, I learned and experienced a lot during my elective posting attachment.
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I hope that all the knowledge and skills I acquired will be able to help me to become a good

and safe doctor, more understanding, more knowledgeable and more skilful for the benefits

of the humanity. Commented [G56]: Inserted: ty

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