Suitability of title

Wow I haven't blogged for a long, long time!

Now I ponder upon the suitability of the title of this blog - as I am no longer a medical student. In fact, I have completed my one year of internship!

How to assassinate a politician

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=1012&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Sastera&pg=sa_01.htm

A Malaysian newspaper has published a 'fictional' story of a racist politician who allegedly promotes racist views whilst under the cover of multiculturalism. Funnily, there are many similarities in the description within the story to a particular real life politician - other than the fact that the politician in the story was assassinated "in the name of racial harmony"

Not much of a veiled threat really.

Malaysian minister resigns!

I have never in my lifetime, seen, a Malaysian minister resign on principles. It is amazing and, regrettable, that such a minister is resigning - instead of others in the Cabinet. Nevertheless, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has set a benchmark that most of his Cabinet colleagues will not achieve.

Why doesn't Melbourne Uni care?

The month has been a hectic one. There's never ending work to do, jobs to apply to, cover letters to write, CVs to update and what's more, exams at the end of the month. For the past 18 weeks, I've done Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology - it seems revision is possible in one week? Really? And this is on top of my job applications and interview (which can take upu to 5 hours - I drove up to Bendigo and back for a 30 minute session).

I believe the health services (i.e., the various hospitals in Victoria) are within their right to ask us to turn up for interviews. After all, they are seeking employees, and our welfare technically does not rest with them, yet. It is the University of Melbourne that should be looking out for us, medical students. Why not change the semester schedule in order to make this period less stressful and anxiety-provoking than it already is? Why do we have exams during the scheduled interview period for our internships?

It does feel like my University doesn't care - does it?

A medical career dedicated to the poor and needy

• Carolyn Webb
• June 9, 2008

ANDREW Dent, the director of St Vincent's Hospital's emergency department for 12 years, has endeavoured throughout his career to help the underprivileged.

During his University of Melbourne medical training in the early 1980s, he spent a month working at Mother Teresa's mission in Calcutta.

Dr Dent, who was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) today, worked in Africa after surgical training in Britain.

He was the only surgeon at the Shisong bush hospital in Cameroon, introducing modern treatments and raising money for equipment. He has also worked in Papua New Guinea.

Blandine Dent said her husband, who is seriously ill with colon cancer, was very pleased to receive his AM.

"He feels very honoured," she said.

The Age, Melbourne.

The passing of a man, a mentor and a teacher

Vale Associate Professor Andrew Wesley Dent, Member of the Order of Australia.


He was more than just my research supervisor. He was more than just the Emergency Department Director.

He was the one who checked on the progress of a medical student's research, during his lunch break - with a Coke in hand for lunch.

He was the one who brought smiles and jokes to the table. Who told stories of his days as a medical student and a junior doctor.

He inspired his Department and made Emergency such a great place

Most of all, he inspired me.

With his dedication and care, to his staff, his friends, his patients and his family;

With humbleness that has not been surpassed;

Thank you, Andrew, For your advice;
For your guidance,

For we will all miss you. For I will miss you. And your jokes. And your guidance.

Supposedly this blog's reading level is...GENIUS!

That's not good...wasn't it a rule to always write for 5th grader level?

A beautiful pearl

This was posted in response to a blogpost entitled "Angry" by Anonymous

A beautiful pearl

once there was a girl
shine like a pretty pearl
bright shimmery swirl

but so you see
it's hard to be
when nailed to a tee

how could the pearl
know of the world
in its shell it curls

so it's little surprise
just like sunrise
pearl is worth more than any price

Untitled

The rushing waves, the open skies

a gentle breeze

rustling

brushes softly

The gathering storm, the gloomy sky

a gust of wind

blowing

against a heavy heart

The echoing thunder, the stark sky

a flash of lightning

lit

the chaos and fear

The constant sun, the calm sky

a gentle breeze

chilling

in the eye

Pyschiatry

Psych block was over rather quickly. Everyone seemed rather intent on hating psych - but despite what has been said and done - it was well taught and rather enjoyable. Even the long case was..hmm..interesting.

Examiner: So, what do you think of using antipsychotics for management of anxiety disorder?
Me (thinking: oh crap...I don't know): urm...hmm...atypical antipsychotics such as quetiapine can be used. There is emerging evidence that these antipsychotics are effective in anxiety disorder.

Emerging evidence? :P From mua.

But thankfully, Google confirms that there are emerging evidence.

update: I actually did well in the exam - which is nice :)

Rushworth 1 - IN THE NEWSPAPERS!

Our little trip down to Waranga News for editorial work! Very fun!
Never heard of Rushworth? Census Data 2006



View Larger Map

MY CAR!

My car!
It may be used
It may be small
It may only have 2-doors
It may be a Hyundai
BUT it's still MY CAR! :D

Rural health

The past week has been pretty interesting - with the amount of money the Federal Government (of Australia that is) is pouring into rural health - of course we would have a great all-expenses paid "orientation" in a rural campus of Melb Uni.

Fact is, whilst the trip did give facts about coursework in rural health, I'm sure everyone would have felt the strong unsubtle promotion of working in rural areas as doctors. Free meals (3-course welcome dinner, 3x main meals, morning tea, afternoon tea), games, free accomodation, free use of gym and sporting venues) and art gallery visits were some of the wonders of good government spending on rural health promotion :D

It was fun though! :)

But I'm not sure if I'm sold yet about working rurally. Which was the whole point of the trip.

No more impending homelessness

I've moved!!! From Unit 5, 14-16... to Unit 5, 10... - which is to say - I can see my ex-landlord from the courtyard of my new place :(

Too bad they can see us too from the stairs leading up to the front door...

Highlight of a medical student's career?

I woke up early to a cold Melbourne morning - only to miss my shuttle bus connecting the main hospital campus to the satellite campus 10mins away.

Reaching the clinic 30mins late was no matter at all, since no urologists were in sight when I arrived.

It was all worth it - because we told a consultant (call him A) that we were at the urology clinic to learn DRE (for the uninitiated, that's digital rectal examination or more crudely, finger-up-your-bum). Thereafter, every other urologist that A met was told of our presence (and aims). One laughed hysterically and I must say, unhelpfully.

There were just the two of us. It was a draw of 4-4.

(No, we don't keep scores for everything, just for DREs, venepunctures, IVCs, IDCs ..............)

Dreamlarge?

Who would have thought to associate dreaming 'large' with Melbourne Uni? Certainly not before the Uni spent millions of dollars on a multi media ad campaign (Aussie dollars I must say - which means it'll cost about 3x more in Ringgit Malaysia, or 0.85 in US ).

Dreamlarge is the name of the ad campaign dreamed up by the people commissioned to promote the Uni's move towards Melbourne Model. In the next couple of years, the University of Melbourne will no longer accept undergraduates into most professional courses - including medicine and law. Instead, the Melbourne Model will require school leavers to complete a generic degree (Arts anyone?) before moving on to do a professional course as a graduate. Doesn't it sound suspiciously American Model rather than Melbourne?.

I suppose it has nothing to do with funding (and fees), and everything to do with education par excellence. This change comes at a time when

1. Most universities are facing severe funding crisis
2. Melbourne has since dropped a few places from the best of number 19 in the world (only according to Times Education Supplement some years ago).
3. Fees have increased drastically over the years for international and local students. International students now pay fees which are subject to up to 7% adjustment per annum. So if you start medicine, say, next year, and the fees should be approximately AUD$53000 (yes that much I'm afraid) - and by the end of your course of 6 years - $74335 on the final year for a whopping total of AUD$318,444 excluding living expenses (and yes...on current exhange rate, it does seem like it will be a touch beneath the million mark). Full-fee local students pay $10k less but they have no cap on the maximum 'inflation' per annum.

I am sure the Melbourne model will produce more broadly educated graduates (which sometimes seem necessary in Med - sometimes we forget there's life outside it). Maybe even better graduates. But denying that it is not, at least, partially motivated money is a lie.

Here's to dreaming large. Click on the link if, you too, find it hard to dreamlarge. http://www.dreamlarge.edu.au/

Changes!

For two years or so, I have not bothered to change my blog template -but, because exams are approaching, it is only appropriate that I procrastinate by updating the template to a 3-column style, with the left-most column reserved for relevant links and right-most column for blog navigation and chat.

I'm sure you would have noticed a big colour change, from the gloomy "Dots - Black" template, I am now using 565 template (who knows what 565 means really?!)

I have added my favourite medical and non-medical books list - hopefully, the booklist will be helpful :)

The state of broadband in Bendigo

It has been years since I last had to wait more than 10mins for a 1.3MB download. Yes, even dialup could be faster...though not always.

The most frustrating part of it was having conversations on MSN truncated - making me look like I'm ignoring people and making me feel like the whole world was ignoring me :(

Well that's that when you have to share a 512/128Kbit line with everyone in the hostel (and yes, there's 3 floors of 16 rooms each floor...do the maths).

Bendigo: A showcase

Yes it's my fourth week in Bendigo now - and look at the pictures I've got myself. No, Bendigo's not rural, it's called regional. Basically it means a city in the bush. Kinda like Shah Alam or Seremban back in Malaysia :)The hospital itself ain't too bad - people there are mostly quite friendly, and are usually quite happy to help. There's always the odd ones out and the special situations, like when the whole group was told we weren't wanted for the morning wardround - and all of us were dripping wet from walking in the rain to make it for the round. Myers came from here - before they were swallowed up by the Sydney-side Grace Bros. and started to lose money. Still I haven't had time to actually explore the town too much yet, and may just do that tomorrow - if it doesn't rain.

For a place that's complaining of drought, it's raining awfully a lot here recently. When we first came four weeks ago, Bendigo's in Stage 5 water restriction and was expected to run out of clean water in NOV 2007 (I've never expected to be in a place that can run out of water in my lifetime) - but I reckon it should be all right till next year now :p

Funny how I spent my Friday night - not in a pub, not in a club, not in a cinema, nor in a party - I was in the emergency department till around 11.30pm. It's actually so much more fun being there as a clinical student rather than a research student. Still, with exams looming, everyone's a little stressed out about it. Short case, long case, MCQs - there's so much to learn and so little time. But it's okay, because we're medical students - impossible is what we do everyday (whoa!).

Easter holidays

It's that time of the year again - everyone's feeling a little tired; the stress of coming exams sky-rocketing; and we have a one-week break - and we ARE medical students. So what else do we do other than...studying?


Already a few people have organised 'revision' groups for the week-long holidays.

Me? I want to just have break, play some badminton - and join those people for revision :(