Faces of the Fallen

Today I ended my "Program Pendedahan Kerjaya Seorang Doktor" with a bang.(The programme actually ended the day before.....but we got ourselves an extension)After spending approximately 24 hours awake, I came home and kayoed.Sweet blissful sleep.I finally had my chance to enter an actual operation theater.Though I never got to see the actual operation taking place, it was awesome just to be there. XD

The experience I gained this entire week was incredible.I got to see first hand what makes a hospital tick.Sg.Buloh Hospital certainly qualifies for the most beautiful surroundings category.The landscape there is beautiful and well designed.My friend said that if she didn't know that it was a hospital she would have thought it was a hotel. :D

Many JPA hopefuls came with much anticipation hoping to make an impression and become a doctor someday.Boy were they shocked.A lot of us actually knew that doctors lived pretty bad lives themselves, but what we were told was far WORSE.What I saw was......well not so bad lah.If I were to describe all the stuff I've seen and heard in my 5 days there, it would leave you hoping for a quick and painless death.

Most of the doctors I've met were just plain depressed.They were sad to the core.Every doctor, and I mean every doctor, asked us if we really wanted to become doctors.That's partially because their medical career drove them to long other fields of work.(e.g hot dog man,burger seller and even "jaga")All the doctors also had a lot of complains and regrets.It was quite dispiriting listening to them.And they always said "Were not trying to discourage you but...."

According to them becoming a doctor was a bad thing because:

1) The pay is bad....they're almost always impecunious.
2) You have no time to live your own life because you work an average of 400 hours a month.
3) On call is really sucky (see point 2)
4) You get no respect......most of the time.
5) You have to keep learning all your life.
6) You have to take crap from just about everyone when you're a houseman.
7) It takes forever to advance in your career.
8) You can forget about having a great family life ala Brady Bunch.
9) You have to compete with tonnes of other newly grads to get in to the best hospitals.
10) You have to compete with tonnes of other doctors to get into the masters programme.
11) Getting a job in a hospital will become harder due to the influx of med students.
12) If you receive the JPA scholarship you will be on a 10 year bond with the government.
13) If you decide to screw the bond you have to pay the price. (Over 1 mil if you go to the UK)
14) You can't afford to keep making stupid mistakes and go, "I'm sorry.I won't do it again.I promise."
15) Other people's lives are in your hands.
16) You live to learn, others you deal with probably won't. (see point 15)
17) Did I mention the pay is bad??


So basically when you're a doctor........




And you have to deal with it......