I never once disagreed with that statement. As I have said many times, there are egomaniacs everywhere. I'm not disputing that. Yes, I did. That's why I continued to do my job, right up to the very last day. Even when I decided to quit on that day and knew I would not get paid, I finished my duty right up to the last minute. However, please do not assume that this is a matter of disagreeing with orders from above. House officers are supposed to be learning the tricks of the trade from more experienced doctors (i.e. medical officers and specialists). If they are merely treated like slaves and ordered to do menial work, how will they learn? If medical officers refuse to teach them, how will they learn? Learning is the purpose of the hectic 20 months of housemanship - not merely following orders. Fair? Who decides what's fair, pray tell? My parents who slogged hard to pay for my education? My grandparents who are proud that I'm the first doctor in the family? My girlfriend's parents who naturally want their daughter to marry a professional? Or yours truly, who has to live with the consequences for the rest of my life? But to be fair to everyone... I had earlier discussed this matter with them, prior to making the decision. Andrew, I'm an armchair soldier and I know how they train. However, the purpose of a soldier is very much different from a doctor. To equate one with the other would be a dishonour to both. A soldier is trained to withstand privations that civilians do not have to undergo. They are also trained to obey orders without question. Even if they are asked to perform what appears to be a suicidal task, they must do so without question. But is that the job description of a doctor? A doctor is more than an obedient soldier. A doctor must be capable of evaluating a patient's condition and treating him. A doctor must be capable of handling everything by himself. He should not have to wait for orders. Above all, he must put his patient's welfare above everything else. I really cannot see why you would equate a doctor with a soldier. They don't even have the same aims. A soldier's job is to kill the enemy. Our job is to save lives. Believe it or not, my leaving has actually made some difference. The hospital management were surprised to see me leave. They said they never knew of such problems because no house officer ever complained to them. Therein lies the problem. Everyone is so afraid of bucking the system that they are all equally guilty of perpetuating the same system. Now that I made it clear to them what's happening, they told me they will definitely look into the matter and get the departments to shape up. Remember, they do not have to convince me of their intents. As far as I'm concerned, I've quit the hospital - I'm nobody to them. Sometimes, we just have to speak up to be heard. We may be ignored, we may be chided. But at least we should speak up. If not, we have no right to complain. What constitutes waste? Not becoming a doctor? Or not achieving my dreams? Who determines what's a waste? You? My parents? My relatives? My friends? My colleagues? No education is a waste. What I learned in medical school is more than the content of medical books. What I experienced during the 6 years of my education has changed my outlook in life and the way I think. Besides, education is meant to broaden your horizons... not limit them. Education gives us a choice of what we want to be... what we can be. The day education enslaves us is a really sad day. My dear Andrew, there will always be exceptions. If you wish, look at my work on ARP. Even when I was in med school from 8am until 5pm, I was working on ARP from the time I got back until 3am or so. And I worked 365 days a year, with no breaks and little sleep time. I usually sleep only from 3 am until 7 am everyday. But there's a difference between your job, my work at ARP and a doctor's job. The difference? When it comes to a doctor, we are talking about people's lives. If you can't coach your students properly, that's still okay. No real harm done. Worse comes to worse, their best lap times will be a few seconds longer. If I have a writer's block and cannot post an article quickly enough for ARP, that's still okay. What you can't read today, you can read tomorrow. Life goes on. But if you have done what I have done in the hospital, if you actually spend a day as a doctor in the hospital, you MAY actually understand why I'm so particular about tired doctors and the mistakes they make. Even though I've quit medicine, I honestly admire the dedication of the house officers working in the hospital. They work harder more than ANY OTHER PEOPLE I know. I don't know about you but I personally wouldn't belittle their sacrifice. I don't get you on this. Maybe you can clarify what it is you actually mean? Again, the soldier analogy is seriously flawed. Soldiers operate in units. A single soldier is ineffective. They count on sheer numbers and firepower. In addition, a tired soldier can still be as effective as a fresh one. Even if he can't aim properly to hit someone, he can still provide suppressing fire to keep the enemies pinned. But a doctor is different. Doctors often have to work on their own. Nurses may be there to assist but the doctor must be able to handle his job by himself. If he's tired and cannot think right, are we to blame him if he makes mistakes? Let's bear that in mind the next time we (or our loved ones) are on the operating table. Oh, I left amicably alright. While I informed the management of malpractices in general, I did not drop any names. There's no use in doing so. Allegations require proof. Unless I can provide them, what's the point of pointing them out? But when it comes to burning bridges, I'm actually referring to MENTALLY burning them. Personally, I believe that as long as we have at least a degree and the drive to succeed, we will do alright. If there's anything I covet, it's the drive to succeed. In any case, I still have my degree. If I have no other choice, I can always re-enter government service or find work in another country. There will always be a way, as long as your mind is open. No need to apologize. Everyone has a right to their opinions. I really appreciate your opinions, even if I do not agree with some of them. I certainly did not post my experience and opinions here for everyone to agree with. Actually, I can always turn back... but I choose not to. Well, I come from a working class family. So, I'm not a spoilt, rich brat who did medicine just because I can afford it. No matter what I do, I do it because I believe in it. It's not a matter of least resistance or taking the easy way out. Believe what you will - NOTHING is easy. You see - everything is perception. What may seem to be promising to you may be dangerous to another. Like they say, one man's meat is another man's poison. For me, I'm not giving up something promising to take a easy way out... I'm venturing into dangerous and unknown territory because that's what I want to do. It's not easy, it's not glamorous. But it's what I want to do. Don't worry. I do not just make decisions without considering the various aspects. Neither do I make such decisions without consulting others. At risk of repeating myself too often, I have already consulted my other colleagues, including a specialist and a medical officer, as well as my parents, girlfriend, etc., BEFORE I made the decision. Even on the matter of my house, I consulted MANY people before deciding to buy it. Thanks!
Dashken: Sorry, but you can't compare a relationship to a career, and neither can you compare a marital union to a career. Both are two totally different things. You can quit a job, but you can't quit a relationship or marriage. Please tell me you know that.
We can't quit a relationship or marriage? Now, that I don't know. Hmm... sorry, but you can compare between a soldier and a doctor?
Err.. I don't know about you but I've been dumped before. So, I know people can and do quit in their relationships.
LOL! I've seen people dumped and been dumped so many times. And people quiting their career and went for a totally different route. But hey... they come out fine. Both relationships and career are part of life and part of learning process, and "maybe" part of the meaning of life and why we are here. And I still don't get it why we can't compare?
Excuse me, but do you think a relationship or marriage is something to be toyed with? Do you think that you can "try out to see if it works, otherwise quit from it" in a relationship? A relationship and marriage is different compared to a career. Grow up and smell the difference. People's feelings, emotions, and life is at stake here. Do you mean you'd try out with a girl just for kicks and dump her when things don't work out? What if she was hoping for a real, lasting relationship? What if she kills herself because you dumped her? No problem? All part of learning? A damn costly lesson I would say. How do you compare a soldier and a doctor? Let me tell you. Both need discipline. They learn it in different ways, but they end up with the same principles. Discipline! People's lifes are in your hands so you damn well better have discipline to handle that. Also, both need commitment. You have to commit to your duties otherwise people will perish if you don't. I'm too tired to write about other things, so I hope you get my drift. If you still can't, think outside your range of thinking. If that still doesn't work, wait a few years until you're grown up, pay for your own rent and food, do your own laundry, experience not having enough to make ends meet, figure out you're miles and miles from home ... then you'll figure out what I'm talking about. P.S. I'm too tired to stay up Dashken, so I'll give you the honour and privilege of having the last say. I've said what I have to say. Peace!
Adrian, I'm too tired to write about what I really think. I need to wake up in 5 hours' time (I even work on Sundays -- but it's life). But one thing I hope you'd consider in future is this, quoted from Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." God bless you Adrian. I wish you all the best, and my prayers will be with you.
Hmm... so, from the post above... if Andrew is correct (which I don't agree at all), we should never ever break up with someone even if we both think the relationship is leading to no where. If you are with someone now, stick to him/her until the end of time, because a relationship should not be toyed around. Once you are a couple, you can never look back. Then I think I'm on the right path to not marry at all this life. Seriously... if you are taking your age and mine as comparison, then I have nothing more to say. I'll have to blame my parents for my late birth (which I won't). Hmm... I'm seeing a pattern here. The time factor again... Err... no, no and no. Don't we all? But if things don't work out. Are you going to not let her go? Not give both of you another chance to meet someone better? Most of the time, we will have to meet a few wrongs to meet one right. Don't tell me the next one you meet, you'll stick to it although she's the wrong one. That's what if... but what if I kill myself because I'm afraid she's going to kill herself if I dump her? So, you'll stay with her for the rest of your life if the relationship is not leading anywhere? Your whole life just like that...? I think that's even more costly... Well, I think this is leading to nowhere. Apparently, we are both on the different sides of the river. Sweet dreams.
If a relationship doesn't work out well, usually it's in both parties interest to pull the plug right there, instead of continuing the rotten relationship. That is a better options rather than getting married, having babies, then only u pull the plug. That way, u cause more damages. However, equating a marriage relationship and a carreer is certainly not really accurate, although both have some similarities. I think we should stop judging people's decision based on our own thinking, that's probably 1 reason why Malaysia can't keep their talented ones. If Adrian had got mutual understanding with all the key peoples in his life about the decision that he was going to make, who are we to judge his life? There's not really a clear cut on right and wrong decisions in life, so long as 1 live happily with the decisions that he or she made, I don't think he or she needs any lectures on that. Malaysia education system seems best in producing a bunch of obedient 'soldiers work force', they lack the experience in challenging a decision, they lack the mentality of reasoning on themself, they lack the common sense in linking 2 seperate incidents... When you always do as you were told, 1 day, when no one is there anymore to tell you what to do, then what will you do?? Anyway, I think I'd gone off topic, so I'm sorry for that..
LOL!! That's okay. We all tend to go off-topic. Maybe I should start a new topic on my new direction in life. After all, I am no longer a house officer.
Moving on... My cousin is also a doctor who is in her residency (I think). Though she's in the states now. She also did some duty here in Manila and from what I heard, it's just as terrible. But I congratulate you, Adrian, for having the courage to take on a new road especially at this point in your life. Not too many people do that.
LOL!! Thanks! Sometimes I regret not practicising. Once it's in the blood... Oh well.. Moving on! I just hope this is the right decision. It's one thing to do this as a hobby, it's quite another thing to do it full-time. I can already feel the financial crunch! LOL!!
Go Adrian! Go! When I can find the courage, I'll join you! Well, that depends if you need a 'tree' like me...
