Day 5 of my elective in general surgery. Honestly, can't really say that I would look forward to becoming a surgeon. It requires good and precise hand technique / skills, involves standing for a long time, and a sound knowledge of anatomy. Need to be on my toes also in reading up because today the specialist asked me, "What is a teratoma?" Patchy as my O&G/paediatric knowledge might be, I was fortunate to have guessed it to be a tumour of the germ-cell lining, but felt bad coz the houseman who answered 'benign ovarian cancer' later got told off, "How come medical student can answer better than you?".
I'm actually beginning to enjoy myself (in 1st week that is), especially since I got to see and do many things, from scrubbing in for assisting in surgeries, to helping houseman in the wards, to examining breast lumps in patients. I told my consultant that the 4-5 patients I helped clerked, examined and diagnosed today in my 1st time ever in the breast clinic exceeded the exposure I gained during my 3rd year surgical posting. Now I really know what a fibroadenoma, galactocoele, lymph nodes etc feels like. My consultant told me that if I wanted more exposure / experience in certain areas I can request for it and she will see what she can do about it. (Actually I do wonder whether she can teach me how to do an appendicectomy as a houseman :p lolz)
p/s: From time to time you will see Chinese patients who exaggerate the minor complaints they have, though it is not serious. Today there was one whom insisted to be seen and given follow up by the consultant (although she does not need another review), whom reminded the nurse - at the next appointment, she does not want to see this patient.
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