“Macleoid’s clinical examination, 13th ed”
Personal experience and thoughts: t has been a rich and a fruitful experience which I am still going through since I am only half way through finishing my observation period. I am attending two rotations, one in internal medicine and the other in neurology. Actually, I am blessed to shadow Dr. Basha (internal medicine doctor) who has 40 years of experience in his field. He is always welcoming, friendly, and considerate to my learning needs and my educational level. He occasionally allows me to conduct some clinical examinations such as taking patient history, auscultation and blood pressure measurement, just to name some.
I was and still shattered by how novice I am compared to the health care providers. This realization got confirmed once we started visiting the ICU and wards “where patients get admitted”. I literary felt dim and that I should just return to the first year and start the medical school all over again. This tremendous gap of knowledge might be partially because of the dereliction of my studies but also for the fact that medicine is not merely the theoretical knowledge in the books but rather integrated with what we must go through clinically and by hands-on experience.
Hospital Environment
The hospital setting is quite organized, and the staff is generally helpful. The doctors whom I either shadowed or will shadow all are of great personality and amazing attitude towards me as a student, to their colleagues or even more important to the patients. The vitality of the relationship between health care providers is of paramount. Taking care of the patient is a goal that is achieved by the efforts of all the staff in the health care center. After going through this experience, I comprehend the meaning of this even more than before.
A genuine caring smile in the face when interacting with others might make all the difference. Personal life troubles must be left outside the gates of the hospital before entering since the stress will reflect on your behavior and interaction with colleagues and patients. In conclusion, I am grateful for going through this experience because it is only now that I have more holistic notion of how the ideal physician’s attitude, behavior, knowledge, experience, and demeanor should be.
Name: Muhammad Ahmad Al-Salman
Training Site: Thumbay Hospital, Ajman
Training Period: 22 July – 22 August 2018 (4 weeks)
Major: MBBS
Expected Year of Graduation: 2020