#dailyprompt-1853 — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

The Theoretical Doctor @[email protected] · 2026-01-15 · 01:00 UTC

My New Year’s Eve – 2025

Related Posts:

31st December 2025. I was NOT oncall.

It was a Wednesday and it was a normal working day. Hence, at 7:45am, I left to work as usual and was there by 8am. It was the New Year’s Eve. I thought that maybe, just maybe, there would be less patients in the clinic.

The day started off smoothly. Surprisingly, there were many patients who came for their follow up followed by additional patients (the defaulters and walk-ins) but it was manageable. We went about our day, seeing each patient and when lunch time came, we went for our lunch break.

At 2pm, we went about our work, seeing patients as usual and I was taking my time with each patient. The patient load in the afternoon shift was lower compared to the morning shift and both my colleagues were done with their patient load.

Suddenly, a staff nurse barged into my room saying that there is a massive accident that just occurred nearby, 2 patients were already brought in and 2 more were on their way. They called in all available doctors (which were only the three of us) to help out.

I told my colleagues to head out and help out first while I rushed through the consultation of my final patient. After that, I rushed to the tiny Emergency Room of the clinic. My colleague who was oncall on that day was already attending to a child. I went over to the other patient, an old lady and did my primary survey and fast scan.

She was desaturating badly under room air and needed oxygen support. She had an open skull fracture, multiple abrasion and laceration wounds over her face, upper and lower limbs as well as rib fractures and on top of that, her left leg appears shortened and she has a closed fracture over her right lower limb.

I didn’t think that we should proceed with an x-ray at our clinic even if we had the facility at that time, the best would be to send them straight away to the hospital because she could deteriorate further any time. Thankfully, her GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) was full.

I was focused on my patient, stabilising while referring her to the specialists of various specialities as well as the emergency physician that when I finally got ready to transfer her out that I noticed the child that my other colleague was attending to. The child’s right arm was crushed and the distal limb of his right arm was pale and his right lung was obvious till mid-chest.

Just how in the world is he still awake? The poor child was crying out in pain…

Judging by the state of his and my patient’s injuries, it was definitely high impact.

The story was, the whole family were travelling back from Miri to Kuching. Both the parents were sitting in front and the father was driving whilst the two children and their grandmother were sitting at the back.

The father claimed that he was not speeding but as he was about to make a u-turn at a junction, he claimed to have hit the curb and the car turned many times into the other lane before finally stopping and the grandmother and one of the child were thrown out of the car.

It sounded like a very high impact collision. Thankfully, the parents and the other child were well and unscathed.

We had to transfer both patients in two separate ambulances to the Red Zone of the Emergency Department at Hospital Bintulu as one ambulance could only transport one patient at a time.

Upon arriving, I met my colleague and friend at the Red Zone of the hospital. After we have handed over to the medical officers and specialist in the Emergency Department, we headed back together. However, upon reaching back, there was another patient who came in who was extremely tachypnoiec.

Oh, here we go again… Another Red Zone referral…

We stabilised the patient and referred her to hospital again. The clock was already showing 10pm when we left. The journey to the hospital takes about 45 minutes to an hour for each journey and the both of us have yet to have our dinner. This time, I choose to accompany her for the referral, mainly for emotional support and also in hopes of stopping by McDonald’s to get a takeout.

Yes, we did stop by McDonalds after sending the patient safely to the hospital and yes, we used the ambulance and went through drive-through.

By the time we left, it was already 11pm. The journey takes around 45 minutes to an hour and it was raining heavily. At this point, I was wondering if we would end up celebrating New Year’s in the ambulance.

Me and my friend ate in the ambulance on the way back while we joked and exchange oncall stories. Thankfully, we reached a little before midnight. The day was completely unexpected, not to mention tiring but it was nice to have spent it with a friend.

It’s still the beginning of 2026, so if I’m not too late, Happy New Year!

If you are travelling anytime soon or in the future, do drive safely, stay within speed limits especially if it is raining. Remember to get your car and tyres checked before any long distance journey and NEVER drive under the influence.

Stay safe always!

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #bintulu #Blog #blogging #clinic #collision #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1829 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1834 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1844 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1943 #dailyprompt1948 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1953 #doctor #doctorSLife #emergency #emergencyDepartment #generalPractitioner #healthcare #housemanship #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #newYearSEve #oncall #sarawak #writing

#article #articles #bintulu #blog #blogging #clinic

The Theoretical Doctor @[email protected] · 2026-01-14 · 01:00 UTC

12 Hours Shift – Counting Down My Hours Each Time At Work

Related Posts:

How do you waste the most time every day?

At the time of writing this article, which was back in June 2025, I was going through my 6th Rotation of my Housemanship which is in the Department of Emergency and Trauma. As a House Officer in the Emergency Department, we go by the 12-hours shift.

This meant, our shift is from:

AM Shift: 7am till 7pm
PM Shift: 10am till 10pm
Night Shift: 10pm till 10am

In this department, they are strict in regards to adhering to a minimum of 60 hours per week in total. Thus, in a week, our schedule is as follows;

A total of at least 4 daytime shifts (AM or PM Shifts)
One night shift
One off day

That is provided one has off-tagged of course.

Perhaps, it is the “last paper syndrome” that I was experiencing being in the 6th and final rotation, I would be counting down my hours each day at work. Thus, upon arrival at work, I would start my “12-hours countdown“ on my phone.

On slow days, I made it a point to go to toilet every hour, technically my so-called “hourly break” whereas on busy days, the toilet break is the only time I could take a break. This is followed by ensuring I have at least one meal per day during my shift.

Otherwise, the schedule in the emergency department is relatively better as compared to my previous rotations. Nevertheless, the tiredness is still there.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1822 #dailyprompt1838 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1841 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1854 #dailyprompt1856 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1863 #dailyprompt1865 #dailyprompt1892 #dailyprompt1942 #dailyprompt1950 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1977 #doctor #doctorSLife #emergency #emergencyAndTrauma #emergencyDepartment #emergencyMedicine #healthcare #hospitalUmumSarawak #houseOfficer #housemanship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #Medicine #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #shift #writing

#article #articles #blog #blogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804

The Theoretical Doctor @[email protected] · 2026-01-08 · 01:00 UTC

My First Tagging On-Call Shift As A Floating Medical Officer

Related Posts:

My first tagging oncall shift was on a Sunday with a fellow medical officer I knew when I was a House Officer in General Surgery. Back then, he was having his attachment in General Surgery.

Just like a House Officer, we had to undergo a period of “tagging“.

In the Department of Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery at Sarawak General Hospital, I had to undergo a tagging period of one month, every other day (EOD). This is because, I am a newborn medical officer with no previous experience in General Surgery (as a Medical Officer).

This is an advantage as I would be able to learn as much as I could within a span of 1 month. However, it was also a disadvantage as I’m afraid, I would be burnt out mentally and physically considering the on-calls were on every other day (EOD).

“I can do it. If others could, I could too.” , I repeated this mantra to myself but the learning curve is going to be an extremely steep one.

During my first tagging oncall, thankfully, it was with a fellow senior colleague who I was rather comfortable with.

We started with our morning ward rounds followed by passover and peri-rounds. After we were done, we went back to the ward to settle our pending job-lists followed by lunch.

As a tagging on-call medical officer, the first call would be to me for referrals. After which, I would discuss with my senior and proceed to see the referred patient together. After reviewing our newly electively admitted patients, pre-op rounds with surgeon and demarcating the op site and pre-op meeting, we went back home in the evening and returned at night together for our night reviews which we updated in the Department’s WhatsApp Group on the progress of certain patients. Incidentally, a patient whom we were awaiting for op was called into the operating theatre and the operation ended at 2am. Finally, we returned home for the night.

I was nervous of course as I usually get anxious easily. However, I took my shower and headed to bed.

My phone was kept beside me in case I were to receive calls or referrals. At 6am, I returned to the ward and started our morning reviews as well as prepared for our morning rounds.

Since, it was a Monday, it was morning ward rounds, handover and peri rounds as usual. However, since I was still tagging, I was expected to stay till 5pm or to join the ongoing surgeries.

Thus, my first postcall was spent in the operating theatre assisting till 6pm. However, despite the ongoing operation, I excused myself to return home and rest.

The following day will be another one, thankfully, not oncall but within office hours.

Thankfully, it was a good call with a fellow senior that I was comfortable with in terms of approaching in regards to my doubts which was undoubtedly, many.

I can only hope that I would be able to survive this whole month of tagging.

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1828 #dailyprompt1836 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1855 #dailyprompt1857 #dailyprompt1858 #dailyprompt1861 #dailyprompt1943 #dailyprompt1944 #dailyprompt1945 #dailyprompt1946 #dailyprompt1948 #dailyprompt1949 #dailyprompt1952 #dailyprompt1954 #doctor #hospital #hospitalUmumSarawak #housemanship #kuching #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #oncall #plasticAndReconstructiveSurgery #plasticSurgery #plastics #sarawak #sarawakGeneralHospital #surgery #tagging #writing

#article #articles #blog #blogging #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1828

The Theoretical Doctor @[email protected] · 2026-01-06 · 01:00 UTC

My First Day Of Locum And As A Medical Officer

Related Posts:

A locum or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfils the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy.
– Wikipedia.

The first time I ever tasted or ventured into locum or a so-called “part-time doctor” was on the 3rd of August 2025.

At that time, I was back in my hometown and on a 3-weeks-break post housemanship / internship at a small private clinic, yet to officially begin as a Medical Officer.

While I was in medical school, I would occasionally hear this term “locum” from my fellow seniors or batch mates, lecturers, parents or even friends of my parents. However, in order to locum, one would need to be fully registered with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) and possess a valid Annual Practicing Certificate (APC). In short, I had to graduate medical school, finish my internship or housemanship first, then only am I able to dive into this.

Thus, upon acquiring my full MMC and APC licence, I was looking forward to locum. Looking forward to it as well as nervous to dive into this. Thankfully, I had just completed my final rotation in the Emergency and Trauma Department.

In the Emergency and Trauma Department, there are various zones in which the patients would be triaged into in terms of presenting complaints, severity and their vital signs. The least critical in severity would be triaged into Green zone. The Green zone is similar to a clinic setting, thus, it gave me some idea on the type of cases I would be expecting.

My first locum was just 3 hours long, from 7pm till 10pm. I figured that since I am just starting at that time, it would be better to start with minimal hours in order to get used to it and also.. if I would enjoy it.

The clinic was quaint and small but equipped with basic necessities and a scan machine. The only thing that it did not have, was an x-ray facility. The moment I sat down, the patients kept coming back-to-back. As soon as I was done with one, another came.

For a first-timer, I felt it was equivalent to the Green Zone in General Hospital whereby the cases were always there but the patient load was manageable.

However, I was extremely scared.

Mainly afraid that I might accidentally jeopardise the patient’s safety in terms of mismanagement. Thankfully, by 9:30 pm, the clinic assistant stopped accepting new patients and prepared to close the clinic.

For a first experience, it was a good one despite it being rather terrifying for me.

But, we all have to start somewhere and build our confidence, don’t we?

About Me | Privacy Policy | Contact Me

#article #Articles #Blog #blogging #clinic #clinicLife #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1828 #dailyprompt1833 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1843 #dailyprompt1853 #dailyprompt1855 #dailyprompt1861 #dailyprompt1862 #dailyprompt1942 #dailyprompt1946 #dailyprompt1947 #dailyprompt1948 #dailyprompt1951 #dailyprompt1953 #dailyprompt1959 #doctor #hospital #hospitalLife #houseOfficer #housemanship #johorBahru #locum #locumTenens #locuming #Malaysia #medical #medicalOfficer #Medicine #writing

#article #articles #blog #blogging #clinic #cliniclife

Inside the Red Head's Head @[email protected] · 2024-02-19 · 13:02 UTC

Daily writing prompt Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you. View all responses

Nope, I gots nothing for this one.

I’m not going to declare that this is a dumb question. I’m sure for both shoe lovers and deep, metaphysical thinkers today’s daily writing prompt might lead to a fascinating essay and discussion, but I am neither of those people.

I don’t have a favorite pair of shoes. I never have and it is likely that I never will. What I am is large. I’m somewhere between six feet four and six feet five inches tall. That’s 193-194 centimeters (or so) for our metric friends. I was hoping I would hit the magic two meter mark, but I came up a bit short. Maybe that’s the source of my deep seated sense of failure in life (he said mostly kiddingly). Who knows.

Along with my ridiculous height I also have really, really big feet. Like my feet are too big to buy shoes off the rack at any normal shoe store. When I shop for shoes at the New Balance website I need to order size 14eee. My feet are both too long and too wide for my own good. That is probably the reason why I have never had a favorite pair of shoes. I simply cannot be choosy about my shoes. If I find a pair that fits I grab them. Shoes are nothing to me beyond that.

And that, gentle readers is why I don’t have an answer for today’s daily writing prompt. Sorry, folks, but if the shoe fits…

Generate an image of a Jedi Knight trying on new shoes at a shoe store.

https://robertjames1971.blog/2024/02/19/shoes-2/

#dailyprompt #dailyprompt1853 #feet #footHealth #runningShoes #Shoes #sneakers

#dailyprompt #dailyprompt1853 #feet #foothealth #runningshoes #shoes