Category Archives: All in a days work

as a medical officer

HIV Programme – a rotten tomato rating to myself

Posted in All in a days work, Ponderings & Personal Development by

I wanted to host my HIV programme in a different format this year. Instead of another aerobics session with a public talk, I made it into an organised CME session. The turnout was bad as I overlooked certain things that could have made a difference. Less than 10 people attended the talk.

  • NO hype. There was no hype built around the programme. Hence, people were not excited to attend the session and just cited ‘being busy’ or ‘patient ramai’ as an excuse. I could do better by explaining what World AIDS Day is and emphasising the importance of healthcare worker’s support.
  • Existing HCWs do not see their role in HIV care. To them, it is a distant thing managed purely by myself, Dr Minci and members of my team. While it is true that we coordinate patient’s care, other healthcare professionals are equally important in managing these cases.
  • Team spirit. It is noticeably lacking as compared to my NCD team. Perhaps it is predominantly male making them less enthusiastic about the frills of any celebration.

Anyway, InsyaAllah I can do better in 2025. I will be having a new co-champion. I hope that everything goes well. Amin.

Diabetes Day Celebration 2024

Posted in All in a days work, Good Things by

This year my team is going low-key with a very minimal budget. There’s not even an opening speech, a gimmick or sharing sessions with patients. I personally felt that the patients were also not trying hard enough to improve their health conditions. I have yet to witness any cases of really good changes in their HbA1c level.

The celebration started with an aerobic session followed by activities at the booth area. The medical officers and diabetic educators were in charge of the registration and arranging the breakfast buffet for the team. We also had a few games at our stall with small trinkets as prizes. I bought syringe pens as registration tokens which I had prepared 2 weeks earlier.

The dietitian booth was a one-woman show. Madam Siah was demonstrating the diabetic diet meal sets which were so realistic.

The pharmacists had puzzles to solve and Uphamol was given as a token of participation.

The Occupational Therapists unit had a stereognostic box. Participants were told to put their hands inside the box and feel the objects. Whereas the Physiotherapist booth has a Physical Activity Pyramid. It’s interesting to see which daily activities that we do are considered as having low, medium or high intensity.

The programme did not incur much budget as we were parting knowledge more than anything. We did use money to print the banner which will be used for the next 2 years as the themes are the same. Part of the budget is for tokens and our meal for the day. I am hoping to do something different next year. We will see what my brain juices will think of in 2025.

Enjoy the pictures

Here is my team. Well, part of it. We forgot to take a photo together during the event. This was when we were clearing the area.

My way, your way

Posted in All in a days work, Ponderings & Personal Development by

A communication breakdown happened recently. At my workplace. I haven’t experienced such reprimanding from a superior for a while. It felt like I was a houseman back again. Only this time, I am older (by age) with more work experience. This made me feel less intimidated by the attempt of another person wanting to exert their power over me.

There were mixed advice and comments when other colleagues learned of our little meeting. Some said we should resist the authoritative commands and stick to what we have been doing all this while. Others said to just go with the flow as at the end of the day, the superior is the head of the team and anything done needs her approval and clearance. What do I think?

Play safe.

LOCUS OF CONTROL

In psychology, there is a concept known as ‘locus of control’. An individual with an internal locus of control would perceive challenges or life events as something that they could control and change its course. They have confidence that their knowledge, skills or whatever ‘power’ it is that they have in their hands could help them surpass the obstacles. An individual with an external locus of control tends to think that their life events are wholly determined by fate, luck and chance. So much so that even if they pass an exam due to their own efforts, they tend to think that it is because the paper was designed to be easy.

I believe that we all have a mix of both. In fact, as we perceive the world around us, we may have realized that there are certain things that we can control, we can influence and that we do not have control of.

So, back to the problem.

What I can control

I can control my attitude and feelings in response to the reprimanding session. I can concentrate on the facts of the matter and improve on that. I do not need to dwell on the matter for too long and instead take steps to work towards what is required for a fruitful discussion or consultation.

What I can influence

I can influence how we choose to continue our meet-ups or modes of communication. I can influence how my team members work with me. I can try to make them like me or avoid me at all costs. The key word here is influence. Thus, I must be prepared to accept that despite my attempt to influence, some people just wouldn’t budge from their actions and stand.

What I cannot control

Which brings on this part of the challenge. I cannot change everyone’s school of thought. Everyone has been brought up in a certain background and exposed to a variety of life circumstances. This forms their personality and perception of the world. While I may attempt to influence, it is something that I cannot control.

The ultimate controller lies in Allah S.W.T. He who moves the world and the hearts of people. This is why although sometimes I think I cannot control something, I still believe in the power of doa, the power of prayer. Ask from HIM all that your heart desires and if it is something meant for you, InsyaAllah it will be granted. It is only a matter of time.

Kelab Kurus 2024 – an obesity programme

Posted in All in a days work by

I signed an oath at the beginning of March this year to become an active participant in our clinic’s obesity programme. This program has gone into its 2nd year and I am one of the 24 people selected by the committee member to join. I have a BMI of 28.3kg/m2 which makes me Obese as per Asian standards. The goal is to lose 10% of our initial weight over 6 months. This means that my last weigh-in will be in early September. That gives me enough time to look good in pictures for my birthday in August, (hopefully) my graduation at the end of the year and of course my wedding anniversary.

In our first session, we calculated our daily calorie intake. The key phrase in any weight loss program is ‘calorie deficit’. So regardless of what diet fad one chooses to take, as long as you are in a deficit, it is fine. It is a bit challenging for me though because I am petite. My calorie deficit theoretically is less than the minimum required for every human being. Thus, like it or not, I have to incorporate exercise into my weekly routine. By just exercising 3 times/week, I could increase my calorie intake a bit to allow a deficit to happen. I hope that makes sense.

So far, we’ve had sessions from the dietitian and physiotherapist team. All of us were given a Food Diary and encouraged to share our journey in the WA group. Members who are diligent in attending the sessions and also interactive on WA are given merit points. The committee members have lined up lots of activities throughout the months and I really look forward to them. These activities are aerobic exercises, aqua-aerobics, hiking, walking at the park etc.

It has been a great and motivating start so far. I hope to achieve my goals at the end of this 6 months.

She listened

Posted in All in a days work by

Last week I saw a lady who was pregnant at 37 weeks. She had hypertension and her blood pressure was not controlled with medications. Therefore, the next best plan was to get her admitted so she could be induced and the baby taken care of. She was reluctant to the plan. She preferred to wait until the planned admission date, another week away. After much persuasion, she agreed but only on her own terms. Instead of taking her in an ambulance, she chose to go to the hospital using her own transport.

She signed an ‘at own risk’ letter and promised that she would go the same day after settling some logistic concerns. 2 hours later, my nurse sent me her WhatsApp message. She checked her own BP at home and said that it was normal. Indeed it was but I made it clear to her that it will skyrocket again once the medicinal effects wear off. She asked if it was necessary to go. Obviously, I said, YES, she still has to go.

Thankfully, despite being reluctant. She listened.

She went to the delivery suite later in the evening. They did her CTG and the graph noted an abnormal pattern. She was thus arranged for an emergency caesarean section. Her baby was not vigorous on delivery and needed admission to the neonatal care unit. The baby has yet to be discharged.

I met the young mother again today. She was more obedient to my management plans. I could tell that she felt relieved that she still went to the hospital against her own wishes. I hope the baby’s outcome will be well.

It is good to practice free will and freedom of choice. However, expert opinions should be considered in formulating a decision. Doktor kerajaan ni tak dapat duit pun kalau dia propose apa-apa treatment – yang takut sangat tu kenapa.