Gossip

Almost everyone I know won’t give a second thought to spreading gossip as something they heard or saw firsthand. That’s why I find it ironic (and very irritating) why relatives of patients always want to hear the news straight from the doctor - they don’t seem to trust others to give them news about the medical status of their loved-ones. Irritating because you have to repeat the same stuff over and over and over everytime a new relative comes to visit.

If only people would do the same when it comes to news about other people.

Incident Report

Ganito pala feeling pag nagkaron ng incident report (IR). Parang defensive ka lagi at paranoid. Lalo mahirap kung yung attitude and body language ang point of conflict, very subjective. Masyadong madaming variables ang involved sa interpretation nun. Pero dahil sa nangyari pati sa galaw ko paranoid ako baka kasi meron maoffend ule, which may be a good thing. Pero parang parang may backseat driver pag ganito - makakaabot ka nga sa pupuntahan pero ang sakit sa ulo



(trans:)
So this is what it feel’s like to have an incident report (IR). You feel defensive and paranoid all the time. More so when the focus of the report is my attitude and body language - very subjective. There are too many things that affect one’s interpretation. Because of this, I’m overly conscious that I might offend someone again. That may be a good thing. But it feels like having a backseat driver - you’ll still get to your destination, but you’ll have one hell of a headache!

Sometimes Love Aint Enough

Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough

There was a time when I believed that love conquers all, that it was all that was needed. I used to believe that as long as one was in love and was loved, nothing else would matter - every problem at work or in school would mean nothing. I was selfish to believe that I could do that for someone, and even more selfish to think that when the person I was in love with experienced a setback and became upset, I would see it as my failure or a sign that he forgot about me that's why he was affected by the setback.

I'm wiser now and not illusioned by the thought that love conquers all. I now know that my beloved will not be thinking of me all the time, especially when he's busy. In fact, he may even forget all about me for a short time when under stress (either work- school- or family-related). I also know that when he tells me he is having a bad day, he just wants to tell me that's that. He's not asking me what to do, he's not blaming me. He's just sharing what he's going through and wants someone to listen.

Gimme Time!

As if the work-related stuff wasn't enough. Our department is in charge of handling the Christmas party preparations of the hospital, the Christmas party of the organization of our specialty involving 4 other hospitals. On top of that we have quite an ambitious presentation number to be presented at the annual national convention. These all need time. It's not enough that work already demands most of my time. The extra-curricular activities will require whatever is left. Suddenly Christmas season isn't something I'm looking forward to anymore.

Only Human

The kid was brought in because of episodic right ear pain. PE showed hardened ear wax but the doctor mistakenly wrote down “left ear” and gave instructions for oil to be dropped in the left ear. After 5 days, patient came back without any improvement;

He came in because of nasal stuffiness and was found to have sinusitis. He was given antibiotics but the doctor forgot to give meds for the itchiness and stuffiness. The patient was uncomfortable for 4 days more but eventually got well;

She had difficulty swallowing for 1 week and decided to go to the ER. Nothing wrong could be seen on PE and the doctor suggested using a small camera to visualize the deeper parts of the throat. The patient hesitated and downplayed her symptoms. The doctor didn’t insist. Five days later she came back unable to eat and drink without difficulty for the past 5 days.

I was the one who saw those patients. It was a busy day. The senior residents were in the operating room and I was the only one manning the OPD and ER of my department. It was also one of those “toxic” days when patients seemed to have decided to come in all at the same time - I was on my toes the whole time. Still that isn’t an allowable excuse in this field. Maybe they were minor mistakes, small things overlooked and friends would even give encouraging words. But, what if you were one of the above patients?