Encouraged

My MO Dr. Afnan is excellent. He is a cool chap who covers for his HO and encourages us. He is big-built, smiley, wears baju batik every Thursday. Graduated from UIA, HO in HUSM, MO at Machang for a while then he was transferred to HRPZ. He told me he regretted taking Medical and wished to pursue Surgery, but "Dato' Mahiran suruh stay la Medical sekejap, empat bulan, empat bulan, amik la Master.."

He failed his first year exam and then he quit. Too tough, he said. Now he's taking MRCP "sebab boleh study ikut suka hati."

See how cool this chap is?! Hahaha.

Yesterday I did my AM review as usual. Dr. Afnan came and we did our round on two patients when our specialist Dr. Fazirah arrive.

Dr. Fazirah: Patient semua stable?
Dr. Afnan: Saya tak round lagi. Tapi Atiqah dah round.

That moment I grinned and inside I felt so proud. He basically implied that I am reliable, right? I vouch to be as encouraging of a senior as he is.

Once we attended a fitting patient together. He vivaed me the acute management and nudged me towards the diagnosis. The patient had an INR of 1.6 and like always, I am silent when I am focused and I think he noticed that (or maybe not).

"... Another differential? Come on Atiqah, bleeding, what's on your mind?"

"Acute hemorrhagic stroke." While I jotted that down in our assessment.

"Good. I think I like you." He said with a smirk.

"Bwahaha buang la 'I think' tu!"

Dr. Afnan and the nurses in cubical one have been pulling that joke on me. On my first day in HDW, during the very first patient of my first round with Dr. Fazirah, she lectured me because I didn't remember the case well. But I enjoyed and appreciated the lecture, especially now that I think of it Dr. Fazirah was sitting down looking up at me and I realised it was a non-threatening position, and I believe I responded well and positive to her lecture at that time. So she said this to me

"Nama awak Atiqah? I think I like you."

To which Dr. Afnan and the nurses chuckled and didn't let me hear the end of it for the next two days. According to them it was hard to get Dr. Fazirah to like someone, especially not on her first day.

When I told Dr. Afnan I wanted to pursue Surgical, he said

"I think you should take Rheumatology. Awak dah kamcing dah dengan Dr. Fazirah."

And another one when some of the HOs were gone from the ward to attend a meeting with the deputy director of the hospital. Dr. Afnan asked why didn't I attend as well.

"Sebab saya bukan diplomat."

"Sebab awak consultant (and thus bukan HO maka tak attend la HO meet). Consultant Rheumatologist."

Hahahaha.

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The first time I was oncall with him it was Puteri during an active night. I overruled ED diagnosis and planned out my management. Then I showed him the case. He concurred with me, taught me the difference between ESRD and advanced CKD and downright said

"Bagus la awak ni."

On three separate times that night! He even did that in front of my fellow HO. But I kept quiet and did not respond because I'm not good when people praise me. I liked it better when Dr. Suzila told me

"Atiqah awak ni bagus. Saya tahu awak bagus. Tapi awak kena review semua patient, see the patient as a whole..."

Basically she was dissing me. That was more like it hahaha God I am such a sadist XD