What makes a hospital great?
its everyone in the hospital. from the specialist right down to the supporting staff.
a hospital is as dynamic as a living organism. no one second in a hospital is the same as the previous second.
ive spent almost a month in the hospital. practically living in one. ive spend days without seeing the sun, multiple days not going home. in the process ive come to learn how the hospital functions.
a normal day would start with throngs of staff and visitors swarming into the multiple discipline wards. at around 8 to 9am everyone would be buzzling like a bee. files flying everywhere, observation charts filled up and every hieracy of doctors would assemble in the ward. the door would flunk open majestically marking the arrival of the big boss aka consultant. a hoarde of humans will then move from one bed to another, cases presented like rap songs in which eminem would beam with pride, and scribes like me would pen down discussions on the file. the pen looks like a wand in this case, words are just scrawls.
there would be occasional by standers,some in awe and some would try to break the flow of sequence that was happening. on dramatic days there could be an angry patient screaming complains to the boss or a code blue whereby curtains will be closed for initiation of cpr.
as the day stretches, there will be more visitors. changing of shifts occurs,many will breathe a sigh of relief that a long day has passed. others will contemplate on the events of the day or appreciate how fragile life is.
i personally like the wee hours in the hospital. it is the most peaceful time of the day. i like strolling at the quiet after hours ward where patients would be sleeping or spending some quiet moments with whoever thats taking care of them. its at this hour whereby i see humanity comes into life. ive seen the genuity of care and love from countless people taking care of the sick. from husbands and wifes to mere strangers. neighbouring patients sometimes talk among each other and in time develope a bond. on tragic days some of them will witness the demise of a fellow human. im not sure if it affects them emotionally but i always have the thought that one brushes paths with death tends to appreciate life more.
the best time to push ones learning capacity is at night. ghost stories aside, nightfall often presents with various grade of medical emergency. its a true test on the hospital system whether it is able to withstand the trials of an emergency or will the system crumble like jelly.
what makes the system successful is its team. theres alot give and take in medicine. every member of the the team whichever hierachy they sit on has a role. when one team player fails to deliver that scope of work it gives out a domino effect.
after i understood this i realised why the superiors are wary of training new interns. its frustrating to see your system go into hiccups every few months or so when new interns join. who can blame them for not wanting to leave the comfort zone of having nicely trained interns who can run the scene smoothly. its easy for me to say just sniffle it and deal with it but imagine this viscious cycle occuring for years. the stress of a system failure might not be as heavy if it wasnt a life at stake.
the public might not see all these intricacies in a hospital and its inhabitants. a few rotten apples can paint a total negative picture but after spending an enourmous chunk of time inside one hospital i am glad to realise that there are countless other souls silently sacrificing their sleep and energy to execute this thankless job. merely for the fact that all of us put the value of a life way above ours. my hospital might not be a tertiary centre nor is it equipped with comfortable budget but at least it has a poportion of self sacrificing souls willing to run the system and hold the fort.
its exactly why i came here.
i gather the most important foundation is not about competancy. its more to etch an attitude of humility and willingness to learn.
its everyone in the hospital. from the specialist right down to the supporting staff.
a hospital is as dynamic as a living organism. no one second in a hospital is the same as the previous second.
ive spent almost a month in the hospital. practically living in one. ive spend days without seeing the sun, multiple days not going home. in the process ive come to learn how the hospital functions.
a normal day would start with throngs of staff and visitors swarming into the multiple discipline wards. at around 8 to 9am everyone would be buzzling like a bee. files flying everywhere, observation charts filled up and every hieracy of doctors would assemble in the ward. the door would flunk open majestically marking the arrival of the big boss aka consultant. a hoarde of humans will then move from one bed to another, cases presented like rap songs in which eminem would beam with pride, and scribes like me would pen down discussions on the file. the pen looks like a wand in this case, words are just scrawls.
there would be occasional by standers,some in awe and some would try to break the flow of sequence that was happening. on dramatic days there could be an angry patient screaming complains to the boss or a code blue whereby curtains will be closed for initiation of cpr.
as the day stretches, there will be more visitors. changing of shifts occurs,many will breathe a sigh of relief that a long day has passed. others will contemplate on the events of the day or appreciate how fragile life is.
i personally like the wee hours in the hospital. it is the most peaceful time of the day. i like strolling at the quiet after hours ward where patients would be sleeping or spending some quiet moments with whoever thats taking care of them. its at this hour whereby i see humanity comes into life. ive seen the genuity of care and love from countless people taking care of the sick. from husbands and wifes to mere strangers. neighbouring patients sometimes talk among each other and in time develope a bond. on tragic days some of them will witness the demise of a fellow human. im not sure if it affects them emotionally but i always have the thought that one brushes paths with death tends to appreciate life more.
the best time to push ones learning capacity is at night. ghost stories aside, nightfall often presents with various grade of medical emergency. its a true test on the hospital system whether it is able to withstand the trials of an emergency or will the system crumble like jelly.
what makes the system successful is its team. theres alot give and take in medicine. every member of the the team whichever hierachy they sit on has a role. when one team player fails to deliver that scope of work it gives out a domino effect.
after i understood this i realised why the superiors are wary of training new interns. its frustrating to see your system go into hiccups every few months or so when new interns join. who can blame them for not wanting to leave the comfort zone of having nicely trained interns who can run the scene smoothly. its easy for me to say just sniffle it and deal with it but imagine this viscious cycle occuring for years. the stress of a system failure might not be as heavy if it wasnt a life at stake.
the public might not see all these intricacies in a hospital and its inhabitants. a few rotten apples can paint a total negative picture but after spending an enourmous chunk of time inside one hospital i am glad to realise that there are countless other souls silently sacrificing their sleep and energy to execute this thankless job. merely for the fact that all of us put the value of a life way above ours. my hospital might not be a tertiary centre nor is it equipped with comfortable budget but at least it has a poportion of self sacrificing souls willing to run the system and hold the fort.
its exactly why i came here.
i gather the most important foundation is not about competancy. its more to etch an attitude of humility and willingness to learn.
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