The Entity

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Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
Assalamualaikum. Writing all the way from Belgaum, Karnataka, India. Missing Malaysia so much. But everything is just perfectly fine here. India makes people not just live, but SURVIVE. :)

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Tuesday 14 July 2015

Things I learnt in medical school: To be humane

There's a thing in medical school which makes it unique: it makes you humane.

Already finished my 4th year alhamdulillah and it was certainly not an easy peasy job. To be thoroughly engulfed in every posting was difficult since my attention span dies off so quickly. Most of my friends in my posting are super duper genius. They remember the names of the drugs, they know the classification, the mode of action of those drugs, they knew which nerves passes through which foramen, they knew which type of epithelium lining these particular organs, they knew these despicable hard to pronounced sometimes syndromes....and there was I, feeling blunt...feeling stupid at most of the time. 

If to say among all the students in my batch, I would say I am at the lowest spot. I am barely breathing to secure a spot. I am not a genius. I can't study that hard due to my attention span, due to my constant pain on my shoulder and due to my hardcore fanatic self for Malaysian dramas. My triumph this year, or would I say my skinny triumph was definitely there because mom keeps praying for me day and night. And not to mention, from all those helps from my comrades....so many to be named. I feel little. 

In Medical school, however, your brain plays only it's minor role to make you pass and secure you a place. Medical school grades you as a human, as a whole, holistically. Why do I say so? One thing everyone going to medical school must know is that, beyond all odds, medical school wants you to be a 'safe human to safe other human beings'. You cannot just being a smarty brainiac kiddo to survive, but you gotta have skills and logic. 

I still remember, our deputy dean, Prof KJ once spoken; we actually observed everyone of you. We observed how you were doing during this whole forth year. We observed your attitude, your attendance to classes, clinics and operation theatres, we see how you behaved with your lecturers, how you greeted them, how you were being active and how you were not. Hence. one who studies medicine must be a human not a robot. 

If other courses in these world, grade you based on your exams score, based on your assignments and based on your models (architecture, interior design), in medical school; they see how are you or how are you 'safe' enough to be letting go as doctors. You can't be selfish in medical school. You have to interact. Because after all, interaction is one of the core importance of one to be a doctor. You have to interact with patients, as without them you wouldn't be able to practice your knowledge and skills. Furthermore, you have to interact with nurses, with other doctors and many more people in the field. You can't work alone. That is why as in clinical years, which for us in USMKLE, started in 4th year, these are all being observed clearly.

Another is attendance...which many flopped. I am also not a perfect person...sometimes I do feel like playing truant. Sometimes, I did play truant. Pretending to be sick because just so lazy to attend classes which I think as wasting times, but please be mindful. Not to say, but most people take the chances to study medicine lightly. Endorsed by this handful amount of allowances per month, some just went astray. Being too comfortable, some just can be selfish. Attendance is not a play thing if one to know. How are we going to be doctors, who have to save lives if we can't even attend a basic class? Being frequently absent subjected one to be pictured as lazy, incompetent, not committed and if you think these are the qualities they would choose you as a doctor..then you are so wrong. One thing I found, some people are being absent in the name of da'wah...which sometimes they do it since it's not a very important class, so they have to attend for a sharing session and everything...but do they have this slight thought that they are giving a slight tarnish to Islam good names? Sometimes I ponder.

Also, punctuality....which most Malays are slacking off. I must admit, I would sometimes be quite late to many of the things I have to attend to...but then I learnt....punctuality is also one of the basic standard of quality people must have; especially for us future doctors. Being late is permissible but not always. It is sometimes nerve wrecking when classes are said to start at 10 am but one comes 30 minutes later. What is more shameful, is we Malays are the one who are always late...which we are indirectly giving bad impressions to the non-Muslims. I once was a leader for a particular posting, I usually came late, but during that time, I made sure I came 30 minutes earlier to class. It was always myself, then a girlfriend and a christian Sabahan friend who came early...as time passed and it was just 5 minutes before class should started, only that Sabahan guy friend was available. In my mind, where are all the boys? I mean come on, Even a non-muslim portrayed a good quality of being punctual? If you can be punctual for solat, then why not for other matters? I keep on pondering.

Communicating..means not only through speaking and conversation but it is beyond all these. Smiling, and one important thing is communicating by all means through your body language could make your life easier through medical school, especially clinical years. As you see, Kannada and Hindi are not so simple to be thoroughly learnt and be fluent in. Even taking history of patients, my kannada and Hindi mixed together into a cookie batter. But your body language can play a vital role while conversing. You can act out a particular thing you wanna ask the patient; example if you wanna ask about falling down the stairs...you can first draw a basic orang lidi staircase and act out falling....I mean it's simple...I always do that when I am out of local language vocab, sometimes I made the nurses and the patients laughed terribly. But being silly and funny is not a crime at all. I do think our students mostly wanna act cool and super decent. It's fine but sometimes you have to be creative to get your job done....and with all these silliness, the rapport between us the students and the patients is more tightly bonded.

Prof KJ, said it that it is not the cleverness that made one to pass this clinical years, or the whole medical school, but the act of being a safe human being......who can interact with others despite culture, race and socioeconomic background, who can be committed in classes and enjoying teachings, who can be punctual and respecting the teachers...and who can be good in communicating. Human touch is an art...it is a quality of wisdom which not everyone could master. Therefore, we must make it a practice to be a human being, only with that, inshaAllah we can be a safe, good doctors.









Reality USMKLE V

1) Scholarship? Loan?

- Most students have been living comfortably under the MARA loan...we have to pay back 20% of it. If you are going without any support except for your family, you can score well during any of the major exam, and apply for MARA with that particular result. But of course not only passing, but to score. 
- Only a friend had JPA since she is a transfer from Egypt. Some are under Yayasan Pahang, and many other foundation....some are under bank scholarship.

2) Essay MARA
- Sadly but surely, I cannot lend you my copy since it has been years back and I have changed my laptop so yeah...no can't do...so sorry...(I wish there was a back up in google drive though)

3) Tips on answering interview
- Always and always be ready. Study something about USM. Especially the Apex part...since it is the utmost important topic usually being discussed during interview. Be yourself, and be confident. Don't stutter too much....smile a lot and wear decent clothes. Always be realistic when they are asking for your goals and know in detail on how a physician work and team work in the field of medicine. 

4) Apps to download which come in handy
- XE: for currency checking
- Ola Cab: For convenient transportation
- Whatsapp : Trust me this helps a lot!

have a blast studying!


Reality USMKLE Part IV.

Salam Ramadan to all....yes, back to blogging since I have pretty so much of ample time. Alhamdulillah, I am now back home and completed my forth year USM MD handsomely. It was a challenging journey through out but with so many helpful hands from friends and lecturers, we finally made it. 

Those who failed certain postings, must do remedial in which they have to stay in India. Some must do it in USMKK, while us who made it through must do 4 weeks clinical elective in government hospitals. Well, not much to do in this holiday, except for attending friends' weddings and a short gateaway ehehhehe which I have been saving up for. 

Many of the adik-adik who had been so curious regarding the medical course in USMKLE, well right here, right now, I will spill the beans for all of you. I will compile the questions many of you had been inquiring and answer them right here. 

First and foremost, there is a new sort of rule going on for upcoming batch to USMKLE. I have heard that USMKLE would not receive any more students from various matriculation college or foundation programmes. Instead, they built this one particular "PRE-USMKLE" foundation in Kolej Mara Kulim if I am not mistaken. So, if you are from anywhere besides Kolej Mara Kulim, I advice you to not fret and just move on, find another alternative. Probably you won't be accepted in USMKLE despite those forms and pledging (rayuan). Life is just too short to cry..so move on! 

About sports facilities, the main attraction I supposed for budding students; I would say they have improved except for the badminton hall. You can go play basketball, as we also have a multipurpose court at the ladies wings of the hostel, where you and your team can play there after writing a letter to the high committees of the sport of USMKLE and basically you can use the court on the decided time, Since, it is also a futsal court which mostly will be used by the boys every afternoon, so for girls....just be patient and opt other sports. You can also join me doing pilates and dance at the balcony 2nd floor. Or the gym perhaps. 

Other than that, we have swimming center, RS50 per entrance for non member, and RS2000 for attending a month swimming class. There's a unisex gymnasium just at the swimming centre, yearly fees cost you RS11000. We also have a big stadium for those runners who want to run on track. Some do play volleyball, table tennis, tennis and sorry there's no squash arena. Sorry those for those who asked. NO squash....sadly but yes. 

Oh yes. As the new syllabus, you guys attending first year...would have your first professional exam during your 2nd year. During third year, you will directly attending clinical years. KLE Yellur Hospital, which is a bit far will be the place for all of you to be trained into physicians and you have to take a bus to reach that place. The restaurant there is a bit lousy, but they are making it big...so just see how it goes. 

As for lunch and dinner, breakfast as well I supposed, we have a canteen where we called MESS. They cook lovely nasi lemak every Friday, lovely briyani every saturday...and close on Sundays. Recently, we also have Pak Cik Basheer, who can speak fluent Malay and sell nasi lemak ayam goreng, ayam masak merah and rojak at low prices. Nearby, we have KFC, Subway and McD for those who wouldn't have to worry on getting fat. Did I tell you we also have a bakery just downside at the basement of the hostel? Yes darling...we do have. Also, a saloon for girls which have manicure, pedicure, spa treatments as well. And those who hate ironing or doing their own laundry, fret not kids! USMKLE also offered you with a dobby facility. 

To go elsewhere, to dine or to just chill and buy groceries, you can call auto drivers, Uncle Afzal or Uncle Mushtaq...I mostly opt for uncle Afzal since he will give you a much cheaper rate. As technology is getting very handy, you can download an app called "Ola Cab" and you can have a semi small car or even a sedan to pick you up and send you to the places you wanna go. Ola cab has been really useful and affordable to those who wanna go somewhere in a group of more than 4 where it will be inconvenient to take an auto rickshaw. 

Many have changes since we first came. Berkat students Malaysia la kot Belagavi bertambah maju berbanding dahulu. Whatever it is, going to such a small city, don't put so much hope and expect much. We are certainly been chosen to not just live, but to survive. Hope all my juniors will enjoy Belagavi and make Malaysia proud. That is all....please tell me so if you have any more things you wish to know....:)