TCSH Health Symposium by IB Students
The IB students had been bugging me and my A-level friends all week to attend a health symposium held at the Alpha theatre on Friday 6th November 2009. Actually, I plan to be a doctor, so I was interested in going.
Even though all three doctor-speakers were supposed to talk about different subjects, in the end they all asked the one important question— do you REALLY want to be a doctor?
The first speaker was Dr. Noorjahan, from IMU (International Medical University). She was a slight woman, who was very enthusiastic. She spent a small portion of her time talking about family planning, and then moved on to the perks and cons of being a doctor.
She said that being a doctor is a calling, something that you choose to do, that you cannot divorce yourself from. She was busy outlining the advantages of being a doctor, including the usual ones such as job security, opportunities to learn, and of course, the pay check.
She was quite chirpy. However, my friend pointed out that she did not speak much about the disadvantages, including possible job stress and patient expectations. I had realised that too, but her unbridled enthusiasm was quite catching. On top of that, I even received a pen shaped like a syringe courtesy of IMU.
The next speaker was a general surgeon in training who had received his degree from Manipal in India. His name was Dr. Mitesh. Like Dr. Noorjahan before him, he spent about 15 minutes talking about a smaller topic--health issues regarding teens.
These were the usual such as teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, gambling and drug addiction, and smoking. Although I had already attended numerous events on these topics before, he managed to pull it off in a humorous way, with a serious undertone. I’ve actually not met any speaker who could make a funny impression while talking about safety barriers such as condoms. Still, we received the brevity of his words, and some of us actually threw accusing glances at others when he talked about smoking.
It was quite shocking to know that quite a lot of teens and young adults (60% in the 15-25 age group) get themselves into some sort of trouble such as landing themselves in jail, drug addiction etc. While I’m not sure if his figures were accurate, it certainly put things into perspective for me. Psychological health problems these days seem very rampant.
Dr. Mitesh works in the government sector. He spoke briefly about the route to medicine. An MBBS from somewhere will not guarantee you becoming a proper doctor. What comes next is a gruelling internship of about 2 years in a government hospital, as government service is compulsory if you wanted to work in Malaysia.
As testified by the popular show Grey’s Anatomy, internship is possibly the worst part as you have to work 24/7 for 2 years, and not only that, you put up with all the waste and cleaning up. Things improve slightly as you move on and become a medical officer, but you have to put up with late-night calls and regularly check the OT (operating theatres) and wards. And at the end of it all, you still do not get paid very well. I realised that all the money that you do earn in the first few years goes to paying back whoever supported you for your education.
However, Dr. Mitesh painted a rather bleak picture of government service. He said that after working for 9 years he was only still earning about RM4500, the few benefits being the cover of his family’s healthcare, 30 day annual leave, and a scholarship for his Master’s. However, his impression of private practice wasn’t very rosy either. He said that if you really wanted to be successful, you would have to make a decision between family and career/wealth.
Up to this point, I was feeling very exasperated. It seemed like he was discouraging all of us in that room. However, I silently vowed to show him that medicine wasn’t all dull and muggy work, and that a balance between career and family life was indeed possible. However, as he left, he said that you do feel good if you can help save someone’s life.
This was followed by the last speaker, a paediatrician. He was the best so far, I think, because he stressed more on the lifelong learning process than anything else. And I really feel that is what medicine is—learning more about ourselves, more about human nature, and more about how we can improve ourselves.
He did talk about the better pay and more flexible hours offered by the private sector, however, he emphasised the amount of learning that one had to go through just to become a consultant. Going through the ranks of intern, medical officer, registrar and specialist takes about 8-9 years. Not only that, M.O. training requires working in teams, and registrars are the ones in training to become a specialist, which involves even more learning.
However, a doctor is always respected, and a doctor is never out of a job. Compassion, in the paediatrician’s point of view, is probably the most important trait a doctor should have. Ironically, he developed a liking for paediatrics after shunning paediatric postings and classes for years. He shared some personal experiences, such as delivering a 500gram baby which was small enough to just fit into his palm!
All in all, I gained more knowledge from the different viewpoints presented at the symposium. Do I still want to be a doctor, you ask?
Yes, indeed. Yes.
Even though the reason of helping people is a very common one used by all aspiring doctors, it is not the only one. I honestly think that the learning processes you go through as a doctor can really enrich your life. Since I only have one life to give to this world, I might as well make the best out of every second.
I may not be able to totally eradicate all disease, but I hope — and this is a hope for every aspiring doctor out there — that together, we will be able to learn more about how our bodies and minds work, and guide our human race towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and advancement.
By YOULIN KOH Photos by JOHN KWAN
Even though all three doctor-speakers were supposed to talk about different subjects, in the end they all asked the one important question— do you REALLY want to be a doctor?
The first speaker was Dr. Noorjahan, from IMU (International Medical University). She was a slight woman, who was very enthusiastic. She spent a small portion of her time talking about family planning, and then moved on to the perks and cons of being a doctor.
She said that being a doctor is a calling, something that you choose to do, that you cannot divorce yourself from. She was busy outlining the advantages of being a doctor, including the usual ones such as job security, opportunities to learn, and of course, the pay check.
She was quite chirpy. However, my friend pointed out that she did not speak much about the disadvantages, including possible job stress and patient expectations. I had realised that too, but her unbridled enthusiasm was quite catching. On top of that, I even received a pen shaped like a syringe courtesy of IMU.
The next speaker was a general surgeon in training who had received his degree from Manipal in India. His name was Dr. Mitesh. Like Dr. Noorjahan before him, he spent about 15 minutes talking about a smaller topic--health issues regarding teens.
These were the usual such as teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, gambling and drug addiction, and smoking. Although I had already attended numerous events on these topics before, he managed to pull it off in a humorous way, with a serious undertone. I’ve actually not met any speaker who could make a funny impression while talking about safety barriers such as condoms. Still, we received the brevity of his words, and some of us actually threw accusing glances at others when he talked about smoking.
It was quite shocking to know that quite a lot of teens and young adults (60% in the 15-25 age group) get themselves into some sort of trouble such as landing themselves in jail, drug addiction etc. While I’m not sure if his figures were accurate, it certainly put things into perspective for me. Psychological health problems these days seem very rampant.
Dr. Mitesh works in the government sector. He spoke briefly about the route to medicine. An MBBS from somewhere will not guarantee you becoming a proper doctor. What comes next is a gruelling internship of about 2 years in a government hospital, as government service is compulsory if you wanted to work in Malaysia.
As testified by the popular show Grey’s Anatomy, internship is possibly the worst part as you have to work 24/7 for 2 years, and not only that, you put up with all the waste and cleaning up. Things improve slightly as you move on and become a medical officer, but you have to put up with late-night calls and regularly check the OT (operating theatres) and wards. And at the end of it all, you still do not get paid very well. I realised that all the money that you do earn in the first few years goes to paying back whoever supported you for your education.
However, Dr. Mitesh painted a rather bleak picture of government service. He said that after working for 9 years he was only still earning about RM4500, the few benefits being the cover of his family’s healthcare, 30 day annual leave, and a scholarship for his Master’s. However, his impression of private practice wasn’t very rosy either. He said that if you really wanted to be successful, you would have to make a decision between family and career/wealth.
Up to this point, I was feeling very exasperated. It seemed like he was discouraging all of us in that room. However, I silently vowed to show him that medicine wasn’t all dull and muggy work, and that a balance between career and family life was indeed possible. However, as he left, he said that you do feel good if you can help save someone’s life.
This was followed by the last speaker, a paediatrician. He was the best so far, I think, because he stressed more on the lifelong learning process than anything else. And I really feel that is what medicine is—learning more about ourselves, more about human nature, and more about how we can improve ourselves.
He did talk about the better pay and more flexible hours offered by the private sector, however, he emphasised the amount of learning that one had to go through just to become a consultant. Going through the ranks of intern, medical officer, registrar and specialist takes about 8-9 years. Not only that, M.O. training requires working in teams, and registrars are the ones in training to become a specialist, which involves even more learning.
However, a doctor is always respected, and a doctor is never out of a job. Compassion, in the paediatrician’s point of view, is probably the most important trait a doctor should have. Ironically, he developed a liking for paediatrics after shunning paediatric postings and classes for years. He shared some personal experiences, such as delivering a 500gram baby which was small enough to just fit into his palm!
All in all, I gained more knowledge from the different viewpoints presented at the symposium. Do I still want to be a doctor, you ask?
Yes, indeed. Yes.
Even though the reason of helping people is a very common one used by all aspiring doctors, it is not the only one. I honestly think that the learning processes you go through as a doctor can really enrich your life. Since I only have one life to give to this world, I might as well make the best out of every second.
I may not be able to totally eradicate all disease, but I hope — and this is a hope for every aspiring doctor out there — that together, we will be able to learn more about how our bodies and minds work, and guide our human race towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and advancement.
By YOULIN KOH Photos by JOHN KWAN
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