2nd July 10-2nd July 11: Slightly censored..

2nd July... Today is exactly one year to the day I first reported for duty.. Can't believe how the time seem to melt away so quickly and now I'm on my way to becoming a fully registered pharmacist. YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Well, some juniors sent messages through fb and ym asking about what to prepare for work and stuffs. I wasn't so free when replying those messages so most of the replies were brief though I actually have a lot more to tell. So today, I'm in my story-telling mood and I think I have enough time to write everything that I actually wanted to share before starting my evening shift today :p


When most of my friends were elated about starting to work, Shifaa and I actually wanted more time to relax. Our holiday were so packed with travelling and hiking so the fact that we have to report duty was actually troublesome because we have to settle documents and have to do medical check up and stuffs. 2 weeks after the semester ended, I actually flew to KL to start my adventuressss and only went back on the 28th of June whereas the date to report for duty was 1st July. But the letter arrived on 1st July so I'd to wait until 2nd July to report for duty.


We were to report for duty in JKNS and the Timbalan Pengarah was the one who decided that I was to be posted in HQE. Well, I remember he asked me about why I chose HQE. So I said, it's the nearest hospital from my dad's house and I think HQE could give me good training and exposure since it is the main hospital in Sabah; every case are referred to HQE..


So then the training starts...

In patient->> Manufacturing->> Store->> DIS ->> TDM ->> TPN ->> CDR->>Enforcement ->> Clinical->> Out patient


I don't feel like writing the details of each station like jobscope and whatnot.. That'll be plain boring~ I know UIA students have enough of those sight visits where we used to go strolling around and just look and ask questions.. I still can't fathom the main objectives of that sort of visits. Here I'll just write some personal experiences.


Since we only have visits to hospital rather than training during studies, so I was quite clueless when I first stepped into the satelite pharmacy setting. But to think of it, if you're so blur during the first few months, it's okay. It's just normal to have that feeling though I do sometimes feel like a loser. During studies, we were always reminded to have good alliance with other healthcare providers especially the doctors. I remember how nervous I was when my boss asked me to call a doctor to do some interventions. It's pretty stupid to be so anxious to think of it now. No harm was done to me. And that evening, I text a friend (I don't remember who) that I just did my first intervention hahaha excited la pulak kan~

House~

It was also during the in patient that I first get to see the reality version of 'House'. The satelite pharmacy that I was in is inside a ward, so you get to pass patients' beds and see how they were. And our in patient module also include some case clerking so yeah I did see some patients in their worst conditions and also get to see some wailing relatives when there's a passing.. Gave me butterflies in the stomach back then, but now, I adapted to it.


Nothing much during manufacturing and store. DIS was busier than I thought it would be. I was reading journals all day long for one month. Luckily I'm an avid reader so I quite enjoy the reading hehe TDM, TPN and CDR are my favourite. I think this is the most distinguished parts of pharmacy; meaning no other people in the healthcare chain knows better of these things than a pharmacist. I enjoy running the samples, I enjoy calculating and the decision-making. I really do..


I really enjoy the 2 weeks attachment in Enforcement but I don't think it's suitable for me. It's really nice not to be in the office all the time. The staffs there do inspections in daily basis and I even joined two nationwide raids. Sometimes they get to be prosecutors too. But there was one afternoon when I joined one of the officer to send out a summon to this traditonal medicine practitioner. They did a raid months before and found some controlled drugs in the oils the man was using. So the enforcement decided to penalize him. His house was small with no furnitures; I was pretty sure the man can't afford to pay the penalty. And then the wife held my hand and was saying "Tolong la cik.. Tolong la kami..".. I was actually holding back tears... I know the trial for the case was on 1st March.. And know what, I saw the man in the Male ward early March while I was in my Clinical attachment. I guess he was put on so much pressure that he had a heart attack..


The Clinical rotation should be the second most challenging. My preceptor was busy with his studies when I was attached to his ward so he wasn't around most of the time. But when he was around, he really gave the effort to fill me in with as much as information as he could. Medical wards are very hectic. The patients turn-over is so fast and you get to see a lot of cases. Like, if you already set your mind at 5pm that day you want to read about this particular thing that night, when you come the next morning, there'll be 2 or 3 new cases and the one you read last night was like obsolete because it's either the patient is already transferred to another ward, or the new cases are more interesting haha


Out patient seems easy... But to me, OPD is the most challenging. Why?? Now I tell you~ It's in outpatient that I got scolded quite a lot~ Now, I'm thinking which worse case scenario should I be telling~

Ow.. Lets hear about Pakcik Diazepam la... Okay.. I was working night shift when this man came with a syrup diazepam prescription. When I check in our record, he already collected a full month supply the previous day. So, of course I cannot give!!!!!!! You know how stringent the rulings are when it comes to psychotropic drugs. Like we have to do police report even if a single tablet is missing what more if the record show you supplied more to a particular patient.

So I refuse to make the syrup unless the Pakcik give back the tablets he'd taken. So that was when the drama start. His voice roared like thunder inside the pharmacy; scolding me to my face.

"Masuk penjara la kau kalo anak saya mati malam ni!!!!!!!!!!!" That was one of his memorable phrase. Many "Bodoh la kamu orang!!!" too.

I was not being patient actually though the outward look does seem like I'm being patient with him. I was boiling inside. Fighting back the urge to scold him back that is. I stick with my refusal because I know this man knew the rulings very well and I know I'm right at that time. He has been taking the same medications for many years, I guess he should expect that we're not going to give. I seriously don't know how I got so stern that night that I said in a calm voice (though actually I feel like screaming..)

"Sekarang saya nda akan buat ini syrup selagi encik nda bawa tu tablets ke sini. Encik tau suda kan ini peraturan dia. Rumah encik dekat kan? Encik ambil tablets tu, encik datang sini balik, saya jamin syrup tu suda siap"

So finally he agreed to take the tablets. Masa buat the syrup, macam mau pecah tu mortar and pestle. Can you imagine how it feels to be fighting anger to that extend. He was cursing at me in front of oher waiting patients. Yes, he CURSED!!!!! To think about it now, mesti the patients who didn't uderstand think that I'm sooooo bad to have refused the man's request. But, I have to abide to rules maaa.. The amanah that I'm shouldered with. Agree??? O ya, he did apologize to me when he came back. I did so too because I want him to understand that I'm only being stubborn because I've to follow the rules, it's not that I'm not considerate..

And this is only one of them 'kerenah patients' okay.. There are many more....

I've been scolded by that on-top-of-the-chain-profession too. I found that the specialist and HO's are okay. It's those in between these two that I've been facing problems with. Once I was scolded because we ran out of maxolon. He asked me of the alternatives so I just tell him what we got in the hospital.. "Promethazine, Domperidone.." and in his ego-struck tone he said "Do you know they're not good prokinetic??" Pergh~ menyampah kalo ingat his tone. "Yes, I know. But those are the only ones that we have right now so unfortunately we have to choose either of them.."


And there was this guy also. He requested for a pharmacist to come to his ward so I went la.. I walk all the way and went to him and said "Yes, how can I help you?" He look at me from bottom to top "Where's CK?" "He's not around. I'm replacing him" He turned around, wave his hands; you know, the gesture that tells you, I don't need you here. Dem rude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Wah!!! this post is sooo long.. Okay la... I guess I should end this.. Hurm.. I don't intend to scare you juniors with this somewhat horrific stories of mine. I just think this is the part of my working experience that I wasn't prepared for back during the studies. We weren't taught much regarding how to handle stress and dealing with people; maybe indirectly through those community service we used to do.



And actually there are happy things and amusing things too. I still have hearty laughs at work and we have fun hangouts with fellow colleagues too. Sometimes you get to meet funny patients too. Like this tukang tilik pakcik who just babble about your personalities as you dispense. I was so blur that I asked "Em... Pakcik tengah cakap pasal saye ke??" haha :P


So... when it comes to the real working phase, these are the things that you have to expect
That was why when M asked me for some tips, I could only say "ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!!!" because there are many things that you won't get from the book when you work. It's sufficient enough if you have good basics. Yes, you have to read a lot during PRP, but you won't get the picture of what you're supposed to be reading unless you're already in the hospital setting...


So, Good Luck to Rx6 who'll be working soon. Be positive wheeever you're being posted. Learn as much as you can. And be ready to be very rajin!! (^^)/ And one more thing, remember to keep our feet on the ground.

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Even after 1 year, I still don't know much.. Learning is a life-long process