It has to come to an end but I never knew I would miss the kids so much. The sick children in the pediatrics posting. 8 weeks of life dealing with children passed with a blink of an eye and I'm preparing to venture into the field of orthopedics come tomorrow. And that will take me another 8 weeks.
The short case clinical examination that ended last friday (7 dec) marks the end of the posting. Nothing much to speak about the exam as I was so very lucky to get two examiners who were so angelistic. Hopefully I would at least score a pass for my efforts.
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| My daughter...wuahahaa....cute isn't it? with her tongue sticking out =) |
Cute is one reason for my to miss the kids but the most important thing is about the rapport with the kids. Many a time, we have to be exam oriented when examining the kids. And I believe no one out there likes that approach. I will usually approach the kids in 'exam oriented' mode and finish my stuff, before switching to 'patient oriented' mode where I continue to play with the kids and make them happy. It doesn't really serve me any benefit to stay back longer just to see them being happy but it makes me feel more passionate with the kids to see that they can be playing like other healthy children.
The nicest part of the session with the kids is assessing their developmental milestones. In short, each normal kid has their own potential to perform certain activities when they reach a certain age. A 6 month old baby will like to grab things offered and put them into his mouth without second thought while 9 month old baby will be able to sit without support. When u see a child walking quite steadily without being held, you can ascertain that he must be at least 15-18 months. In order to assess that, we have to buy toys for them in order to grab their attention. Besides the routine developmental assessment set we had, here are some extra toys that I bought on my own =)
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My favourite toy of all time ! And everyone's favourite as well. They sound when you press on them !
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| I also had this little cute yellow duck sharpener |
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| Bear bear which was actually from a key chain |
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| A character from the story 'Cars". It can roll on its wheels =) |
I used to say I would perform badly in pediatrics because i used to have no affection towards the kids and will not be able to blend in with them well. The same things goes to the pregnant ladies in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology posting. In the end, they turned out to the 2 postings I loved the most, above medicine, surgery and psychiatry.
What would ortopedics turn out to be? Something special memory that I would cherish when i graduate, or just another posting that I would have to pass as a routine rotation in medical school. But hopefully, someday, I would be able to get in touch with all those sick but cute children!
yikping
1140am
