Mastodawn

Aubrey Taylor, Editor Mar 23

unexpected growth…

What does it mean to grow? And what experiences in life helped me grow the most? Find out more...

https://thedignityofman.net/2026/03/23/unexpected-growth/

Making a Better World Mar 2

Spending Time with Different People

Daily writing prompt What experiences in life helped you grow the most? View all responses

I have met many quite different people in many different circumstances. I come from a working class family in industrial England, but I spent a lot of time as a child in a teaching hospital, with doctors and nurses who cared about other people, were well educated and took the time to include me in their research. I learned caring and science from them.

In the 1960s, the textile industry in Northern England began to collapse, at the same time a lot of people from India moved to the area and took jobs in the textile mills. I had a summer job in one of them, along with another teenager who was born in India but immigrated with his parents. We spent a lot of our spare time together and both learned something of each others’ cultures. Some of my fellow white Lancastrians were very angry with the immigrants, but I learned that they were wrong; the immigrants were different in many ways but those differences made life interesting and were to be celebrated.

I spent time on the west coast of Ireland, before the days of the Celtic Tiger. The people there were very poor. But they were really welcoming, including the people I met from the IRA. They said they liked English people. “It’s only your dirty, rotten government we don’t like”.

The same with people in small-town Mexico.

I’ve worked in several countries in Europe and North America. I have learned a lot from the people I worked with and most of all, I have learned that spending time with people of different colours, religions, genders and whatever can be an enriching experience.

Those who think otherwise are harming themselves as well as the people they have been taught to hate.

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elfstricheins Mar 2

Erfahrungen

Welche Lebenserfahrungen haben dir am meisten geholfen? Lebenserfahrungen sind solche, die in der Regel bei der Betrachtung danach etwas besonderes an sich haben. Das kann schleichend oder sprunghaft geschehen - entscheidend ist immer, dass diese Erfahrung zum einen etwas an sich hat, was sie von anderen abhebt und auf der anderen Seite aus der Nachschau heraus eine Einordnung verlangt - das kann nun positiv wie negativ sein. Photo by Rachel Claire on Pexels.com Es gibt also solche […]

https://anwaltsblog.wordpress.com/2026/03/02/erfahrungen/

Glowith – Glow Every Day, Grow Every Way Mar 2

Where My Petals Fell, I Grew

What experiences in life helped you grow the most? There was a time in my life when I thought losing meant ending.When relationships slipped through my fingers.When dreams I had carefully planted refused to bloom.When I smiled in front of people but cried quietly at night.Back then, I believed my petals were falling.I didn’t realize… they were making space for new roots. The experiences that helped me grow the most were not the happy ones.They were the uncomfortable, confusing, lonely […]

https://aarya045.com/2026/03/02/where-my-petals-fell-i-grew/

The Theoretical Doctor Jan 14

12 Hours Shift – Counting Down My Hours Each Time At Work

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How do you waste the most time every day?

At the time of writing this article, which was back in June 2025, I was going through my 6th Rotation of my Housemanship which is in the Department of Emergency and Trauma. As a House Officer in the Emergency Department, we go by the 12-hours shift.

This meant, our shift is from:

AM Shift: 7am till 7pm
PM Shift: 10am till 10pm
Night Shift: 10pm till 10am

In this department, they are strict in regards to adhering to a minimum of 60 hours per week in total. Thus, in a week, our schedule is as follows;

A total of at least 4 daytime shifts (AM or PM Shifts)
One night shift
One off day

That is provided one has off-tagged of course.

Perhaps, it is the “last paper syndrome” that I was experiencing being in the 6th and final rotation, I would be counting down my hours each day at work. Thus, upon arrival at work, I would start my “12-hours countdown“ on my phone.

On slow days, I made it a point to go to toilet every hour, technically my so-called “hourly break” whereas on busy days, the toilet break is the only time I could take a break. This is followed by ensuring I have at least one meal per day during my shift.

Otherwise, the schedule in the emergency department is relatively better as compared to my previous rotations. Nevertheless, the tiredness is still there.

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The Theoretical Doctor Aug 21, 2025

My First Night Shift In Emergency & Trauma | Housemanship Diaries

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Remember when I mentioned that I love the night shifts?

No? Well, here are the articles advocating my love for that shift:

Photo by Chauhan Dixant on Pexels.com

My first night shift in this department was in the Red Zone and I was terrified.

Thankfully, it was with a fellow Registrar who is rather patient, kind and one who loves to teach.

The scary part however was that it is the Red Zone after all and on my first night!

The Red Zone basically caters to patients who are unstable be it haemodynamically or in terms of their vital signs or that they are in a state of severe acidosis, on the verge of collapsing, you name it. Basically, how severe of a state a person must be in to end up in that zone.

The night started off smoothly with cases coming in one at a time. Alright, I kept repeating to myself, “attend them, transfer them to another bed, vital signs, bloods, fill out forms, clerk and basically just listen to your superiors”.

The night eventually turned into midnight and into the wee hours of the morning and finally the sun has risen. Before I knew it, it was 7am and the AM shift House Officer has arrived. I am not alone again.

Time to prepare for handover rounds at 7:45am.

It was better after that, having another person with me as it felt less intimidating.

At 10am, I took off and headed home. Not a bad experience for the first night shift.

The good thing about the night shift in the Emergency and Trauma is that we are not alone. There is always a team or at least your superiors are always there.

However, I don’t quite prefer the night shift in this posting. Having actually completed this posting, at the time of writing this article, the daytime shift is definitely better.

Nonetheless, in all the night shifts, albeit that it could be a terrifying one especially prior to the start of your shift, always remember that you are never completely alone even if it feels like it and that help is always nearby.

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The Theoretical Doctor Aug 19, 2025

Day 1 Of My Final Posting – Day 647 Of Housemanship

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My first day of my final posting, The Emergency & Trauma Department, commenced on the 11th of April 2025.

Day 647, finally. Finally! I’ve pulled through and entered the last pit stop of my journey as a House Officer.

In every posting, I have always looked forward to this posting. Prior to joining, I’ve always had mixed feelings and initially wanted to join Anaesthesiology. However, a few weeks prior to entering, the other postings such as Psychiatry, Klinik Kesihatan and Anaesthesiology were removed from our options and everyone had to rotate in the Emergency and Trauma Department.

This is good. This meant more manpower.

However, just as the previous postings, prior to joining any new department, I’ve always had this fear and mixed feelings because it is after a new environment.

My fear was stumbling too badly on my first day. Thus, of course, I did my research and questioned the people I knew who were already in the posting.

My First Day began on a Friday in the “Yellow Respi Zone“.

The Yellow Respi Zone consists of patients who are unable to saturate well under room air, usually less than 90%. Having just completed the Medical Posting, the patients allocated there are primarily Medical patients or in particular, having respiratory issues such as patients developing acute pulmonary oedema or fluid overload secondary to non-compliance to their fluid restriction.

Thankfully, I have just completed Medical. Thus, I am able to apply my knowledge learnt which was still fresh at that time.

I arrived a little before 7am since the tagging shift is from 7am till 10pm, introduced myself to the medical officers and talked to a fellow friend who arrived and would be working in the same zone as well. I went through the triages and casenotes of the patients to see if there were any active cases or cases that were due tracing of bloods or referrals.

The day started off rather quietly and it was manageable. I followed the morning handover rounds at 7:45am and after that attended to any new patients or refer if needed.

Basically, when a patient comes in, especially to this zone where the patients’ chief complaint is “shortness of breath“, the first person who attends would usually auscultate or “listen” to the lungs and check the vital sigs prior to taking blood or doing a “full clerking” such as obtaining their past medical history or history of presenting illness.

The next person that steps in usually helps with the bloods and fills the forms.

Everyone worked together as a team and somehow indirectly we were communicating with one another without actually voicing it out. It seemed almost like a dance, or a workout.

Afternoon came and afternoon handovers started at 2:45pm. I met a lovely medical officer who is a junior herself but one who was extremely upbeat and more than happy to guide me.

I learnt a lot during my first day with her. She even encouraged me to consider joining this department during my floating period.

The evenings became extremely busy to which I did not really realise. Maybe because it was my first day or maybe because I have just completed my Medical Posting (and it was much busier over there), or perhaps because I simply enjoyed working with my superior or team on that day.

The day ended at 10pm and I walked back home. Thankfully, I lived within walking distance thus I saved time and did not have to worry regarding transportation or parking issues.

My first day in my last posting or rotation started off well which is something I’m more than thankful for.

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The Theoretical Doctor Aug 18, 2025

Surviving 10 Days Of Tagging | Emergency & Trauma Department

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My tagging days in my sixth and final rotation, Emergency and Trauma Department, lasted for a total of 10 days which was from the 11th of April till the 23rd of April 2025. This is excluding our one “off day” for the week.

Did I manage to last throughout the tagging days?

Not quite.

I did take a sick leave during my second week of tagging. The reason was that I was just extremely tired.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The tagging hours in the Emergency and Trauma Department is from 7 am till 10pm, just in other postings.

The good thing about this department is that we do not need to do morning reviews. Thus, coming way early prior to our shift is unheard of. We merely come and leave on time.

However, considering that it is the Emergency Department, things are unpredictable whereby things could be quiet one moment and hectic the next.

Hence, on days which burn, it can be extremely tiring. But, completing these tagging days are a must and so on slow days where the hours seem to pass by really slowly, I make it a point to have an “hourly toilet break“. On busy days, it may be the only time that I am given a chance to sit and breathe.

On top of that, I made sure I took my lunch and dinner break. Not because I was hungry as I was used to having my meal for the day after work. It was merely my way of spending my time during my tagging days.

At 10pm, the shift is over and I leave, even if the floor is busy because the following day my shift begins at 7am again.

Finally after 10 days of “tagging“, I have finally off-tagged and shifted to “shift hours“.

Photo by Andrey Grushnikov on Pexels.com

There are no assessments in order to off-tag. as there were in other postings, which is a good thing. However, tagging in this posting felt long and seem to went on forever for me. Perhaps, this was because I was mainly tagging alone as I entered a month later than my fellow peers.

Nonetheless, I was glad to be done with this schedule and shift back to a regular 12-hours shift.

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The Theoretical Doctor Aug 15, 2025

My Last Shift As A House Officer in Medical | Housemanship Diaries

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At the time of writing this article, I am no longer in my Fifth Rotation, Medical but already in my Sixth Rotation, The Emergency and Trauma Department and at the same time, due for my last shift in my Sixth rotation as well as being a House Officer.

Looking back, my last shift in the Medical Department seemed ages ago.

However, I remembered that I was night shift at that time and was at Male Medical Ward (MMW).

My duration working in this ward was around 3 weeks. However, it was my least favourite as compared to Medical 3, Medical 4, the Infectious Disease (ID) Ward or being part of the Perimedical team. The superiors were alright but it was the vibe of the ward in general that I found unsettling that I can’t quite place my fingers on.

The night shift in Medical is from 8pm till 9am. However, on that day, I recalled leaving home at 6:30pm to go to work as we were not allocated any “long day” shifts.

“Long Day” or “LD” are those who work from 7am till 10pm. Thus from 6pm till 8pm, prior to the night shift person coming, there is a 2 hours gap which is filled by them.

On that week, there were no “Long Day’s” and everyone had the opportunity to return home at 6pm. However, who would fill in the “2-hours gap”?

Thus, I remembered me and my colleagues at that time coming into a mutual agreement and compromise that one person would stay till 7pm and the night shift person would arrive an hour earlier at 7pm.

It was a good compromise except there would be nobody to accompany us till 10pm and usually their help is valuable. Those hours till 10pm can get rather hectic at times.

I remembered arriving around 6:45pm and started receiving handover from the AM teams and was cautioned to lookout for a particular patient in the acute cubicle who was rather unstable.

Upon finishing our handover, the Medical Officer on-call for that ward arrived and things started to go hectic.

I can’t exactly remember what happened but I was on my feet the whole time and did not begin my “coming mornings” till 3am.

Thankfully, I was still able to complete them before 5am and the morning bloods were out in the system on time.

That morning during my post night shift, I was “summoned” for minimal bloods which I completed immediately. Usually during my post night shift, I would remain within the sights of the “AM team” and offer to help out where I could.

But I remembered at that time that I was completely spent. I decided to rest in the House Officer’s room and take any bloods a little later prior to my shift ending, if there were any.

Surprisingly there were none after that. I recalled seeing a junior taking the blood of a patient as I was exiting the ward and asked him as to why he did not just ask me.

He claimed that upon arriving for his morning shift, I looked rather spent and after I left to take a short break in the House Officer’s room, he just did not want to disturb me. After all, he said, it was only one patient.

I was touched and grateful. It was a small gesture. However, it’s small, simple things that sometimes touches you.

After that, I clocked out for the last time as a House Officer in the Medical Department.

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The Theoretical Doctor Jul 29, 2025

Surviving The Night Shift In The Medical Posting In General | Housemanship Diaries

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The shift that I have always dreaded but enjoyed the most were the night shifts. I dreaded it because I knew that I would be alone most of the time and afraid that I would not be able to cope with the adrenaline rush or anxiety or the craziness that might ensue. However, I enjoyed it because that meant that I will be able to sleep in prior to going for my shift and the following day at 7am, the morning team will start arriving and I am not alone anymore.

The Medical posting in general is a “heavy” posting because of the patient load. Almost all of the patients are so-called “Medical” patients once Surgical, Orthopaedic, Psychiatric or other causes have been ruled out, and it could stem from something as simple as electrolyte imbalance to myocardial infarction or stroke.

Thus, imagine the amount of coming mornings.

Prior to entering this posting, I’ve always enquired and listened to my fellow colleagues’ input and experiences. Most of them would say that “In the Medical posting, the rule of thumb for surviving the night shift is to start taking the bloods as soon as you arrive for the night shift”.

True enough. That is something I have practiced since and even in other postings as you do not know just when something may happen and next thing you know, the sun is rising and your coming mornings are late and the morning team have arrived and the bloods are still pending or not in the system or yet to be taken and the medical officers and specialists have arrived.

Sadly, when there is a delay in the blood investigations, there is a delay in management.

Thus, it is a tachycardic moment for me. Prior to entering my shift, I would screen through the coming morning list and upon arriving, I would usually prep my trolley, ensure my coming mornings are divided and arranged according to their cubicles, ensure enough syringes and needles are set aside as well as the alcohol swabs and cotton swabs.

Then, I will begin taking my coming mornings, usually working my way from the back of the ward then towards the front cubicle, subacute cubicle and finally, ending with the acute cubicle.

Usually in between, something will occur, maybe a patient newly admitted into ward or a patient will suddenly be hypotensive or hypertensive or hypoglycaemic or starts throwing up or wants to have a small talk.

Normally, I would not mind entertaining them. However, if I’m still due to complete my coming mornings, I would proceed to complete it and I usually will not rest until I do. At least I’ll be rest assured that should anything occur in between, I would not have to worry about the completion of my coming mornings.

The night shifts can be rather unpredictable as one minute it can seem rather quiet and calm at first and hectic the next. At times, it can get overwhelming as well.

However, have faith and know that help is always nearby and start taking your bloods as early as possible.

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