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Tagline: “Hourly Toilet Break”

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If humans had taglines, what would yours be?

Those who have worked with me know that I have such thing called “The Hourly Toilet Break”.

Firstly, because I consume lots of fluids and secondly, that is how I ensure I do get the break once in a while on a busy day or maybe, the day is quite slow and I am just, bored.

Of course when the day is rather busy and hectic, time just flies and that I do not even realise the time passing by. By the time I actually do complete my task and take the opportunity to just rest for a while, 2-3 hours have gone by.

How Did The Hourly Toilet Break Started?

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I didn’t actually planned for such thing at work. Obviously.

At home, I do frequently go for my toilet breaks as I’m forever consuming green teas or black coffees or water. All of which contributes to the filling of my bladder, in addition to the fluids being diuretics.

It wasn’t until I started my tagging in my sixth rotation, the Emergency & Trauma Department that I reinforced this so-called “hourly toilet break”.

The tagging hours in the Emergency & Trauma Department is long, just as in other postings whereby we had to work from 7am til 10pm everyday with an off day each week for 10 days straight.

Thus, it helped me in ensuring that I either get to sit and recollect myself during hectic days or to make the hours pass during slow days.

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The Theoretical Doctor Aug 21

A short article in response to a prompt on what my tagline would be at work as a House Officer, which I came to realise during my final rotation, in the Department of Emergency and Trauma.

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#writing #doctor #housemanship #malaysia #blogging #tagline #medicine

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/08/22/tagline-hourly-toilet-break/

Tagline: “Hourly Toilet Break”

A short article in response to a prompt on what my tagline would be at work as a House Officer, which I came to realise during my final rotation, in the Department of Emergency and Trauma.

The Theoretical Doctor

The Theoretical Doctor Aug 21

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:

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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 21

An article regarding my first night shift in my last rotation, Emergency & Trauma, as a House Officer.

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#writing #blogging #doctor #housemanship #malaysia #medicine

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/08/21/my-first-night-shift-in-emergency-trauma-housemanship-diaries/

My First Night Shift In Emergency & Trauma | Housemanship Diaries

An article regarding my first night shift in my last rotation, Emergency and Trauma, as a House Officer.

The Theoretical Doctor

The Theoretical Doctor Aug 20

Life After Offtag In Emergency & Trauma | Housemanship Diaries

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The tagging hours in the Department of Emergency & Trauma is from 7am till 10pm, for a total of 10 days and one off day per week. There are no assessments required to off-tag, only hours required to cash in.

During our tagging season, we were not allocated for night shifts as well.

For me, tagging in this posting felt like an eternity. I remembered counting down my days before I would finally “offtag” and be switched to regular working hours. I also remembered being extremely exhausted at the end of my shift, wondering how did my fellow colleagues managed to pull through.

Tagging in this posting as compared to the other postings was considered less stressful as we were not required to arrive early for morning rounds. We merely had to arrive on time and upon the end of our shift, we leave, as compared to other postings where we would stay back almost every time, cash in “unpaid overtimes.”

Finally after 10 days of tagging, I officially “off-tagged“.

So how was life after that?

Much better. Thankfully.

Regular hours in the Emergency & Trauma Department meant working a 12-hours shift per day with an off day per week and a single night shift.

Basically, we had to ensure that in total, we had to meet the total 60-hours shift per week.

Thus are the timings for our respective shifts:

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

If you have read my articles on “The Joy Of Working The Night Shift As A House Officer” as well as “My Favourite Time Of The Day At Work“, I mentioned that I absolutely love the night shift. The disadvantage of working the night shift is that we are usually alone and the night shift can be rather unpredictable.

However, it is not the same for me in this posting. Out of the shifts listed above, my favourite is the AM shift, 7am till 7pm. Initially, getting up for work at 7am is tough especially after working the PM shifts back-to-back. But after the initial morning sleepiness wears off, the day proceeds as usual and we return home at 7pm which is nice.

Life after offtag in this department ensured that I had adequate rest prior to my shift starting. No doubt, it is a 12-hours shift every time, we usually arrive and leave work on time as compared to other postings.

Nonetheless, I was still exhausted after every shift. Perhaps it was due to the accumulated mental and physical stress throughout the previous five postings that when I am finally blessed with extra rest, I am still tired.

If you are still in the tagging phase, be it in this department or others, please stay strong. Remember that it doesn’t last forever, it is merely over a certain span of days or weeks.

Keep showing up, keep doing the good work to the best of your strength and abilities and keep moving forward.

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The Theoretical Doctor Aug 20

An article regarding how I felt after finally completing my tagging period in my final rotation, Emergency & Trauma as a House Officer.

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#writing #blogging #housemanship #malaysia #tagging #doctor #medicine

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/08/20/life-after-offtag-in-emergency-trauma-housemanship-diaries/

Life After Offtag In Emergency & Trauma | Housemanship Diaries

An article regarding how I felt after finally completing my tagging period in my final rotation, Emergency & Trauma as a House Officer.

The Theoretical Doctor

The Theoretical Doctor Aug 19

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 19

An article regarding my first day in my sixth and final rotation, Emergency and Trauma as a House Officer.

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#writing #blogging #malaysia #doctor #housemanship #emergency #trauma

http://theoreticaldoctor.com/2025/08/19/day-1-of-my-final-posting-day-647-of-housemanship/

Day 1 Of My Final Posting – Day 647 Of Housemanship

An article regarding my first day in my sixth and final rotation, Emergency and Trauma as a House Officer.

The Theoretical Doctor

The Theoretical Doctor Aug 18

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.

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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.