What I learned in a Hospital Emergency?
My quick background: I’m a medical student, and an aspiring M.D. (ha!), and did my Clinical Elective at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi in Nov, 2016 in ER, and here’s a quick rundown on my own reflections of the experience:
1. Expect to be super-tired, every day!
Of course, with the high influx of patients EVERY SECOND, you never know what’s coming next. “You have to be on your toes” is just an understatement, but I’m not over-rating it. It’s true guys, ER is the most hectic department of ANY hospital.
2. Every case is a new chance at learning something new!
Like everywhere in a hospital setting, your every patient teaches you something: about the disease, the knowledge you have, the life itself, and so does ER. But since it’s all in a rush, you learn so much within micro-secs, and I mean it. Things rush FAST, and you need to be quite a quick observer and just equally responsive to whatever’s coming at you.
3. Experience ‘being a doctor’ in the BEST WAY!
I have to say it: Working in ER has actually been one of my best hospital experiences, and that’s because ER is the best place to ENJOY being a life-saver. The resus rounds, the joy of stabilizing a near-departing soul, the sense of achievement when you successfully do a difficult intubation, and the pride when you break bad news in the most professional, empathetic way and make someone feel just a tad better – it all just reminds you WHY you initially wanted to become a doctor. :)
4. Communication, interactions and real-life connections
Honestly, with so much digitalization, we have actually lost the sense of talking one-on-one with strangers. In ER, I literally re-learned my communication skills. There are mean, bad people and there are absolutely amazing ones, and I got the chance to meet and greet new people every day, including my attending on rounds, patients, hospital staff, etc. It just makes you feel great and you start enjoying the ‘hospital space’.
5. Literally, SAVE A LIFE!
Well, all docs save lives. BUT the real essence of it can ONLY be experienced in ER. :) I know it re-iterates my statement in Bullet#3, but doesn’t it need to be re-stated? :)
What I think after all this?
Well, I LOVE Emergency Medicine. Yes, it’s…
> hectic> demanding
> scary (to the point where you see literally ‘broken, torn, disassembled humans’)
But it’s worth it. I’m gonna keep it in my career-list, and let’s see where I land after I match in 2018.
Thanks for reading, guys.
Stay tuned for more on my life, both in medicine and outside.
Cheers. :)
