Staying with Dr M [Not Dr Mahathir, mind you ;)], the locum Consultant of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the antenatal clinic yesterday couldn't be any more exciting. It somehow healed the wound of disappointment I had last semester when I was on the same attachment down at the Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe. It was because last time I didn't get as much opportunity to do things that after those 2 weeks I left the hospital with a small bit of displeasure.
I can't blame on the team or respective doctors though, as a different person has different personality- towards the medical students I mean. Anyways Dr M was someone who taught, which of course was a criterion that all students looked forward to! And so I managed to perform quite a good lot of physical exams on patients who came in for antenatal check-ups. Alhamdulillah. *smiling to the ears*
*****
One patient came in.
Dr M : Ok you examine the patient. He continued browsing the patient's chart.
[Previously he commented on my physical exam, stressing that as a student I should follow the proper structure of a physical exam i.e. starting with the introduction, general inspection and everything.]
Sarah : Hi my name is Sarah a fourth year medical student, would you mind if I have a look at your tummy?
Patient : Ya, no.
Dr M got up from his chair and came close to me and the patient to see how I was doing the patient.
Sarah : On general inspection the patient is lying comfortably on the bed. There's no scars, no striae, no linea nigra appear on the...
Dr M : Tell me what is linea nigra.
Sarah : Err... [Oh my God, he's asking the last question I would ever want to be asked!]
Dr M : What is this here? While he pointed at a pigmented longitudinal line stretching across the patient's gravid abdomen passing the umbilicus.
Dr M : This is what we call linea nigra.
Sarah : Err, oh ok. Hee~ *grinned*
Lesson
If you don't know, don't pretend like you know. Or you'd better off ask!
