First Duty Ever

The Year Level 5: ICC Year blog posts - stories and anecdotes, patient encounters and hospital drama, and the many colors of UP med school from the perspective of a third year. Here's the sixth entry, under our two-week combined rotation with the Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry.

The bitchy neurology resident sure made for a splashy end to our two-week rotation in NeuroPsych. Dressed in all blue, with a glance that could throw an entire army into panic, she strode into the room, gathered us in one corner, and detailed the first order of business: our lack of a Powerpoint presentation during last Wednesday's small-group discussion. Which was interesting because we were never required to have a Powerpoint (or if we were, then our liaison officer never impressed such a requirement on us).

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We had our first 24-hour duty last Thursday in Psychiatry. I was grouped with J and T, and our theme song was "Lucky" by Britney Spears. Question No. 1: What is the relationship between the life and times of Britney Spears and a cat nursing its kitten?

We spent the morning attending lectures.

Then, in the afternoon, we stayed in the library, making full use of the free WiFi and the air-conditioning. It was fun seeing all the year level 3 and 4 (first and second year) kids buried in books for exams the next day, while we just Facebook-ed and slept and drooled a little.

After the library, we went to L's unit in one of the condominiums surrounding UP Manila. Trust me, these condos are sprouting like unwanted 'shrooms; I expect we'll be literally overshadowed someday. T had band practice; J and I did nothing exceptionally productive. Then, we had dinner at Robinsons, because fast food is healthy for student-doctors on call. Question No. 2: Where did we eat, and what did we eat, and how ecstatic does T look?

At 7PM, it was time to return to the call room, where we spent the next couple of hours playing cards. Question No. 3: What were we playing?

Finally, at around 9:30, we had our first patient at the emergency room - a toxicology referral. Poor guy had a row with his live-in partner last week; wife left him and brought the daughters with her. Guy became really, really, really sad; earlier that day, attempted to overdose himself with six 500mg amoxicillin capsules (which failed, because six capsules do not an overdose make), then slashed his left wrist, but not before sending a suicide note to mamah, who brought him to us

To the ER (left) and back to the call room.

It was all resolved by 11:30. And - big surprise! - we were told we could go home and just show up at 7 the next day. So we did, and that's how benign and fake our duty was. I think the three of us combined plus Lennie our intern made for a pretty benign magnet. So we went to T's as planned, and then I walked along empty Padre Faura at 12:30AM to C's place, where I ate cherries and slept. Question No. 4: Why did I eat cherries at C's place?

At T's condo. They filmed part of "Sisterakas" in that building.

"They go, 'Isn't she lovely, this Hollywood girl?' And they say she's so lucky, she's a star. But she cry, cry cries in her lonely heart, thinking..."