Tuesday, June 21, 2016

why i still haven't quit my job

i find work to be increasingly stressful and tiring recently. it isn't anything more than the ordinary of course, working as a doctor in a government hospital, it's all part of the job. but there are times when you feel really tired, both physically and mentally, to a point that, for me, i start to think about the possibility of quitting. this also isn't surprising or new, you can talk to any doctor, almost all if not everyone of us have thought of quitting more than once in our medical career. the worst for me was probably when i was doing my masters program. the pressure to perform well, pass your exams, finish your thesis, all while still providing service to the patients in the hospital and being oncall, at the same time trying to balance your personal needs and the needs of your family, was more than enough for you to think of quitting at a daily basis! it's definitely not as bad now, but from time to time, the feeling does creep up again.
so i decided to take a day off today just to unwind and "recharge" myself. i went to the bank, did a bit of groceries and some shopping and then went back home, cooked a bit and then started reading a new book-iban journey by golda mowe. by the way, i went to the bookstore just now only to buy a pen and a whatchamacallit the whiteout-liquid-paper-correction thingy, but of course i cant help from browsing the book section too, so i ended up paying about rm100 for 3 books, 3 pens and whatchamacallit the whiteout-liquid-paper-correction thingy,  . sigh. i really should have bought the pen at the grocery store.
anyway, suddenly there was a whatsapp message from the sister in my palliative care team, sharing with me a message she received from a patient of ours today. just yesterday, the patient came to the hospital for her cardiology clinic follow-up and went looking for me in the ward. she wanted to show me the tablet she got from the children's wish society (cws). she was referred to our team about one and a half year ago, because she has a congenital heart condition that is now worsening and is limiting her daily activities and eventually her lifespan too. she is a very shy and quiet girl and it took me quite an effort to get her to warm up to us, and some coaxing to get her to tell me if there was anything that she wished to have. in the end she wrote me a 2-lined letter stating that she would like a tablet.


so i referred her to the cws team who then got her the tablet she wished for just about a month ago. and so she came to the ward yesterday to show it to me, and then asked to take a photo together. and so we did, i chatted with her a bit and that was it.
who knew, after that she sent a message to the sister, sharing the photo that was taken, and inviting us to visit her at home for raya. but what blew me away was that she also said that she misses me and that she loves me like her own mother!


so what am i supposed to do, (other than cried like a baby) after reading that?

well i cant quit my job yet, that's for sure!