I don't want to talk about how was my life when I was year 1-3, but I will tell you someday about that too. Not now. So, someone asked me to blog about my dietetics life, so, it's better to start with the current and the fresh one.

As you all know, I am currently doing my attachment in HKL for 6 weeks. But, for this post, I would like to share how I survived my first term of clinical attachment. The attachment was divided into 2 disciplines: In Patient Clinical Attachment and Out Patient Clinical Attachment. On the second term, there is a Special Unit, which divided into serious and mind blowing disciplines, such as, Nephrology, Neurology, Burn, Paediatrics, Oncology, General Intensive Care Unit (GICU).

I honestly don't know hows the system in different university, but for sure, in UKM, we were trained in Hospital UKM first before going out to outside hospital. Of course they would be an examination to assess your level. Those who failed, will need to repeat the attachment back. So, in HUKM, we have our own clinical instructors to instruct us and teach us on the clinical side knowledge and of course our lecturers!. There was a moment when you lecturer and CI had some argument, and you were the black sheep, in which you don't know which one to follow. Somehow you think, what your CI said was logic and true, but still you have to follow our lecturer style.

The first day on our very first clinical attachment, I was placed to do my In patient for 5 weeks first, before started my OPD (Out Patient). So, was super blur with the doctor's handwriting and clueless on the names and procedures that has been done to the patients, the medications, the apparatus and everything... until one time, I realized, being a dietitian means you have to cover all the knowledge. You should know how is the mechanism of the medications, when it is should be prescribed, what is the contraindications and the indications of each of the patients.. JUST LIKE THE PHARMACIST DID. At the same time, you should know what is the procedures, the surgery, the disease, how it effects the patients, the prognosis, the expectations from the disease, should know the medical term.. instead of saying below, you say inferior.. instead of saying above, you say superior. Yes, the short term of each of the procedurers, the abbreviations and of course the Dr's handwriting.. you should know that, JUST LIKE THE DOCTORS DID. When you are in the ward, all the apparatus, the pigtail, the drainage, the CBD, the stoma bag, the IV drip, how to elevate the beds, how to put down the beds, how to read the dextrose stix, how to handle the patient.. you should know that, JUST LIKE THE NURSES DID. When you faced a patient who does not have any motivation to live, does not have any social support and moral support from the community, does not have any appetite to eat, to swallow .. you of course should know how to handle them JUST LIKE THE COUNSELLOR AND SOCIAL WORKER DID. Most importantly, you became brave and being forced to be braved to show the patient who is death in the list (DIL), patient who is at the end of his life, who died on the hospital bed and somehow to face the corpse, JUST LIKE THE FORENSICS DID.

 The infections and bacteria are revolving around you, your body, your hands, your tudung, your trousers, your white coat, your skirts or whatever it is, you need to face it and to prevent it by taking extra precautions. Crying moments of course could not be eradicated from your dictionary as a dietetics students. Telling yourself how fool you are not memorising your first year to third year subjects and knowledge, plus, the episodes of demotivation from your surrounding and escaping your lunch just to fulfill the task and to brief in front of the CI and lecturer excellently!.

After all, you will survived the first 2 weeks  with the system of the ticket and the Dr's handwriting and start to catching all the infos and medical procedures and everythings. Soon, you can mastered everything. We are a novice. It's okay to learn. (And now,you read the ticket and the procedures and everything just like kacang only ma... lol)

After all, dietitians, doctors, pharmacist or other professional health profession are just on the same level. It just how do we deliver our profession advise to them and to communicate with the multidiciplinary professions!. Being a dietitian means, you are a doctor, a pharmacist, a nurse, a counsellor, a social worker or even a carer!.

Just don't emotional tied with your patients, I admitted, I have my emotional tied with my first patient and reading their prognosis makes me want to cry, I somehow mirrored them as my father or as my mother in which I could cry seeing them sicks. The superior has warned me not to be tied emotionally with them, or you will suffer, I know they talk based on the experienced. If not, how come the houseman ( before they become a medical doctor) can cry over their first died patient  while managing them?

I am proud to be a dietitian.