My Experience As A Medical Assistant

My determination to pursue medicine was inspired by my genuine interest in science and was affirmed after a meaningful work placement where I gained a true insight into the medical field for the first time.

What I learnt from shadowing a lung specialist during my placement at Borneo Medical Centre in Malaysia is how important effective communication is when handling challenging doctor-patient interactions such as breaking bad news about a life-threatening disease. An eye-opening case was that of a patient who felt helpless when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. The technique in which the doctor brought up and tackled with such touchy subject was imposingly skilful as his compassionate yet honest approach enabled him to comfort

This invaluable experience motivated me even further in my desire to look into the life of a doctor in the NHS by organising a clinical placement in a U.K. hospital. On the wards at Brecon War Memorial Hospital, I had the opportunity to observe a physiotherapy session with an elderly patient who was suffering from a stroke that caused him to have speech problems, memory loss and paralysis. The physiotherapist understood how distressing it could be going through the loss of independence. And the way she let the patient know that he was being taken seriously had increase his cooperation to a great extent when assisting him in adjusting to living with the effects of his stroke. Through observing how passionate the physiotherapist was in caring for the patient’s physical

During a discussion with a junior doctor about confronting patients’ death, I was inspired by the mental resilience that doctors possess to recover from the shock of the tragedy in order to deal with their emotional response during the process of debriefing, and provide professional support to the bereaved family. From example, through intensive trainings, the junior doctor was prepared to cope emotionally with the patient’s death and implemented a strategy by starting to discuss with the bereaved about the medical and legal procedures required after death. Besides that, I have became fully aware of the importance for doctors to be vigilant in perceiving early symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder before it deteriorates to the extend that will result in a remarkable negative impact on their clinical training and also hinder their ability to provide quality patient