One day more until the end of my Ophthalmology Rotation

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As someone with high myopia, the importance of a good eyesight never escapes me every single day. I won’t be exaggerating if I said I’d bled because of how heavy my glasses are or because I bumped into something while not wearing them. Needless to say, I appreciate the hardwork and dedication that is the field of ophthalmology. In terms of improving a patient’s quality of life, it certainly is one of the leading specialties out there. Thus, among the many things that I learned during my rotation, to treat patients with this in mind is one of my top three. It is one thing to completely eradicate an illness from a person, but another thing entirely when you are able to actually contribute to making their lives better every day. Another thing that I must remember in ophthalmology is the patience that it takes to figure out the many equipment being used for diagnosis and management. I am not particularly good with the microscope, so the slit lamp and the many other tools being used in ophthalmology (especially the ones in the operating room) have always intimidated me. I understand it took a lot of practice for the residents and consultants to treat those things like extensions of their own hands, and I aspire to be as patient as they are. Medicine means lifelong learning, after all. I would certainly need it for the rest of my life. Lastly, I also really liked the environment that the ophthalmology department in CSMC have cultivated. Rotating from one department to another, it’s certainly one of the warmest departments that we’ve been in, without compromising their expectations of each other when it comes to work. People there have each other’s backs and they know how to have fun. I still remember how they even invited us interns to eat with them during our first day. One that we had to unfortunately declined because we were quite broke that day, on top of still feeling a bit awkward and unsure of how to conduct ourselves in a new rotation. It’s something that never happened in our previous rotations so it was a nice surprise. I am sure to remember to treat my juniors in the future this way as well, no matter how stressful things get and no matter how far removed I might feel from them because of the difference in our positions. I fear some of superiors feel this way, whether they be coming from a place of arrogance or from uncertainty of how to relate to their juniors, it creates unwanted disconnection between mentor and mentee. Of course, the same amount of effort should also be made by the juniors themselves; to pay attention to and learn from their seniors and afford them the respect that they deserved. Healthcare, for the most part, is a highly collaborative field, so it is most helpful that we keep this in mind.