I Hate Kids (and Babies)

I am already 7 weeks into my fifth posting Paediatrics (wow, already fifth. How time flies erghh) and I. AM. NOT. LIKING. IT. ONE. BIT. I feel ill-equipped to work despite having to undergo tagging for three long weeks, all because I had the misfortune to catch a viral fever when working in the general paeds ward. It's not that the work is difficult or beyond my understanding - it's just plain annoying and irritating.

As I mentioned before in previous post, this department is generally stricter as compared to other department. Monthly finger-flex attendance sheet, NRP, short case and long case, compulsory Journal Club presentations and CPGs to attend, mandatory meetup with supervisor at certain weeks, and the very fact that the leave allocation is handled by an MO who opens it periodically pretty much makes it unbearable to take. 

I am so used to asking leave whenever I wanted to (within reason and time constrain, of course) from my houseman leader previously in other departments, that when I came to Paediatrics this limiting issue gnaws at me very much so it puts me in a near foul mood every time I think of it. I can't possibly plan my leaves a month in advance - what if on those days that I applied for leave I have a rescheduled assessment or something? Idiotic, kan? Why can't we have that freedom to ask for leave one week in advance like the rest of the housemen do in other departments? WHYYYYY

And don't get me started at the number one reason why I hate this department - the patients themselves. OH MY GOD this department is testing my patience very much so. There are two main wards all HO need to work at initially - the general paeds ward and the special care nursery (SCN) for neonates (babies less than one month old). Once they completed their rotations in these two wards they will move on to NICU, labour room, NBS, clinic, etc.

Now, the paeds ward is very much like my dreaded medical ward upstairs - full to the brim with patients but the difference is that the patients here are pretty much the mini-versions. They are small, fragile-looking, ill-looking, BUT VERY NOISY. True, adult medical ward has its own share of noise but here they are constantly screaming and shouting their lungs out. They do run around in the ward from one end to one end, shrieking or crying or doing both at the same time.

The most vexing of all comes when trying to take blood or inserting a line to the children for a number of reasons. One - we can only do so in the treatment room, far from the watchful eyes of other children and patient's parents. The thing is, there is only one treatment room for the whole ward that can reach full capacity of 65++ patients. In paediatrics we cannot draw the blood at the bedside. Kau gila apa nak buat macam tu. Once the other kids (and their uncooperative parents) see what we are doing, the whole cubicle will go bonkers thinking it's their turn next to be poked with scary big needles.

Two, that said treatment room is also used by radiographers who will come to the ward for any portable chest x-rays that we ordered. We will bring the child to the room and have it scanned there. So you see, if there are 10 children that needs to be poked, it will never take 5 minutes each. It will take at least half an hour each. What deems to be a simple enough process will take an unbelievable amount of time it drives me crazy.

And three - these kids are really something. They shout, they cry, they scream, they spit, they bite, they kick, they thrash around, and it takes a lot of energy and personnel to get hold of them to lie still so that any procedure can be done once successfully and without failure. I really cannot tahan with this. More so when I had to work at night where staffs are fewer and there's not much help available at that time. So apa lagi, cucuk je la selagi boleh sampai dapat. Doesn't matter if it's a small child or a baby - they all are intelligent enough to give me enough resistance and resentment.

So, to conclude - I hate them all. I hate those persistent cries and screams. I hate the inability of them to listen to reasons. I hate them all for having problematic parents who can't even take care of the branula site carefully and just buat bodoh je sampai branula tercabut and the bleeding just spurted out. I don't have time to poke your cute, chubby kid with bluish bruises again and again in a day just because you are so negligent in taking care of your kid. I hate it so much that I'm wasting so much time doing one stupid procedure when there is a lot more work to be done. 

I hate it all so much but rest assured, babies (and kids), you are in a good hand. Even if I hate you LOL.

Yeah screw you too, kid.