VICDOC Summer 2023 - Magazine - Page 86
D R Y I N GTO N G L I — I N T E R N
When Donald Rumsfeld referred to
‘unknown unknowns’ in 2002, it was to
deflect difficult questions, but as junior
doctors our duty is embrace support, learn
and move forward, and I am grateful to have
had the continuing and strong support of my
junior doctor colleagues and senior medical
staff in this. For my part, I have worked to
avoid making the same error twice, reading
up on and developing mental models of safe
prescribing for all high-risk medications.
This paid off when, a few weeks later, I
noticed another doctor making the same
error I had and remedied the mistake. This
experience has demonstrated my growth
over the course of internship. Before I was
the one at considerable risk of making the
errors; now I have been the one able to catch
and avert them, paying forward the support
that I received.
At the same time, while the pitfalls
of increasing responsibility have been at
times challenging, the fruits have also
been rewarding. As a medical student, I
expected that there must be at least one
or two intern rotations I would not enjoy.
I am happy to have been proven wrong,
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having found fulfilment and enjoyment in
every rotation, even those I have do not
intend to pursue as a specialty. There are
the little victories, like succeeding at a
difficult cannula after a string of misses,
memorable moments like the first time
closing in theatre, and the patients I have
come to know and whose care I have
coordinated. While, as a rotational trainee,
it is testing to be dropped into a new
environment and learn a whole new set of
skills and processes every 10 weeks, I am
also grateful to have had such a breadth
of experiences this year, many of which I
may never have again in my career.
As the end of the intern year rapidly
draws near, I extend my thanks to all my
residents, registrars and consultants, and
my congratulations to the graduating
medical students and 2024 interns. I hope
to be able to support you as a resident, as
my residents supported me. And looking
to my future and the specialty training
path in coming years, I will aim to take
what I have learned with me to be a better,
safer, and more effective doctor for my
patients and my colleagues.
