post-convention

as i predicted, the annual convention formally closed the other day with me being able to attend only 2 lectures all in all. i spent most of my time either at the hospitality booths, exhibit area or at the hospital because i became one of the designated drivers.

as a whole, it was a generally peaceful convention. not much arguing was heard except during the last day when the adrenaline was high because of last minute shoppings that had to be completed before going back to the hotel rooms to pack for the return flight home. i think the turn-out was good but comparing it to the previous years, i saw more people then. or maybe they were attending the plenary sessions?

it was also nice to see long lost friends and acquaintances. i got to see a co-intern again after almost 5 years (and got reminded that i am her child's godmother! sorry anak, utang muna ang regalo). i also got to see batchmates and friends in med school. i didn't realize that a lot of us went into pediatrics, this is really news because it wasn't a popular subject to us when we were still in school. everybody was afraid of the department because a lot of students wasn't able to graduate with their original batch because they failed it.

it was also 3 days of mouth-watering almost non-stop eating for us! there were lots of foods for the taking, from ice creams to coffee to cakes. there was also the drug company sponsored eat-outs and gimiks. and of course the almost yearly lunch out sponsored by the department's mother. i think we overdid it this year because we got a huge bill!

kudos to the society for a job well done! hope to see you all again next year.

a gathering

tomorrow will be the 1st day of our annual national convention and once again, pediatricians all over the country will be gathering in one place to update themselves of the new trends/discoveries in our field. but we cannot deny that for some, it is a venue to see old friends and meet new ones. still for some, they come out here for the SHOPPING (translation: grappling for the numerous give-aways of drug companies)!

i was told by a senior colleague that it is not the case abroad. in national convention in the united states for example, the only things they give are pens and papers presumably for the participants to take notes and numerous journals and information sheets. only in the philippines will you find doctors arguing with who was first in the line or hear doctors reprimanding a collegue for failing to fall in line when they have been patiently waiting for hours just so they can get the bag given by Mead Johnson or the cute something given by Astra. you will not believe the acquaintances you will gain when going thru these long lines at the exhibit areas! more senior pediatricians asking a resident where she got the nice give away and could she please save a spot for her in the line. so funny but all so true!

there are times that i feel guilty when at the end of the day i realize that i didn't get to listen to a single lecture because i was busy falling in line at the exhibit area. but that is precisely the fun part! however, we should also not forget the real reason we are there - to learn something and have fun.

baby #1

i saw my very first newborn patient last wed at the clinic. he is now 1 month old, grew 6 cms longer and gained 1.4 kilos. mom says he's always hungry and is usually well-behaved.

it is at times like these that makes all the things i went through in med school all worth it. it is also what made me decide to go into pediatrics besides the fact that i like kids. it is a different high when you see the joy on the parents' faces when you send home a child after a well baby check-up or after getting well. of course that is not always the case and that is the painful side of being a kids' doctor. but as i have always said, we are not gods with powers to give life. we can only do what is humanly possible and leave everything else to the One above who is the most powerful.

i have been burning holes thru my chair for the past week. as i said, i am anticipating this scenario, i just hope this won't be what it will be like for long because i too have bills to pay. its frustrating sometimes but i have to learn to be patient. and it doesn't help that i have a lot of other things on my mind lately. (sigh)....

i already started my clinic in manila last friday. i spent the whole 3 hours fixing it up. i share the clinic w/ 2 other surgeons so the room really needs a lot of work. i started by putting the image of the sto. niño and our lady at the corner and then fixing the other supplies like cotton balls, syringes, tongue depressors and their respective containers. lastly, i fixed my table drawer. but the room still stared at my blandly; it was not how i envisioned my clinic to look like. i want to have the clinic that shouts "welcome to my colorful, kid friendly world". i was told that i can freely put anything i want in there so i am looking around for decors & pictures that could brighten up the room.

i don't know if it is good that i am sharing the clinic w/ another older pediatrician. it is good because i get to learn how to interact w/ patients and their parents better (it is different when it is already your own patient you're dealing with rather than your consultant's while still in residency), the endless explanations and reassurances you have to do and of course bribing the little kids so that they would think of you as their friend, not the syringe wielding monster you really are (can't be helped, they do need their vaccines). on the other hand, it is also frustrating to see that the other doctor got to see several patients while you spent the whole time burning holes thru your seat. lots of doctors say that it would take several months or years before you can establish yourself and get patients left & right. i have already psyched myself for that but still i am wishing that one of these days a patient will come thru the clinic doors looking for the doctor in the 2nd cubicle.