How funny is it for me to get to know about this event from my senior not from my brother. I asked my final year senior (when i was year 1 last time), Dr. Wong Yit Hao about what's the difference/so special to become a distinction student in Professional Exam Viva Voce? Because he used to be distinction student when he was year 1. He told me about the chance to participating in a Physiology Quiz. At that time, actually i am not so excited about the idea. I never like Physiology! It was complicated, inhumane and I have spent a long time trying to understand a concept. I did a lots of reading, but nothing help!
It's not until another final year senior Dr. Kenneth Khoo Kay Leong, who passed me a respiratory physiology book in a A5 size and with a blue cover imprinted with a chest X-ray. That was the respiratory physiology Figure-Based Instruction (F-BI) series book by Prof. Dr. Cheng Hwee Ming. I first found out that the book is well written with good mixture of humor and information. Great effort is put to curb student's misconception of physiology too. I deeply impressed by what physiology can do! Later a BIG click when i found out that Prof. Dr. Cheng Hwee Ming is the organizer of the Inter-Medical School Physiology Quiz (IMSPQ), which mentioned by my senior earlier.
Then i looked up information about IMSPQ. I am quite excited to find out Prof. Cheng is a "specialist" in treating the patho-physiology of student misconception. This is what i long for! i tell myself.
And also I am so lucky to be the distinction student in my year 1 medical study which provide me better chance of participation in IMSPQ. I keep seek for updates from physiology department about the competition and even made a request to join! Reflecting back, i am truely an "annoying" little kid that bugged on my lecturers. However, I am very thankful to all my physiology lecturers for the patience they had on me. Special thanks to Head of Department of Physiology Department , Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rahimah Zakaria for her dedication on replying my flying e-mail. Also, Dr. Liza Noordin and Dr. Ainul who worked hard to make arrangement on the competition. My gratitude to Dr. Che Badhariah who always be so approachable in disseminating physiology knowledge. Thanks to Dr.Ang Boon Suen, Dr. Mohammad Mahaneem and Dr. Asma Hayati who willing to spare their time to revise physiology with IMSPQ team.
To be honest i started off my real physiology journey when i was year 2! (My year 1 learning mostly in the form of memorizing in order to secure the SEQ! what a nightmare for me! My memory is always non-functional, and I don't like memorizing. The only way i can remember it is to recite the same sentence over and over again) I first started off my physiology journey by reading books by Prof. Dr. Cheng. Later i found out that Ganong Review of Medical Physiology is a great book! i owned a older and smaller version of the book which passed down from my brother. I never like it, because it was dull, has no color and compact writing. I am glad to have my colleague, Helmi Ismail who willing to let go his 23rd edition to me. It is a colorful book and a bit more interesting!
About half year of reading Ganong(it is never easy to take care of year 2 syllabus while pushing my physiology study, so the progress is slow!), I discovered that Costanzo Physiology is another awesome book! I got to know this book from the reference page of Prof. Dr. Cheng 's book and also some medical musical did by United State Student in YouTube. I bought the book eventually.
Later i found two Phyinking book(Phyink = Physiology + Think, i guess copyright goes to Prof. Cheng who coined it up) named "Thinking through Physiology" by Prof. Dr. Cheng Hwee Ming and "A Thinking Approach to Physiology" by Ian Sabir and Juliet A Usher Smith. These books let me have surge of dopamine and serotonin in a positive feedback manners on my physiology learning! phiew!
The day had come! The IMSPQ! it's a "judgement day" on my efforts made for physiology learning throughout my year 2 study. I was quite surprised when my name was to be announced as the top 5 among 410 participants who did the written test. Actually, I did hope for it after i did the written test, because i think i was doing it well, my aim is to be included as top 10 or 9 ? I didn't left blank any option (woah! what a risky act, i thought, cause the negative marking is not like those we had back in USM! it is Plus one or Minus one!) as I usually does. I rather make mistake when i was student and learn from it from avoiding all the problem , I'll never grow out of it. However I was never expecting to be the #5, the idea still sounds disasterous to me X)
During the oral test, i did a funny mistake, which i was amused by it! I stated wrongly the value for Partial Pressure of Oxygen in Pulmonary Arterial Blood! i said 60 mmHg which was actually 40mmHg. The answering opportunity was opened to participant of University of New South Wales. XD. This had also proved that my theory that one of the weakness in physiology learning is NUMBER SHY! as i did. Of course USM wasn't able to proceed to Round 2 in the oral test. But for me it was satisfying enough, in the view that I have changed a lot and learned a lot from my participation. I am very thankful to my supportive teammates who stayed with me until the very last moment - Kuan Siang and Aravind. IMSPQ won't be so memorable without them!
After the test, I told to myself that i knew that my physiology journey is just started and i bought a new textbook, Boron Medical Physiology as the new kick start for my new journey after my reading on Ganong and Costanzo Physiology. Hope Year 3 MS in USM will let me have free time to do so!
IMSPQ have enriched my medical student life and it gives me an inspiration to become a anesthesiologist, which is also quite tally with my wish to be able to become part of Médecins Sans Frontières as what i've promised when i initially entered medical school. This is what i told to myself, told to the interviewer and also to my seniors. Tehee perhaps it is too early to decide and may appear too naive, but it is always no harm to have dream to work on! Getting a prize in written test in IMSPQ considered a miracle to me, perhaps there will be another miracle after this!
Key persons who really changed my way of learning physiology: Dr. Kenneth Khoo Kay Leong, a final year medical student who never look down to a junior who asked him physiology question and share with me his knowledge and let me discovered the other key person Prof. Dr. Cheng Hwee Ming.
Feeling Thankful to all that had happened !
Sabbe Satta Sukhi Hontu, May all be well and happy!
From Left: Kok Ming, Me, and Prof. Dr. Cheng Hwee Ming/Big Phyinker/Professor Fizzo !
Kok Ming has been a very supportive senior who willing to spend time chatting with me about most of my crazy ideas. X) and helped me along my way of study. Good Luck for year 4 clinical year!
No comments:
Post a Comment