Relief...

Examination...

My colleague went for this ED board exam lately....The result came out and he failed the written test..for the psat few months, he had been studied very hard. I felt sorry for him but it was a relief for him as it was his last trial..

There was no society for emergency medictiine 10+ years ago. Unlike the states or UK, the professional bodies are not named as Colleges. They are called the Society- but they function just like the Colleges for specialty. Most of the Societies practice the "closed system" rule, that means trainee will need to "served" in specific department of certain hospital before he is eligible to sit for exam. There were not much trainning position intially for EM. However it was unlikely to request those ED attending physician/trauma surgeon(who was trained in other specialty and later focus in EM) to go for the resident training program. So the Society of EM(SEM) had allowed those senior doctors who worked in ED for more than 2 years to sit for such exam, but there was a deathline for such exemption - year 2007. I returned to Taiwan in 2003 and I could not fulfil the criteria set. The only way I could sit for such exam was to joined a EM resident trainning program. I was thinking of such option earlier. But the life in ED was so unstable. Although I had the luxury to work 180hrs/month(15 working day),  but I could mostly get a straight 2 days weekend off once per months. As both the kiddo are going to school, spending weekend with them are crucial. In addition to this leave issue, I found that straight night shift for 3 days was my limits. I need few days to recovered from a straight 4 or 5 days night shift. ED life just not my cuppa of tea. That was why I chose to move back to physician life...

The EM resident training program is 3 years unlike the 6 years of British system. But the exposure for EM trainee is inadequate, there was this O+G and ENT, eye attachment, but the duration is short. The EM trainee were unable to master the skill. There was this rumor 1 years ago when my ex-colleague sit for the SEM exam --- The trainess from big hospital stayed in the same hotel 1 night before the exam and they switch questions(provided by their department). As I stressed - it was RUMORS....

I remembered we had this chat with the Consultant Radiologist of Perak at the time I served in Tanjung Malim KK. He came down to "lecture" us for doing Xray for death person. The MO from the hospital side was responsible for the post mortem. Some of the MO just ordered Xray (?skull) for those corpse and the radiographer was pissed off to do so and reported to the Consultant radiologist. He was unhappy with such incidents and came down to give us a good lesson...
It was a Friday evening, the consultant came down with his kids and wife on his car(appearently he was going to KL and claiming part of the mileage..) and give a talk for 15-20+ mins. He described us(doctors with no specialty) are called" Jack of all trade but master of none) in a very sarcastic way. way he talked made me felt that I was one who do not wan to advance...that was another story...

In my mind, an EM physician is more than that - he/she should be Jack of all trade and Master of many(if not all) trade...