HOW DR NAMASAKA CHANGED MY CLINICAL ROTATIONS

HOW DR NAMASAKA CHANGED MY CLINICAL ROTATIONS

Suleiman Ndoro Jnr (Dr Audi)

Wednesday and Friday mornings were always major ward rounds day in the medical wards at Thika Level 5 Hospital. These were the days when you would wake up very early to catch the best worm (history) from the patients. Despite being interns’ work, it was always our meat to chew.

The in-charge of the rounds, Dr Namasaka, a cardiologist by profession who also happened to be my Internal Medicine lecturer always wanted to listen to students’ histories and not interns. I was in third year then and the internal medicine department was the first rotation in my life.

Clinical rotations are always an elating moment where you actually put into medical practice all the information you have crammed into your mind for the last two years of medical school. It is an exciting moment where you spend days interacting and learning from everyone in the hospital from consultants, residents, patients, fellow students and even ancillary staff.

The transition from the classroom to the hospital was an amazing one for me despite helping my father attending to patients in his clinic since I completed high school.

Dr Namasaka arrived in the ward at exactly 9am in the male ward where I was specifically rotating. The ward rounds continued well until he reached my bed. I had no history as my patient had been discharged the night before.

“Do you have any other history?” He asked.

I had not taken any other history before and obviously my answer was not affirmative. He was disappointed and it could vividly be seen on his face. Little did I know that his disappointment was going to have a big effect in my medical school life as a student.

“Here is what you should be doing,” he started.

“When you come here in the morning, assist these interns in clerking and reviewing patients. Also help them in doing the work ups. After that join the ward rounds, participate and contribute. At around 12 noon when the ward rounds are over, take history from your patient or any case you find interesting then break for lunch."

"When you come back after lunch, set time with your classmates to discuss the history you would have taken for about an hour then find time to assist in work ups and procedures."

"When you go home in the evening, get your Hutchison’s book of clinical methods and revise on the system of the patient that you have clerked during the day and polish in the things that you have missed in the history or examination. After that, get your Davidsons and review on the management of your patient. "

"When you come back the following day, present that history to your consultant and resident. You will realize that, when you clerk different patients with different conditions in different body systems, you will have read and revised five systems in a week and in a whole rotation you will have done all the systems, repeated and perfected on them.”

It was such a small talk but it changed my life in all the clinical rotations. I believe it will change yours too.

Long live Dr Namasaka! My friend Norah Akumu and I refer to him as god of medicine.

WATCH MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES FOR DOCTORS IN THE LINK BELOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFvcwOErtQY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFvcwOErtQY