Today a new house officer joined our ward for newborn babies. Whenever that happens, I try to give some guidance to them on how to make most out of their stay in our ward. Generally I give them like five pieces of advice, that may be of use in many other situations (also in non-medical settings👦).
1. If you tried and failed and then try again and fail again, it may be a good idea to get some help.
Especially when we are taking blood from babies, which is not easy, it is so important not to keep trying all by ourselves. This is especially true for inexperienced docs but for even those with experience, it may be a good idea to call someone senior or just a different doc who can help with the procedure.
2. Gain a bit of knowledge every day through reading.
Many of our house officers serve as new doctors and do not not learn a lot of new things. It is quite essential, I think, that in that early phase of their career, they keep studying. If they study one hour per day, that is ninety hours in three months. Compare a new doctor who studied 90 extra hours about childhood diseases versus one who did not do that.
3. Learn how to praise instead of criticize.
Many times, when small children are approached (this piece of advice is more for the children in the general ward), we tend to hear the docs say: " you are afraid" or "you are shy". That may be true, but starting by criticizing a child, is not the best start of an encounter in which you will need their cooperation during a physical examination. Children like to be praised. Simple words like "wow", "handsome", "beautiful", or "you can do this" can make a big difference. The child feels at ease and the mother will feel good about the doctor, which is essential for a child to be cooperative during a physical examination.
4. Reflect every day on what your experiences have taught you.
As a doctor we get daily very special experiences. We witness sad events and happy events of healing. These experiences are so valuable for our personal growth, but only if we take some time to reflect on them. Daily or at least weekly reflection about what was good, what was though, can help in a major in the personal growth for every doc. (Growth, not in height or width, but in character, personality, emotional, spiritual, ...)
5 Choose a happy mood in the morning
This is maybe the most important piece of advice. If we choose a good mood in the morning, we will notice all the lovely and pleasant things happening in a paediatric ward. If we choose a bad mood, our attention will fall on all the frustrating and negative events. In a good mood, we will see a lot of opportunities to help, in a bad mood, we may experience these opportunities as mere problems.
