Under the Microscope

Internship became the best part of my med tech education. Ang saya kaya maging hands-on. Yung mga dating nababasa mo lang sa libro, maaapply mo na yon sa internship :)

Here’s some tips:

First, hindi masama ang magtanong. If you don’t know what to do, ask help from the staff. Mas okay nang magmukhang tanga at first kesa mapahamak pa ang pasyente dahil sa mali mo. 

Second, always be kind to your patients. Kahit sinisigawan ka na nila kasi di mo sila makuhanan ng dugo, don’t ever answer back. Yes, maraming ganong pasyente. Masusungit. Lalo na yung mga kamag anak. Smile ka na lang lagi at habaan ang pasyensya. Isipin mo na lang may dinadamdam sila kaya sila nagsusungit.

Third, always have a presence of mind. Di mo pwedeng ma mislabel yung mga specimen. Malaking kasalanan yon. Be careful with the handling of specimen, especially yung mga mahirap kuhanin. Wag mo din iwawala yung requests. 

Fourth, make sure na alam mo ang gagawin mo before mo iperform yung test. Magbasa ng procedure. Magtanong sa staff. Ask for their guidance. Mahirap magkamali. Sayang sa specimen, sayang sa reagent. Baka mademerit ka pa. 

Fifth, phlebotomy tips. Sa una, mahirap talagang kumapa ng ugat at kumuha ng dugo. Yes, you may fail a dozen of times but that’s how you obtain perfection. Nakukuha sa practice ang lahat. Learn your own techniques. Others may have violent reactions to this but I advise you to learn how to trouble shoot. If pag tusok mo ng syringe sa ugat, walang lumabas na blood, try to search for the vein. Mag to the left, to the right, malalim, mababaw. Usually kasi, yung ugat, anjan lang sa tabi, hindi lang nahit agad. Sayang naman kung tutusok ka ulit for the second time kung kaya mo naman makuha yon sa una pa lang. Mas mahirap at mas masakit sa patient ang paulit ulit na tusok. Pwede magsearch, even the registered medtechs do that. Just be gentle.

Sixth, internship is the opportunity to learn more. Ask questions, observe how medtechs do their work. Minsan, hindi talaga maiiwasan magkamali. Remember that this is a learning process and youll learn from your mistake. Sabi nga sa amin ng staff namin, ngayon, pwede pa kayo magkamali (pero minor lang) kasi syempre, bago pa lang sa inyo ang lahat. Kasi if you finished your internship and you obtained your license, bawal nang magkamali kasi you’re a professional already. And you have your license at stake. 

Lastly, enjoy the experience! Hindi puro hirap ang internship. Anjan yung bagong friends, cool na staff, night duties na puro kainan at kwentuhan, etc. Sa internship, you’ll learn and enjoy at the same time.

I hope these tips can help you! Good luck on your internship! :)  

Tuloy Pa Rin

Tuloy pa rin ang awit ng buhay ko

Nagbago man ang hugis ng puso mo

Handa na ‘kong hamunin ang aking mundo

Science has a tendency to surprise you with its latest discoveries. Once again, this branch of study has found out that introverts may be more likely to achieve more and find success than extroverts. Success is craved by all, however most people are under the misconception that extroverts reaps the benefits of being successful due to their highly social nature. Science begs to differ and here are the top three reasons why:

Why These Millennials Live in a Retirement Home

For Emil Bostrom and Jonatan Shaya, living independently in Helsinki has not been an easy accomplishment. Emil, aged 24 and a kindergarten teacher, struggled to find housing because of the high cost of rent and scarce availability. “Basically, I was homeless; not on the street, but homeless,” said Emil. According to The Global Property Guide, Helsinki is the 16th most expensive city in the world to rent an apartment - even more expensive than New York. Emil and Jonatan, who is aged 19 and a pastry chef student, were both among 300 applicants that applied for a new housing program called “A Home That Fits,” which provides cheap housing for young people under 25 years old in a senior’s home for a year. Each young resident must spend at least three to five hours in the company of the elders each week, socializing and conversing. It is not the first program of its kind. In the Netherlands, a program offers free accommodation to college students in order to encourage social interaction with elders. With so many cities across the globe facing an increase in demand, the project may be replicated further. So far for Helsinki’s program, the project has been off to a successful start, and Emil and Jonatan are thoroughly enjoying their new homes and new neighbors.

Click here to hear their stories.