These are the guidlines that I want to have before my housejob but no one told me that. As you live in good era, hence these are my guidlines or tips for starting your life professionally.
1. Planning and Goal Setting
Planning is the key to success in any endeavor. Before you start your house job, take some time to set your goals and plan how you will achieve them. Identify areas where you need improvement and create a roadmap to help you succeed. If you plan to go abroad, make a map of all the skills you will need there and work on them in your housejob.
2. Plan Your Skills Development
As it is said, If you can’t plan, you can’t succeed. During your house job, you’ll have all the opportunity to develop a wide range of clinical skills. Identify areas where you feel less confident and start practicing on patients. Remember you have to take a first step by coming out of your comfort zone. Ask a senior to supervise you and you will do the procedure. Housejob is all about, focusing on communication, clinical examination, and procedural skills.
3. Take Courses on Communication
Effective communication is essential in the medical field. Take courses or workshops on communication skills to help you communicate more effectively with patients, their families, and your colleagues. Learn how to convey information clearly and compassionately. Empathy and Breaking bad news is most important for you to know. Remember most of the patient are illiterate of your medical language, hence use their language to guide and counsel, and housejob gives you a lot more practice for this.
4. Learn Anger Management and Patience
Working in a high-pressure environment like a hospital can be stressful, and you may encounter difficult situations or difficult people, especially if your seniors are not supportive. Learn how to manage your anger and practice patience, even in challenging situations. It is all about your nerves. Keep them in control.
5. Use a Diary or Planner
House jobs can be demanding, with numerous tasks and responsibilities to juggle. Use a diary or planner to organize your tasks, appointments, and important information. This will help you stay organized and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Anything told by your senior that you want to get more knowledge, write it on the diary. I do not suggest to take an ipad in government hospitals because of thefts, hence taking a notebook is best.
6. Have Access to Medical Resources
Make sure you have access to reliable medical resources, whether it’s a good internet source or medical reference books. You’ll often need to look up information or confirm details, so having access to reliable resources is essential. There are many books like wardmate, oxford handbook that are handy to carry them around. Though, I used the same Medicine book in housejob that I have used in final year.
7. Build Stamina for Long Hours
House jobs often involve long hours and can be physically demanding. Build your stamina by staying active and taking care of your physical health. Exercise regularly, eat well, and get enough rest to help you cope with the demands of the job. Start walking from now and practice to be on your foot all day, because that what housejob demands from you. It is a leg day with brain day too 😉
8. Invest in Good Shoes
You’ll be spending a lot of time on your feet during your house job, so investing in a good pair of comfortable, supportive shoes is essential. Choose shoes that provide good arch support and cushioning to help prevent foot and back pain. Medicated souls are inn nowadays. Invest in these and don’t let your feet suffer.
9. Brush Up on Basic Clinical Skills
Before starting your house job, take some time to brush up on your basic clinical skills. Watch videos on procedures like taking blood pressure, administering injections, taking IV blood and conducting physical examinations until you feel confident. House job is also about watching form youtube and practicing it on patients under a guidance.
10. Stay Open to Learning in your housejob
Finally, remember that your house job is a learning experience and your study is not ended. Stay open to learning from your experiences, both positive and negative. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, seek feedback, and continually strive to improve.
Starting your house job is an important milestone in your medical career. By keeping these ten things in mind, you’ll be better prepared to navigate this exciting and challenging phase. Good luck dear HOs!
