In my previous rotations, I haven’t really given CTS-Pedia that much thought despite it being the lowest rated OT affiliation center for the academic year 2009-2010. Some say it is the most toxic rotation while some said Ward 7 is. I, on the other hand, both enjoyed Ward 7 and found it really, really toxic. As for CTS-Pedia, I’ve heard many AY 2008-2009 OT interns say it was actually a petiks rotation while some from the same batch said they hated it. When it’s finally my turn to spend six weeks there, I can still say as objectively as I can that PGH (Ward 7 and Ward 5) is more toxic (with “toxic” defined by the amount of task demands and work, not necessarily patient, load). But I now understand why it’s the lowest of all six OT affiliation centers.

Let me start with the fact that there are five different clinical supervisors that change everyday. One for each day from Monday to Wednesday, one for Thursday morning and one for Thursday afternoon. Sure, it equips an intern with the readiness to face diversities but it can get really confusing with each CS having their different standards, expectations, report must-haves and must-not-haves, etc. Still, personally, I believe this system is more an up than a down because as I have said, it exposes an intern to a variety of knowledge, therapeutic styles and manners of observation. It also makes an intern do their best for most of the week and look forward to Thursday afternoons. Since I am writing this paper not just as a partial requirement to my Wednesday CS and my direct one but as an official blog and internship journal entry, I am going beyond the prescribed length of one page and discuss CTS-Pedia through the eyes of Intern COT, given all the requirements and preparations I have to make for the last week of the fifth rotation.

Monday is my class day. Today I facilitate the Social Skills Training class, the most masaya and least toxic one an OT could handle, with BOT. With BOT’s organization and excruciating attention to detail and my natural talent with handling psychosocial cases, classes run more smoothly than the mats in the SI room – though there ARE a couple of times when I left BOT to handle the class by herself due to unexpected circumstances. The CS for Monday is the newest of the roster and one of the three supervisors who made me rewrite my running notes due to my beautiful handwriting.

Many interns regardless of discipline hate Tuesdays due to its arsenal of problem patients with perfect attendance and an OT CS to back them up. This clinical supervisor is a young legend, both in accomplishments and in toxicity. He’s really good a clinician which is also why he expects a lot from his interns, which is a good thing because it entices one to read up more and stock up on clinical knowledge and bad, because it’s darned toxic. Be prepared for his “what’s your source” comments everytime you make a factual claim. I think the CS(s) is/are enough to explain how this day goes. I feel very lucky to have two vacant slots for this day.

I love Wednesdays because 1) it’s my IE day and I’ve already completed all my IEs hence I’m already quite free for most of the day; 2) I get to handle the cutest patient of all CTS-Pedia with APT; 3) my direct CS is the right one for my skills and therapeutic style the same way the Tuesday CS and BOT click as both of them seem to have “, OC” next to their names. He checks reports fast, gives minimal supervision and is quite funny. And the don’t-expect-too-much-from-yourself-so-you-won’t-end-up-depressed lecture he gave DOT last week really made me say, “wow, CS ko talaga ‘to.”

Everyone is supposed to love Thursdays but I can still remember having to rewrite ALL my six running notes for this day for two weeks, again, due to my handwriting. I find the Thursday morning CS very intimidating, especially when observing my treatment sessions but she’s actually nice and frequently asks us interns regarding our concerns. The Thursday afternoon CS, on the other hand is the very reason everybody loves Thursdays. He maintains that calm, carefree and nicotine-filled air of superiority and he may well have had hidden cameras installed all around the clinic eons ago to observe his interns because he doesn’t. At least not directly and intrusively. Still, I can’t forget how he made me rewrite all my Thursday PM RNs saying, “humanap ka ng makakabasa niyan.”

As for concerns, aside from having to rewrite my RNs, I really hate how I still haven’t found the files of at least three of my patients. I just don’t want to take the blame come clearance day. That would really be injustice. The same way I got two make up days because being stranded in my province doesn’t qualify as an excused absence. I think CTS-Pedia really ought to change this policy. I know there are already airports in almost every corner of the country but what about us less privileged interns who do not have the luxury of time and money to afford a plane ticket and just make do with an eight-hour trip by land and sea. To further prove my point, this form of discrimination is one that befits CAMP, a college filled with rich brats who patronize pseudo-nationalistic bluebloods who mistake charity work for empathizing with the masses and whose orbicularis oris muscles constantly interact with the gluteals of the administration. Please excuse my language (for my CSs) and the use of medical terms (for laypersons). Even as an intern, my right and ability to think aloud stands unabashed.

To cap everything up, the clinic in general is disorganized, and the toys randomly arranged. Oh, and the mats are so dirty that the plantar surface of my white socks turned black five minutes after walking on them.

I consider myself lucky for being both COT (one class when others have two, cool direct CS, more psych than phys dys patients, etc.) and a patient repellant since CHDP (my first rotation) for I get to integrate the knowledge underneath the grime of CTS-Pedia without having to face burnout and heaven forbid, re-rotation. Despite everything I’ve just written, there is actually a lot of learning in CTS-Pedia. I believe it’s just right to rate it low as a rotation center but to curse and fully denounce it for being so unreasonably toxic would be unfair. 

Yes, people, I’m going to CTS tomorrow so I’ll make this post quick.

Just last year, 2 weeks ago to be more specific, I had been really looking forward to spending the Holiday break in Marinduque, especially since I had been in Manila for 7 months, a personal first since I entered college (my lifetime record being the first 8 months of my life spent in our former place in QC). But since I got there, I had been my father’s favorite child – to scold, that is. Or so it seems. Be it as petty as my sleep cycle and laptop schedule or something as big as thinking I was talking back to him when I was actually making a deal with my little sister to improve her grades and emerge the greatest in her class that she is really meant to be, I was the man…who couldn’t do anything right. And this made my stay in my home province, albeit fun, relaxing and alcohol-laced, quite a two-week Avernus with Abaddon driving my fun level down by striking me with his Frostmourne of sermons. It’s a lot different hearing him and my mother and my grandparents tell me off now considering how much I believe I’ve improved in terms of behavior since my PCPI rotation (I think I have the whole internship with the special mention of Ma’am Jojo, my CS in PCPI, to thank for that) whereas before, I was admittedly and effortlessly a problem child who had accepted his fate as the pampasira in his well-respected family. Still, I did my best to tolerate his outbursts despite them being unfair at times. Maybe he’s just very stressed and exhausted to the brink.

I was thinking of the last sentence when I suggested that it MIGHT be okay for me to not go to the clinic on Monday (that’s today), so he won’t feel stressed and lash out on me again about wanting to leave Marinduque in such a hurry. Well I do hate Marinduque for its frequent brownouts and Murallon for its no-show barangay chairman who failed to give my sister Ysa the barangay clearance she needs for her duty in Villamor airbase but I had to go because absences, unlike last year, now come with make up days. Still, I decided to tell him I wouldn’t mind having ONE make up day as long as he won’t get stressed with me leaving despite the gamut of passengers scurrying to leave for Manila. I wanted to please him for once.

I thought everything was going well. I stopped worrying about my absence and just looked at the bright side thinking I get to have an extra day of rest. Then late this afternoon, I received a text from a PT friend saying he overheard my CS saying that my absence is unexcused because “being stranded” doesn’t qualify as excused in the manual. To this PT friend, I thank you for telling me sooner so I get to feel bad now and write this angry blog  than feel bad tomorrow and vent my feelings to you my co-interns, my CS, or worse, my patients.

I don’t know if I should blame my father, the CS, CTS-Pedia, or myself but THIS IS SO UNFAIR. Yes, they’re just two make up days but they’re two days of extra work I don’t rightfully deserve. Since a co-intern effectively destroyed my chances of becoming Best OT Intern of 2010 by absenting himself without sending me a portion of our group report back in PCPI, my motivation almost instantly became that of doing my duties well and giving my patients and their caregivers satisfaction through acts of competence and professionalism. People have been surprised at how I fare this year saying this doesn’t seem like the real me and I tell them, I’m quite surprised myself and it really doesn’t feel like me but I endure because I actually love what I’m doing because for once, I feel competent and at par with my most grade conscious blockmates unlike a year ago when I struggle and eat handouts whole to get a 3.0. Grades don’t matter to me anymore but guess what, professional behavior and free time do and having an unexcused absent is unprofessional as well as time-consuming.

Why do I even have to choose between being a good son and a good intern? I guess that’s why I found it easier to be evil before.

With this, I end this post hoping all the negative feelings disappear once I go to sleep and may my mood be as sunny as the yellow collared shirt I’m about to wear tomorrow. Long day ahead and 31 more clinic days to go! 

Belated happy birthday Nickel (Dec. 20), Raicky (Dec. 21), and Mariz (Dec. 23). Happy birthday Gregs and advanced happy birthday to Kia, Jestoni, Irish & Ejah (Dec. 25), and Mommy (Dec. 26). 

DISCLAIMER: The conversations herewith happened during a drinking session, ergo the participants do not necessarily hold grudges of some sort on one another. However, the correctness and witticism behind the argument thrown by one of the persons involved prompted the author to have it posted in his blog. It should also be noted that the participants of the said booze sessions crack the foulest college jokes even when sober. Again however, there is a certain truth behind their so-called banats.

I was at my cousin Nickel’s birthday party-slash-inuman session in his house yesterday. This was actually where I’ve had beer, vodka and Amoxicillin killing my liver cells in one sitting. Throughout the party, everyone couldn’t help but notice Nickel’s black shirt containing names of the most prestigious Catholic schools in the Philippines (Nickel has attended both Adamson and Don Bosco), along with the fact that Ateneo’s first on the list (*cough*Celine Larracas*cough*)

Me (jokingly): Bakit walang UP dyan ah?

Nickel: Ay di naman Catholic school ang UP, mga Satanista ang tao dun.

Someone 1: Ay bakit wala yung FEU dyan? Di pala Catholic school ‘yun?

Someone 2: Ay pa’y Kapitalista naman yun, di man Catholic. Fastest Earning University!

It was when this guy asked me this question that spawned the short-lived battle of the courses between UP’s OT and two of the Fastest Earning University’s nursing students. Since he’s taking HRM in a college in Lucena City, for the sake of this certain conversation let us call him HRM. Let us also hide their names in their courses/discipline.

HRM: Bui, ano nganing course mo?

OT (me!): Secret. Baka di mo rin alam pag sinabi ko.

Nursing 1: OT ang course n’yan…OTstik!

ALL: WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

OT: Grabe ka naman. Palibhasa ay laos na ‘yung course mo ay.

ALL: Aaaaaah. Laos daw o.

OT: Ay mandin naman at nadami na ang nurses sa mundo.

Nursing 1: Ngani ay, Nursing 2 o, anong masasabi mo?

Nursing 2: Bakit, sinong mas malaki ang kita?

OT: Ay OT mandin. Dito at sa abroad. Magkano baga ang nakita ng nurse sa ibang bansa?

Nursing 2: …

Occupational Therapy wins. Parang nung Lantern Parade lang ah. Right, CAMPers? Hehe. As always, everyone is free to comment. Ang pikon ay laging talo. Happy Christmas!

Your Sins are Revealed, Your Fate is Sealed

Your sin has been measured. You have committed many sins, but Lust is the mortal sin that has done you in. Just below, discover your full sinful breakdown and learn what it is about you that codemns you to hell.