THESIS UPDATE
As of today I have a total of 184 respondents for my thesis. It's a big jump from the last time I mentioned about my thesis. Still, it involved a lot of hard work and still way, way, WAYYYYY below my expected target of 1000 patients by June 2006.
I am running out of optimism. People who swore they would "help me get the patients" have all practically deserted me. So it's all going to be solo going from now on. I am just wondering why should I include their names in the thesis if it ever gets published?? And the nurse who is assigned to help me, she went AWOL for the past 2 clinics! And she is getting paid RM 1K per month for doing practically nothing! I should take her job. God knows I need the money.
Frankly, trying to get the patients for the thesis is tiring. Not only do I have to see them for their cardiac problems, I have to spend time explaining to them about the thesis and how and why they should contribute to it by answering 5 simple questions. After they have recovered from the mild to severe shock that someone actually care about their sex life, I have then the rather unplesant task of not only trying to get them to answer that darn 5 questions, and get them to put down their John Hancock in the consent form, most times I have to listen to their sex life woes as well. And the story can be loooooooong.... Actually I came to realise that perhaps I don't want to grow old after all, if my wee-wee is going to fail me half way through.
Well, not all the stories were woes. Evidently they are some patients who are so extremely proud of their sex life or rather sexual conquest, it pains the ears to listen to them. Sorry, much of them are either too confidential or extremely X-rated to be written down here. Sigh.
So one patient takes up anything from 15-20 minutes to maybe even 45 minutes. Last week, I spent 45 minutes listening to a guy who boasted he had sex with "chicks" from every single continent that he has been to. Ugh! And at the end of the 18-SX conversation, he asked for a prescription for VIAGRA. Go figure...
Sorry guys, I am just feeling a little bitter and dripping with murderous intent. Ok, now that the woes are off my chest, I can try to be a little more optimistic. There's another cardiac clinic due to start at 2 pm. Perhaps I can hit 200 today? Oh God, let me have 16 patients today!
As of today I have a total of 184 respondents for my thesis. It's a big jump from the last time I mentioned about my thesis. Still, it involved a lot of hard work and still way, way, WAYYYYY below my expected target of 1000 patients by June 2006.
I am running out of optimism. People who swore they would "help me get the patients" have all practically deserted me. So it's all going to be solo going from now on. I am just wondering why should I include their names in the thesis if it ever gets published?? And the nurse who is assigned to help me, she went AWOL for the past 2 clinics! And she is getting paid RM 1K per month for doing practically nothing! I should take her job. God knows I need the money.
Frankly, trying to get the patients for the thesis is tiring. Not only do I have to see them for their cardiac problems, I have to spend time explaining to them about the thesis and how and why they should contribute to it by answering 5 simple questions. After they have recovered from the mild to severe shock that someone actually care about their sex life, I have then the rather unplesant task of not only trying to get them to answer that darn 5 questions, and get them to put down their John Hancock in the consent form, most times I have to listen to their sex life woes as well. And the story can be loooooooong.... Actually I came to realise that perhaps I don't want to grow old after all, if my wee-wee is going to fail me half way through.
Well, not all the stories were woes. Evidently they are some patients who are so extremely proud of their sex life or rather sexual conquest, it pains the ears to listen to them. Sorry, much of them are either too confidential or extremely X-rated to be written down here. Sigh.
So one patient takes up anything from 15-20 minutes to maybe even 45 minutes. Last week, I spent 45 minutes listening to a guy who boasted he had sex with "chicks" from every single continent that he has been to. Ugh! And at the end of the 18-SX conversation, he asked for a prescription for VIAGRA. Go figure...
Sorry guys, I am just feeling a little bitter and dripping with murderous intent. Ok, now that the woes are off my chest, I can try to be a little more optimistic. There's another cardiac clinic due to start at 2 pm. Perhaps I can hit 200 today? Oh God, let me have 16 patients today!
posted by Jimbo @ 2/20/2006 11:45:00 AM
4 Comments:
At 2/20/2006 05:30:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
sorry, can't help you there. no sex life to begin with. no cardiac problems, not that i know of. so, your thesis is on ED or something? hahahahha so funny your post. im practically laughing (LOL). hey, maybe you can start a scrapbook on all your interviews with your subjects :)
btw, i am also commenting at angry doc's blog under anonymous. managed to ruffle angry doc. very good.
At 2/21/2006 09:13:00 AM,
Jimbo said…
Hi Anon, maybe i might just start sharing about all the patients i have met in my 8 years of service now. Thanks for the idea. Don't go ruffle people too much.
At 2/21/2006 11:01:00 PM,
edina monsoon said…
GAWd!! I know the feeling only too well. It's like reading my own thoughts. That's right. It's easier to pull both toes off rather than hit your target number of patients. Remind me once again...what is the aim of this exercise in sheer torture???
At 2/22/2006 09:00:00 AM,
Jimbo said…
Edina: The aim of this mindless exercise is to get it done and get out of the university so that we can do proper clinical work. Frankly, I really don't care how many I get anymore. Just let me finish it! Arrgh!
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