To train at a public or private hospital?
Jan 22, 2008 Education, Life, Medicine
One of our juniors asked which is better for training or internship, private or public hospital? And this question has been in my head also since the start of our post-graduate internship application.
I have been exposed to both private and public hospitals during our clerkship. I am now at the ancillary department so I am already out of hospital duties (yehey!).
To answer the question, I had to ask these things to myself:
1. Do I prefer toxic or benign duties?
Public hospitals cater for the common people so it is expected that you’ll have toxic duties. But in return, you are exposed to more learning: you get to encounter several cases, including the rare ones. On the other hand, private hospitals are expectedly benign, well except maybe for some selected large hospitals.
During our clerkship, I’ve experienced managing patients on my own, even the complicated ones like cerebrovascular accidents, myocardial infarctions, etc. at the public hospital where I trained to. It was a great feeling to know that what you have been doing to your patient was the right management. We do the admitting orders, admitting notes, complete history and PE, discharge summaries, etc. Unlike in different school, our paperworks are attached to the chart, not only for the sake of completion of requirements but as bases for management of the patient. While at a private hospital, we were only allowed to take an “unofficial” history and PE (the ROD makes the official one), insert it to the patient’s chart and then you’ll see several months after that it was used to wrap a bunch of cotton pledgets. Heartbreaking, ain’t it? Especially if you have received extensions because the 24-hour period has lapsed.
2. Do I prefer to know the ideal management?
But of course, who wouldn’t? They say that you get the ideal management at a private hospital because you will have the complete workup for a patient’s case, therefore confirming your diagnosis and ruling out your differentials. Although, I am not talking in general. This case is also possible in big public hospitals, especially in training ones. I’ve heard some feedbacks though that oftentimes, you have to pay for the laboratories if the patient can’t afford.
3. Do I prefer getting skills or enhancing my knowledge?
I answered both. At this stage, I admit I still lack some clinical and basic knowledge. So I want to learn more, but I want to accumulate skills also in preparation for future residency training.
4. Should I consider financial advantage?
I consider this as the least factor to affect my choice. My focus now is learning. Some private hospitals offer allowances and privileges such as free dorm and meal while rarely do you find a public hospital (if there is) which offers similar advantage.
So after answering those things, I have come up with my three choices, all public hospitals:
Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center. I should expect toxic duties they say but you learn from your everyday exposure with different cases. It has no financial advantage or any privileges, though. Similarly, I feel the same thing for Davao Medical Center and Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City.
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Tags: clerkship, health, hospital, Medicine, pgi, post-graduate internships, residency training
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