Exam Tips utk adik-adik..

Specially dedicated to the Wans.. [Wan farah, wan sitah, wan mai, wan ema, wan didi] =D

Salam wbt adik-adik..
Exam masing-masing nampaknya makin mendekat. Lub dubb lub dubb [berdebar2] Ha,, dalam sibuk2 kita mengulangkaji dan menghafal pelajaran2, jangan kita terus lupa tanggungjawab kita dalam mentarbiyah diri kita ye~

Adik-adik nak tahu tak, betapa besarnya hikmah exams di sebalik ke-stress-an(mungkin) yg nampak pada zahirnya. Utk yang medic, mungkin dah tak larat nak menghafal setiap muscle yang ada dekat setiap lower limb tu. Gracilis la, sartorius la, compartment syndrome la… Untuk yg physics, mungkin dah tak larat dah nak solve equation maths/physics yg banyak2 tu.. (tapi bole nye insyaAllah , kite yakin dgn korg! )

Tapi kan, betapa hebatnya kasih sayang Allah pada hamba-Nya, di setiap saat dia takkan lupa pada kita. Dan dengan itu, turun lah ujian. Dan kali ini, nampaknya ujian yang Allah turunkan adalah dalam bentuk exams. Tapi, ketahuilah, pertolongan Allah itu sangat dekat. Dan ayat-ayat cinta kita iaitu Al-Quran pun ada menyebut....”Ingatlah, sesungguhnya pertolongan Allah itu dekat..” 2:214

Dengan syarat, kita betul-betul berusaha, kita betul-betul berdoa padaNya, dan kita betul-betul berserah/tawakal padaNya.

Seharusnya, makin dekat dengan exams, makin kita rapat dengan Allah, kerana pada Dia saja kita meminta untuk dipermudahkan urusan study kita. Kerana kita tahu bahawa segala ilmu di dunia ini milik Allah lah semata-mata, dan jika Dia tidak izinkan kita mendapatkannya, maka kita tak mungkin akan dapat ilmu itu.. Banyakkan berdoa, bersolat hajat dan solat malam dan banyaklah merintih pada Allah dengan air mata, agar diperkenankan doa kita..

Dan Tuhanmu berfirman, “Berdoalah kepadaKu, niscaya akan Aku perkenankan bagimu..”40:60

Ha, Allah dah suruh kita minta padanya tu, dan dah janji Dia akan perkenankan. Subhanallah, Baik nya Tuhan kita~
Jadi, mintalah agar Allah mempermudahkan segalanya, agar diberkati ilmu yang Dia kurniakan pada kita, agar Dia menjadikan kita pelajar2 muslim yang cemerlang supaya satu hari nanti kita dapat membina ummah ini dengan kejayaan cemerlang kita.. Nasib ummah kita ada di tangan kita~

Belajar lah kerana Allah, belajarlah sampai dah tak larat nak belajar lagi dah, belajarlah sampai mata kita terkeluar dari soketnya (hyperbola sikit), dan mintalah agar usaha kita yang sungguh-sungguh itu akan Allah hadiahkan dengan hadiah yang paling indah sekali, iaitu Jannatul Firdausi. Sesungguhnya itulah dia kejayaan yang paling tinggi sekali..bukannya pengiktirafan dari manusia ataupun sesiapa sahaja..

Belajarlah kerana mengejar syurga-Nya, belajar lah kerana mengejar RedhaNya, and insyaAllah you will succeed..

Di bawah ni ada tips2 exam from a sister, semoga bermanfaat!

Dlm kesibukan antum membuat persediaan utk peperiksaan yg mendtg, ana ingin memberi sedikit tips utk antum…- Islamic version

1. Doa2 penting utk dibaca : Rabbi zidni ‘ilma, warazukni fahma (Ya tuhanku, tambahkan padaku ilmu, dan rezekikan ku/berikan ku kefahaman) - then kena yakin la bhw Allah akan memakbulkan permintaan antum ni.

2. Tambahan doa : Ya Allah ajarkan ku apa2 yg aku tidak tahu, dan ingatkan apa2 yg aku lupa

3. Very very important to also realize bhw setiap ilmu yg dtg kpd antum adalah dr Allah swt dan dgn izin Nya semata2, tidak lain dan tidak bukan… ie rasa kehambaan di sisi Allah swt. Maka also very important to be thankful to Him for every single ilm/ideas etc that comes your way because that is indeed a nikmah from Allah swt… and insha Allah if you do that, then be sure that He will increase it even more… Remember the ayah number 7 from Surah Ibrahim : “Sesungguhnya jika kamu bersyukur, niscaya Aku akan menambah kpdmu, tetapi jika kamu mengingkari, maka pasti azabKu sgt berat”.

4. Make sure antum juga buat t/table on what to cover n to finish by when, n try to be disciplined in attaining that. Pastu bila dah capai target tu, treat yourself to s/thing nice, like reading/replying emails for 1/2 hr ke (kena make sure u restrict yourself to a certain time limit of enjoyment juga!! taknak terbawa2 pulak ke berjam2) or alternatively treating yourself to a bowl of ice-cream… yum2…

5. Setelah ber doa, doa dan doa, usaha, usaha dan usaha (bagai nak rak) maka jgn lupa bertawakal, bertawakal dan bertawakal.. . After working so hard, tapi o/come tidak seperti yg diharapkan then yakinlah bhw semua tu adalah atas kehendakNya dan semestinya ada hikmah disebalik itu. Remember the hadith… “How amazing is the affair of the Muslim! His affairs are all good. If he experiences ease, he is grateful, and that is good for him. If he experiences hardship, he faces it with patience and perseverance, and that is also good for him” (Bukhari)

Salam ulangkaji utk adik2 semua..

IMAM Sympo 09-Sharing

Bismilahirrahmanirr ahim,

Assalamualaikum wbt...

IMAM SYMPOSIUM 2009- Report and Sharing

Date: 20th-22nd March 2009

Venue: Hebden Hey Scout Centre, West Yorkshire

It is not every day that Malaysian Medical students, coming from all over UK and Ireland can get together in one big occasion. And when the opportunity came last weekend, in IMAM Symposium 2009, it was a great and memorable moment for many of us.

It was a weekend full of excitement, of new discoveries, and of wonderful ukhuwah. =)

This year, IMAM Symposium ‘09 offered a different experience for the participants, as we were all gathered in a camp-style symposium, surrounded by the beauty of nature and the relaxing scenery of Hebden Hey Scout Centre, West Yorkshire. With the soothing sound of river flowing, and with the company of our sisters/brothers in Islam, we would not want to be anywhere else but here this weekend!

With the theme "Things That They Don't Teach In Medical School", 80 participants (including medical students, doctors and even some non-medic students) explored many things that we know we could never find anywhere else, not in any textbook, not in any medical schools.

Although it would be almost impossible to jot down every single thing that we have gained in these few days, but hopefully we will be able to share some highlights of the events in this report.

Saturday (21 March 2009)

Tai Chi With the Master (Shamshir)

The morning kick-started with an exercise by the TaiChi Master, Shamshir, with the 'ball of energy'. Definitely a great start for the morning, to stretch our legs and to relax our body.

Jungle Tracking

It was a beautiful morning with the sun rising in the horizon, and jungle tracking was the perfect way to enjoy the morning. We passed along streams, jumped from one rock to another to reach to the other side of the stream, and stopped every few minutes to answer questions from 6 checkpoints.

Checkpoints included :

-Quiz on arterial blood supply ( take home message: yes, we need to brush up on our anatomical knowledge!),

-Consent and confidentiality station (Discussion on scenarios for example: Would you or would you not break the news to the wife of a HIV patient that her husband is HIV positive?),

-Simulation of a GP visit scenario (E.g. Patient presents with pain in right leg when walking, please take history from her, and what do you think the diagnosis is?),

-Pathological Word Game (say the disease is hepatitiS, the next person will try to think of a disease which starts with the letter S),

-Peripheral Pulse checkpoint,

-Guess a disease based on its symptom and descriptions.

It was a good walk, a good exercise for the body as well as for the brain cells. =)

Talk on Wound Management and Basic Surgical Techniques- By Dr Alhady Alfian

A talk that introduced the importance of wound management, the different types of wounds, and also suturing technique.

Suturing Practicals: Who Is The Best Surgeon?

And then, it’s time to practice our own skill in suturing. So, who is the best surgeon?

Islam and Medicine: 2 Different Worlds?

A few real-life case scenarios were presented by Dr Alhady Alfian (Specialist Registrar Emergency and Intensive Care Medicine) , and we were made to think of the diagnosis, and management of these patients.

The issue of death and its definition, be it in the medical term or Islamically were discussed, as well as other issues such as organ donation, euthanasia and others. “What happens to the body of the deceased if he dies in this country? Is he allowed to donate his organ after his death? But who really ‘owns’ the body?” Alhamdulillah, many of our questions were answered in this session.

It is interesting to note that the western definition of Mental Health consists of “Bio-Psycho-Social”,but in Islam, we extend it a bit further to “Bio-Psycho-Social- Heart-Divine”.

Undoubtedly, to be an excellent doctor, years of medical training are required for us to progress to the next level. From a Foundation Year doctor, to a ‘HO’ to ‘SHO’ to a Consultant (in the UK). No one would want to remain stagnant without moving forward. And yes, the same applies to our Islamic knowledge and tarbiyah. To be an excellent Muslim, we need to increase our Islamic tarbiyah as we progress in time. And that is through various ways such as to be involved in usrah, quranic reading, hadith , teaching others what we know, doing dakwah, and so much more.

PBL Fiqh Ibadah Pesakit

Another enlightening talk by another great speaker, Ustaz Erfino Johari on Fiqh Awlawiyat based on the writings of Yusuf Al-Qardhawi. We then discussed a few case scenarios that we may encounter in our daily lives as medical students/ medical practitioners.

“What should be the stand of a Muslim girl wearing a hijab, to the infection control policy of wearing half sleeves in the ward to prevent infection? How would a patient with urinary incontinence, do his ablution and prayer? Can we donate our body to be dissected by medical students after we died?”

Alhamdulillah, Ustaz Erfino guided us to answer many of these questions. It was a very interesting and useful discussion as we medical students and practitioners will inevitably face these kinds of situations in our career.

A Doctor’s Diary: Medical Profession as an Ibadah by Prof. Amaluddin Ahmad

“How would you, as a medical practitioner, turn your everyday profession as a doctor into a form of ibadah? Are doctors and daie’s, two different entities or are they the same?” This talk opened up our eyes to the reality of the huge responsibilities that we bear, not only to the patients that we treat, but also to the community as a whole. We are very grateful that Prof Amaluddin Ahmad, coming all the way from Malaysia would share his insights on this topic.

Believe it or not, doctors have so much ‘power’ in our hands. We have high access to the humanity; people put such high trust on us, and therefore this should be utilized fully to reach the ultimate objective of dakwah. Through this understanding, IMAM emerged to pave the way for Muslim medical community to work as one, reaching for the same aim and to build networking. It has so far been an influential tool to spread dakwah to the community, be it dakwah through character, words or good deeds.

Many were inspired as Prof Amal continued to explain to us about the An-Nur Medical City Project by IMAM doctors/MIG. Some of us could not believe that we Malay Muslims are able to think or dream of such enormous project that could benefit the humanity. We admire the visions that our doctors uphold and their strong determination to see Muslims rise again to lead the world. And let us find home and a sense of belonging in this wonderful project, as we are the next generation who will inherit it and make it a reality!

And as Prof Amal rightly said, with a clear vision in our minds, nothing will ever be impossible; and if Allah wants it to happen, it will succeed no matter what. Allah works in magical ways, and as believers, we should strive our very best, and make a lot of doa as it is definitely the key of success.

The ummah is waiting for us to bring Islam back to where it truly belongs. So, let us be leaders with high aspiration, who produce high-quality work. Let’s organize ourselves and work collectively to reach the same vision. Don’t be afraid to dream, make careful plans and strategies, strive for knowledge, tarbiyah & training, and materialise them through our practice (amalan).

“You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah..” 3:110

“The ummah is like 100 camels,you can only find one which can withstand a very long journey and succeed.”

So let us be the one!

And our aim is not just to build yet another hospital, or another university; but we strive to uphold the religion and the ummah, and work to build our Islamic civilization once again, insyaAllah.

Career Chit-Chat

We were divided into groups and doctors shared their

experiences to a smaller-scale audience. It was an interactive session, as students asked their respective doctor on the career pathway and general tips in preparation for the coming challenging years as a doctor.

Sunday, 22^nd March 2009

Activity: Extreme medicine

In this activity, participants were divided into 4 stations, each with an extreme medical case.

Station 1

Situation: a person was found unconscious in a cold lake

Objective: Discuss about hypothermia and how to handle a hypothermic patient in extreme conditions

Participants were asked to dip their hands in the cold river (at the campsite) for 30 seconds just to have a feel of what it’s like to be in cold water for sometime. Most of the participants knew straight away that the station was about hypothermia. The facilitators then guided the participants in understanding hypothermia and what to do if we come across a hypothermic person which in this case, is found unconscious in a cold lake.

The activity became more of a discussion since the facilitators were asking questions instead of giving information.

Station 2

Situation: a person in the team is injured and needs to be carried to the nearest medical facility

Objective: Learn how to make a stretcher using general camping equipments

Participants were given a blanket and two wooden logs and were taught on how to make an emergency stretcher from them. Alternatively, two jackets were used instead of a blanket.

It was interesting to watch how creative people can be when given limited resources to make something.

Station 3

Situation: a person in the team has an injury of the hand

Objective: Learn how to make an arm sling (for arm injuries) and an elevation sling (for forearm or collarbone injuries)

Participants were given a triangular cloth/scarf and were taught on how to make an arm sling from it.

Most of the participants acknowledged that this was a useful knowledge to learn especially during sports events where we usually participate as first aiders.

Station 4

Situation: a lot of people are injured in a tragedy and you need to prioritize patients based on the severity of their condition

Objective: Learn how to perform a triage in disasters involving a lot of casualties

Participants were asked to perform a triage by separating the injured into four categories:

• The deceased
• The injured that can be helped with immediate attention
• The injured whose attention can be delayed
• Those with minor injuries, who needs less attention

It was fun watching how confused the participants were in prioritizing which patients should be treated first. However, they find the knowledge useful since in extreme cases, the resources are limited and timing is essential.

All in all, everyone enjoyed the activity very much since it was done outdoors in which it was easier to have a feel of the so called ‘extreme situations’. Participants gave 100% commitment and were actively participating in the discussions and hands on stuffs.

A closing note

Alhamdulillah, with His blessings, we were able to organize IMAM Symposium 2009 this year. Our special thank you goes to our enthusiastic and devoted speakers, Prof Amal, Dr Alhady and Ustaz Erfino who had spent their precious time to be with us and to share with us their experiences and knowledge. Only Allah will be able to reward you; and may He grant you the highest of Jannah, insyaAllah. We’d also like to thank our advisors including Prof Abd Latiff, Dr Iqbal and Dr Azlisham and also other doctors who have helped us for the never-ending support for this event.

Also to all participants who have joined us in this programme, thank you. We hope that each of us has brought back home beautiful memories, new knowledge and pleasant experiences that will equip ourselves with the necessary values to become outstanding Muslims. Also thank you to all committee members who have made this programme a reality,jzkk.

And lastly, let this not be an end but let it mark a beginning to our contribution to Islam and the world. Remember to always keep the spirit alive and be sincere & steadfast in this journey to uphold Islam in the eyes of the world again. Think of ways to maximize our potential in ways that will benefit the ummah.

Let us become excellent Muslim doctors who will be the leaders of the world, insyaAllah.

And don’t forget to join IMAM activities near you! ;)

May Allah bless you, salam wbt.

Prepared by,

Mai Shahira Meor Hazizi / Atikah Latiff
Secretaries
IMAM SYMPOSIUM 2009

'Student Doctor'

Being a doctor is not about making big money; it is about touching people's hearts with the kindness, the rahmah and Mercy of one human to another.

Alhamdulillah, I've been in my first ever block in the clinical phase of phase 2. Yeay! I'm a 'student doctor' now, as some may put it. Placed in Kettering, which is about 30 minutes away from Leicester, and we (my clinical partner, Lily and I) had to stay there over the weekdays and only come back in the weekends.

First impression of Kettering
Day 1: there are soooo many friendly faces, everyone was so helpful, and wanted to help these girls (us) who looked so lost and innocent (perasan) in the hospital. We were not sure of where to go and head to, as our consultants were away for a skiing trip. Hehe.

Fortunately we had a mentor, Dr K (a FY1* dr, who is probably only 2,3 years older than us), whom I thought was a female when I saw 'her' name on the list of mentors. And I managed to embarass myself by phoning him up and saying "Hello can I speak to Miss K, pls?" ;p But he was allright with it, although he did brought that up later just to laugh at us!

We followed him in that first morning, and he taught a lot of stuff, and quizzed us on some medical facts as well. We examined some patients, interviewed one with acromegaly (big hands!), one with Alzheimer (he couldn't remember any dates, things, where he was), one with suspected multiple sclerosis ( with a deviated tounge due to neural problem) and one lady who had a lung lobe removed 40 years ago and is now suspected with breast lump. Dr K actually asked us to do breast examination on her, but since we were never taught that before, declined his offer. And he even asked us to take some blood, in which we refused as well, as we had never had any teaching/practice before!

And there was a patient who did not seem very fit, mentally. She was going on and on about some random stuff and practically making no sense at all. But there was one doctor, whom I really respect, who actually listened to her rants and ramblings and nodded as if he really understood everything that she was saying. Definitely very good communication skills there. To just listen to the patients and making sure the patient really trust you as a doctor.

-to be continued-

*freshly graduate doctor

A comeback

Eh-hm
Seems that I have not been writing for quite a long time (naughty naughty!)
But it seems that there still are people coming to this blog of mine (which I guiltily left un-updated for some time).
Silent readers maybe? hehe (perasan je)

Alhamdulillah. Firstly some updates on life.

Went through the phase 1 exams- yes, it is THE dreaded exam feared by all Leicesterians doing Medicine, and in preparation for the exams, I think my friends and I had to go through quite a lot. The thumping of the heart weeks prior to exams (thinking: Oh no, there are loaads more to be covered!), the late nights and staying up, and waking up one day and questioning myself: do I have the will to go on? There are so much to be read and to be memorized and to be practised! It was really a struggle.

Oh no, maybe I am a bit exaggerating here. Alhamdulillah with every hardship there is a blessing in disguise. There is Allah to turn to. There are sisters who whispers words of encouragement, of motivation and of strength to keep me moving on. I'm so blessed with everything that Allah has given me!! Alhamdulillah..

I wish I can thank all those who had helped us study and prepare for the exams, and those who shower us with their prayers and thought of us in their solahs, and even those who prepared us food (as we lived a very chaotic life before the exams-didn't even have time to cook proper food). I wish I can thank all of you enough. But only Allah will be able to repay all of your kindness enormously. I pray that with your kindness,Allah will grant you His most beautiful and enchanting Jannah, insyaAllah.

Alhamdulillah again, with Allah's help I have passed the exams. The news came when we were having our holidays in Czech (we flew there right after the exams finished!), and it was a big sigh of relief for me. It is only Allah who helped me through it, I know, and it is definitely not my own doings. In fact, I was actually expecting the worst.

O Allah, help me increase my faith in You after all that you have given me, and help me become a believer who is always grateful!

27:19 "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me, and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among your righteous slaves."

This is a prayer of Sulaiman, the prophet, who had the ability to understand the words of the ants, a powerful nikmat bestowed by Allah to Him. In the ayat previous to this one (27:18), he overheard the conversation of the ants who were afraid they would be crushed by the human. Cute kan?

Right after the holidays of Czech (more of the stories will come soon insyaAllah), and after some discussion with my dearest sisters, I decided to go home to Malaysia as we were granted a whole month of holidays, Alhamdulillah.

And a day after I booked my ticket, I flew home, however for just 2 weeks. Home is where the heart is, so of course I was overjoyed being home with my parents and siblings (plus a new addition to the family,,,hehe, insyaAllah).

OK, perhaps I will be starting to write again, since I have a week and a half of holidays still. Take care to all..salam wbt.. =)

New blog with my sisters

Salam,
Do visit a blog by myself and my adik2 in Leicester

http://heartsandhugs.wordpress.com/

insyaAllah will be updated frequently..

7 Habits

It was definitely a long time ago since my last post, but insyaAllah will try to write more. Silence is not an option now, eh? And silence is not golden, anymore either. Too many things to be shared;wouldn't want to keep them all to myself =) .

Ever heard of the 7 habits of effective people by Stephen Covey? Of course you have, I am sure. For this entry, let me share some of what I have read in this book, and some of my own reflection so that we can together try to apply some excellent insights from this book in our daily life, allright? Ready? Set, Go!

The Power of Paradigm

What is a paradigm, do you think? Is it a way you see things? A new way of thinking? In an easier analogy it is like a map (or even a tom-tom!) ; you just have to have it if you don't want to get lost; or if you'd want to reach your destination without going round in circles .

Last weekend, my friends and I planned to attend this one talk held in a place called Alum Rock in Birmingham. We had the car, great. We had the car keys, even better. I am proud to say that we even had the right attitude and positive outlook that no matter what happen, we're sure we're going to reach the place on time. Unfortunately though, we didn't have a map!! Or a tom-tom! Or any means that we could find any directions to go to the destination.

In the end, we kept going round and round in circles, back to the same signboard, when finally one of us fortunately, decided to call a local friend who apparently know the place well. And Alhamdulillah we finally made it! Although a 17 minutes ride took more than 1 hour, in the end!

Just imagine how easy and time-saving it would be if we were to have the map, the right and accurate one. And now, with the right map, the right behaviour and attitude was definitely important and adds to a better quality of the ride. But if we did not have a map to start with, OR a wrong map either, even having the right behaviour and attitude only will not get us to the right place.

So, lesson no 1:Always bring a map to your destination!
Have the accurate map!

That is just how it is with life. In life, there is no way we can find the true light and the right path to our destination, if we don't have something to hold on to, our very own map. A map is our value, an intrinsic thing that we appreciate and grasp with all our might. It comes from inside of us, and it will shine out in our daily practices.

So what is our map? It is our core, our PRINCIPLE. It is our akidah, that we hold on to and follow because we know, that strong believe and Iman in Allah will show us the way to the right path. We are guided by the Quran, which has sets out the guidelines, the Furqan, it sets out the right from the wrong. It comes from God, our Creator, who knows what is the best for us, and what is not.

So, have strong belief in Him, in the Quran, it is not merely 'percaya' but more than that, it is the 'keimanan yg mendasar dlm hati'.
We are all moving towards that one direction, towards the same direction, whether we are realizing it or not. We are moving towards Him, towards God, and to Him shall we return one day. It is only up to us, to choose our path. Let's pray to Him that we shall not be left astray in this worldly life.. ameen..

Post-exams

Alas, the long-awaited battle is (almost) finished.
My big exams are (almost) over.
I am (almost) free.

Well, I would be free like everyone else if I were not sitting for the SSM Physiological Measurement this Friday. But it's allright. I'm not complaining.

So perhaps this is a good time, to sit back and reflect.
On the 'achievement' of myself when I was faced with the battle. How well have I done for this exam? Did I achieve my goal?
But, is it possible for me to do that, when the results of the exam has not yet been printed?

But, do remember my friends, it is what Allah thinks that matters the most. And Allah do not see the outcome or whether you succeed or not; but it is the effort towards achieving success that Allah sees. Have we done enough for the preparation for the exams? Have we PRAYED enough for the preparation of the exams? Have we put every little single hope and asked with our whole hearts to Allah for the success? Have we put that much trust in Allah, and say that yes, we've tried the best that we could, and now it is all up to him to reward us if He wills. Because in the end, it is He who decide whether we deserve it or not, and it is also up to Him to give it to us or not. Because every single thing that happened to you, to me, is from His plan, His wonderful and meticulous plan, for His servants that He loves so much.

I think that's the concept of tawakal to Allah means to me.
Perhaps anyone else has any other opinion, feel free to drop a line, insyaAllah every little thing that we share in this righteous path towards Him, will be blessed by Him.

Assalamualaykum..