A Cup of Coffee With Dr Beni Isman Rusani

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. 

Whenever someone asks me what I wanna specialise in, I would answer, "I'm not sure as I haven't graduated from medical school yet, but for now, I'm thinking of being a cardiologist." It has always been cardiology ever since I was a kid, even before I knew the existence of the word 'cardiology'. Maybe because it has something to do and is correlated to my late Datuk, who had undergone bypass, passed away because of a heart attack and the one (other than my parents) who always gave me support and motivation to become a doctor. 

To meet and have a nice chit-chat with a cardiologist is like ticking off another bucket list for me, even better with the presence of a cup of coffee, that's for sure. I tweet a lot during the competition organised by Dr Beni and Dr Akmal with the hashtag #Benism on twitter, but unfortunately luck wasn't on my side as I was not chosen even for the top 3 finalists. My best friend told me that it's okay, you'll get a better chance later on. And yes, it did. A better one.

Everything started with an intention of buying a new phone after my sister told me her handphone has already gone insane. I was thinking of giving mine to her and buying a new one, which finally approved by my parents after a few times of "Eleh, alasan je tu" haha. Just right after I talked and dealt with my parents, I saw Dr Beni's tweet, which without any further delay, I decided to send him a direct message, but I could not do so as he doesn't follow me, so I just replied to his tweet and he dm-ed me, asking whether I'm interested for real or not. After a few messages telling him I already paid, where to meet, etcetera, it had finally brought me to the National Heart Institute also known as IJN on last Monday (140316).

Dr Beni offered to treat me and Nisa some drinks, while we were searching for a place to sit and have a look at the phone that I bought from him. Thank the traffic jammed and the fact that he had finished his work, Nisa and I had a chance to spend one hour and a half with Dr Beni calmly, sipping on our hot Caffè Latte in Gloria Jean's Coffee, telling our concerns, with him sharing some useful advices and tips, interesting experiences and also his inspiring journey of becoming a cardiologist. He's not only a cardiologist, but he is also really into reading and writing as well, just like me and to look at him makes me feel more motivated and inspired to become like him in the future, which at the same time scratches off the negative thoughts of I can't(s) from my mind.

In spite of the fact that the memory of the conversation has turned into chunks of words I could hardly recall, I did manage to save some of the keywords and important points that would always be kept in a special room inside my mind with a hope I would always remember them. (Just a reminder, points 1-5 are a combination of his words with my own to make the sentences complete and understandable, from my point of view).

1. Don't ask the right question when you were sad or angry or feeling down dan yang sewaktu dengannya. This is one of my favourites as it's kinda similar to one of the principles in my life; "Don't promise when you're happy, don't decide when you're sad, and don't reply when you're angry." Senang cerita, never make any decisions on temporary feelings.

2. Find a passion to pull you back on the right track when you're being dragged by the feeling of emptiness, stuffiness and like what Dr Beni said, "Tepu". All this while I always thought that being a doctor means you give almost every single time you have for others, but it's not true actually. Doctors are still human beings and to catch yourself back from being drifted away after a long working hours is a must or you might get lost in the labyrinth of darkness. And for him, it's writing. Writing has always been his passion. Just like me. Nisa (click here to read her blog!) sempat lagi promote my blog, haha segan. But, it's okay. Dr Beni won't read it hehe.

3. Stress and failures are normal during study and in this content, as a medical student. Dr Beni shared a story experienced by himself when he was in UKM. He felt really stressed, walking back and forth at the corridor of the sixth floor, thinking of why did he choose Medicine yada yada. But, that's life is all about. There are ups and downs, highs and lows. What you have to do is to remain focused and strive for the best you can.

4. Read the same clinical examination book over and over again won't make you a good doctor. But, meeting real patients and having more hands-on practices would. He asked us about the learning system in IMU, so we told him we already learned how to clerk history and did most of the physical examinations (we did emphasise on the word 'heart' hehe) during our clinical sessions since the first semester yada yada. Other than practising, he also reminded us to read everything about the case of a patient before meeting him/her, so that you'd gain more knowledges, just like what CSU doctors always tell us.

5. According to Dr Beni, presenting a case is like selling a product. He gave 2 examples; pneumonia and TB. You have to discover more about the product (disease) before you sell (present) them. Make sure you ask everything about the product (disease), so that you know everything about what the patient is having and indirectly would make you more confident when presenting the case.

Before the conversation ended, I told him that I was thinking of being a cardiologist, but I always wonder why there are not so many female doctors in this specialisation. First thing first, he asked me "Do you like ECG?" which I answered, "Middle" in return. He mentioned he's also in the middle of I-really-like-ECG and I-really hate-ECG, as obviously that (the ECG) is what he has to look at and interpret every day. The explanation of why most female doctors are not in the cardiology department might be because of the working hours and the fact that only a few hospitals provide posting on cardiology department.

Though we never know what lies in his kind heart and lingers in his wise mind, his charisma and the charm he has, the aura he brings wherever he goes, with his words full of knowledges and thoughts to ponder make everything about him seems perfect and inspiring.

This is a chapter of a dream came true, which starts with a mobile phone.

Nisa's hehe

Where's the photo of me with Dr Beni?


Comments

  1. nice entry kak dylla! suka sangat baca even i'm not a medical student, tetap rasa terinspirasi. hehehehe. mesti best dapat jumpa someone yang pakar dalam bidang yang kita minat. wuhuuuuuu. btw i'm a swiftie too!!! high five!!! hahahaha :D love you kak dylla *hugs*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup besttt! Esp bila dia cerita his experience apa semua. Yeay high five!

      x

      Delete
  2. dyllaaa..! terkjut mira masa tengok insta dylla,tak sangka pulak dylla akhirnya org yg jadi beli hp drbeni tuu,,bertuahnya lahai :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. seronok kan dapat jumpa inspirasi kita. moga kita pun terinspirasi sama macam peribadi dia :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. seronok tngk awk dpt jumpa Dr Beni.kita dulu pernahlah join contest dkt twitter tu.pastu kalau menang dpt jumpa Dr beni.tapi, tak menang.huhuhu.awak selalu ke jumpa Dr Beni?Dr Fatin Liyana tu pernah jumpa tak??

    ReplyDelete

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