Lessons from housejob

I’ve finally completed my housejob year. 🥳🥳

When I left Lagos to Ondo last year, it seemed like a journey so far away but as with everything in life, it all comes to an end at some point.

At the start of 2018, I never would have thought that I’d find myself living outside of Lagos for a year. But that’s exactly what happened! And in retrospect, I’m glad that I didn’t accept the offer to move back to LUTH when I got the employment text then. This is not to say I never nursed the idea of staying back, or even wished I could be in Lagos even when it was clear that it wasn’t possible. These feelings became stronger in the last half of the year but there was really nothing I could do about it. All in all, I’m grateful for the experience that was this year.

I had a fun time doing my housemanship in Ondo State. I know for a lot of people, it’s abnormal for fun and housemanship to be in the same sentence. But that’s how it was for me; also, fun is relative. I got the opportunity to work in 2 hospitals over the period of one year, spending 6 months in each place.

The first hospital was in a rural area. The hospital (State Specialist Hospital, Ikare-Akoko) had medical officers and consultants and a number of the things you’d see in a city hospital. This is where I completed the paediatrics and obstetrics/gynaecology postings. The hospital staff felt like family because the hospital wasn’t so big. The indigenes were also nice, although they could be stubborn and have their moments. A lot of doctors wouldn’t want to work in a rural area. I also didn’t want to.

I remember when I got to the hospital the first time, I literally wanted to run out. I couldn’t believe that I was there. For like 10 mins I was freaking out and almost cried. I remember telling some of my friends at that moment that I might have gone for my NYSC early. After I built up the courage to stay, I began to enjoy it. The months I spent there are easily the best of my house job year and the other house officers I met were also the best – they’re one of the reasons I’m glad to have stayed back in Ondo State.

The second hospital was State Specialist Hospital, Akure, now University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital Complex, Akure. This is where I completed my surgery and medicine postings. Being in the city, the hospital had more patient load as well as a higher calibre of doctors. The conversion to a teaching hospital was during my time there and in retrospect, I am thankful for that. There was a huge difference between the training in a teaching hospital setting and that in a General Hospital setting.

For me, the major downside to interning away from my comfort zone was missing my friends. I don’t particularly fancy going out that much so I didn’t miss the party life of Lagos. The calm and sanity I experienced this one year were bliss and I really wish the state was a bit more developed to encourage people to stay back. This is not to say that I didn’t miss the ‘Lagos life’ a bit.

At this point, I’d share some lessons I picked up from this entire journey. It was a real experience.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Getting an internship placement post-graduation can be quite tough in Nigeria. You’ll be doing yourself a disservice by applying to only one place for your internship. The best bet is to apply far and wide. Some times, you might have legitimate reasons to want a particular place but if that’s not it, then just try everywhere you can.

Do it afraid, you’ll never know if you don’t try.

A lot of times during the year, I had to ‘do it afraid’. It is usually daunting when a new task is before you and it seems like you have no idea what to do. Most times just trying your hands at it helps build your confidence and you can ask for assistance along the way.

Life is in phases.

I remember feeling very anxious at the start of the year. I saw the older house officers doing stuff and I was just feeling bad because I couldn’t do them at the time. Now that seems very silly of me. I had no reason to be anxious because, at that phase, I was just starting. I shouldn’t have judged myself by their skills at the time. Those things I was anxious about are things I can do confidently now.

The journey matters more

At the start of housemanship year, I just wanted it to be over already. Maybe being far from home added to this. However, along the way, I realized that finishing is not just what matters but actually the process and how I went through it. The start and the end are static points, it’s the journey in between that really matters; it’s the experiences and lessons learnt during this year that built me up. This applies to every phase of life – the journey matters more.

The journey matters more, sometimes even more than the destination. Share on X

I hope to carry these lessons along with me and imbibe them as I move on to other things in life.

I will still be sharing the feature posts I mentioned in my last post so don’t stay away for too long. Or better still, subscribe so you can get notified once it’s up!

Cheers to new beginnings!