Year 4: To be on-call or not to be? - Part 2

This was a confusing post for me to write because being "on-call" has no concrete rules.
Being "on-call" is really not what it sounds like. You just need to be in the hospital from say 3pm-8pm. It is not an all-nighter thing like the future will be. The purpose of this is to help you gain extra hours to train and practice. I know there are many questions in your head, most answered below I promise!

Each rotation, you have 10 nights, where you need to go to a hospital and stay there for a few hours to learn.

1. You can choose any day you desire.
2. You can stay any time you desire at any hour of the day. You can stay for 3 hours, 4 hours or even a whole night (some people are over-enthusiastic in this regard. Don't push it. You'll have plenty sleepless nights in the future. Stock up on energy now and do your 'calls' during the evening.)
   To give you an example: I used to stay after university depending on what time I finish either 3 pm or 6pm till 8-11pm depending on when I started. Sometimes, I'd be too tired during the week, so I go during the weekend.
3. Generally they tell you to stick to the hospital you are training at.
   Surgery and Internal medicine: preferable to do so. However, people in Dhaid Hospital have the option of choosing where. People in other hospitals who do not like to follow rules will probably also choose.
   OBG and pediatrics: there is only one hospital to be on-call at --> Qassimi and Baraha.
4. If you decide not to follow university rules, you can choose the hospital. Choosing the hospital really depends on personal preference and ease of access. Qassimi offers many cases and varied patients and is usually the best to learn from. Kuwaiti has a small variety of cases but you may still pick up a few things here and there. As for Baraha, I have never been on-call there so I cannot advise you. Dhaid....does anyone want to be on-call in the end of the universe...unless you live nearby.
5. Many/most students opt not to be on-call as they believe it to be a waste of time that they can use to study to increase their grades. However, you should not be influenced by others. You must do what fits into your goals and criteria. Do you need extra practice outside of regular hospital hours? Or do you feel you are more deficient in information and need to spend time reading?