But nothing prepared the 26-year old, who had dreamt of being a doctor since she was a child, for her four-month ordeal.

“Hearing about it (the expectations) and experiencing it (the realities) are two different things.

“The work hours wore me down physically and mentally. I never thought I wouldn’t even have time to eat and pray,” she told FMT, noting that every hospital had its own unique circumstances.

Zan eventually quit and is now helping her sister run a business, while attending a physiotherapy course.

Meanwhile, Amir (not his real name) said although working hours were stated in black and white, he found himself having to clock five additional hours during the tagging period – the initial process of shadowing a senior houseman to learn basic procedures, ward organisation and patient care.

Amir had expected to clock out at 5pm.

“It was almost like slavery. There was no day off because even during the only day when I was supposed to take a break, colleagues would call me to ask patient-related questions,” the 25-year old lamented.

Their stories reinforce Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz’s point that a career in medicine may not be suitable for everyone.

Dr Azizan was commenting on the high dropout rate among housemen, adding that many quit after encountering the harsh realities of the profession.

Azizan said it is important for both parents and their children to manage their expectations before embarking on a journey in the medical field.

In 2015, it was reported that one in five housemen quit annually. Since then, the number of dropouts has been increasing year-on-year. The present situation is unclear as the health ministry has yet to update the published data.

Amir and Zan however said their discontent was further exacerbated by the lack of support from superiors at the beginning of their housemanship.

Amir said housemen were expected to know everything despite being junior practitioners.

“If we couldn’t answer certain questions, vulgarities would be directed at us.”

Zan said a support system was in place, but no one adhered to it.

“We were thrown out there to survive by ourselves,” Zan added, citing the time when she was left all alone to manage four wards late at night despite only being a houseman.

Meanwhile, Rex, a mother of one, said while she expected the hectic schedule, the rampant bullying caught her off-guard.

The 26-year old was once kicked out of an operation theatre by a nurse for being a houseman. She was told that she lacked the experience to be in the room, despite the fact she was only there to observe and assist.

“Once I was even threatened by a nurse who told me to attend to a patient under her care, despite my shift having ended. She told me if the patient dies, it would be entirely my fault.”

She said apart from being taken for granted, housemen were nothing more than a punching bag for specialists, medical officers and nurses.

All three also revealed that some of their colleagues were on antidepressants and frequently consulted psychiatrists as a means of coping.