So I'm back from my winter holiday and have had a week of lectures which was an introduction to Specialties and Acute and Critical Care Medicine. Essentially how this year works is that I will go through 4 core rotations: Acute and Critical Care Medicine, Specialties, Community and Palliative Care, and General Care Medicine. Each core is about 8 weeks each. Within each core there will be sub-attachments/sub-specialties. Anyways I'm starting with Acute and Critical Care Medicine and my first 4 weeks will be in Critical Care so I will be getting to know the anaesthetists! Then my next 4 weeks will be in A&E/ED (emergency department). I am quite excited about this year as this year is quite focussed on specialties and I will have plenty of opportunities to be in theatre this year. Yay!
To give you an idea what sort of lectures we had this week - we went through topics in Urology, Opthamology, Haematology, Anaesthetics, Dermatology, Trauma, Oncology, Infectious Diseases, and ENT. To be fair, covering all of that in 5 days was ambitious and tiring. It just stresses the importance for you to go home and do some extra reading before you go into that specialty placement as a 1 hour lecture is not going to cover enough for you to get through the placement. Because of this, I spent my weekend reading up on Anaesthetics and Critical Care. In a way I am really excited for this attachment as I am placed in the main hospital and it is quite busy so I know I will be able to get a lot of hands-on experience instead of swivelling in my chair. I also spent the weekend trying to get as much sleep as I can (12 hours today!) as I'm starting at 8 am every day. I felt a bit of me cry, but at the same time if it's a good attachment I don't see waking up being an issue.
Hmmm....to be honest there isn't much to talk about from this week as it was really dull and I won't bore you with the details. Hopefully next week will be action-packed and hopefully can give you all a more exciting read!
Showing posts with label tiring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tiring. Show all posts
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Psychiatry - Final Week
This placement went by QUICK! I think it was the fact that the placement wasn't too bad and that I was quite busy doing my other work - time has just flown by. To be honest, I haven't seen too many exciting things as I had hoped to have seen. There's always a lot of misconceptions about each specialty and I think psychiatry is no different. Before I started the placement I was a bit unsure what to expect. I was a bit scared as on our first day we were each given a personal "alarm" which we would put on our belt loops. In addition to those alarms, when we entered the ward, we got another alarm which has tracking on it as well. You can't help but think that psychiatry might not be the safest specialty. We were also taught a lot about risk assessment when interviewing a patient. I remember we got a tutorial on where to sit and what to look out for in a room. We were told to always look out for objects that can be easily thrown and to sit near the door but not with our backs towards the door so if we need to escape we can just go out without turning around.
Okay yes, there are some "dangerous" patients who are known to be quite aggressive, but I never really felt "in danger" while on the wards or in clinic. I guess the only time I felt a bit "iffy" was today in clinic. The final patient I saw on my psychiatry attachment is known to have a very short temper and when he snaps - he snaps in a big way (throw objects, get violent, etc.). As the consultation went on, I could tell the patient was starting to get agitated and worst bit - I was sat furthest from the door and the patient was sat between the door and I (so much for remembering about risk assessment). To be honest - the clinic room wasn't appropriately arranged so there wasn't much one could do other than hope for the best. The consultation came to an end and for no reason the patient just "lost it". He lashed out but thankfully he didn't throw anything and instead stormed out the door and slammed it with a considerable amount of force. You could actually hear him leave the clinic as he was slamming every door along the way. I expected it to happen but it wasn't a nice situation to be caught in knowing there isn't really anywhere to go other than curling up into a ball.
Other than that incident - all the patients I have seen are all quite "alright". Despite some having a history of violence/aggression, these patients all seemed fairly cooperative. We are told of the ones who we shouldn't go speak to as they aren't cooperative but the "okay" ones are fairly normal. Of my 6 weeks in psychiatry, there hasn't been any major incidences. I'm sure more incidences/violence occur in A&E than in psychiatry. I think the one thing about psychiatry is the need for patience. Some of the patients are great historians...some are terrible and will not admit to anything/are not cooperative. With new patients - the clerking can take up to 1 hour and most of these inpatients don't have the patience to speak to you for an hour. I personally don't even have the patience to ask questions for an hour/listen to their history for an hour. I find it very time consuming. The number of times I have nearly fallen asleep during a consultation has been ridiculous. I drift off not because it is boring, but it's the fact that sitting and listening to a history for an hour is very difficult. Again with this attachment, there wasn't much I could do other than observe, but the good thing I had over GP was that when in the hospital - I can actually wander around and am not constrained to one building/area. Psychiatry is definitely different and I have definitely learned a lot since it is a new topic. I'm fairly certain it isn't something I can do, but it is quite interesting as you see a range of people and personalities.
Unfortunately I don't really get a break between this placement and the next other than a 3 day weekend. My next placement will be in Care of Old People - specifically Orthogeriatrics. Talk about luck. I'm actually really looking forward to it as I'll get to see and deal with something I'm interested in and maybe I can sneak off and see a few surgeries as well. I also know the team in the department - so I don't need to endure the whole awkward introduction/getting used to the ward/staff. It will be a short placement but I think it will be one that will pick my motivation back up and get me going again just in time for exams. Eek!
Okay yes, there are some "dangerous" patients who are known to be quite aggressive, but I never really felt "in danger" while on the wards or in clinic. I guess the only time I felt a bit "iffy" was today in clinic. The final patient I saw on my psychiatry attachment is known to have a very short temper and when he snaps - he snaps in a big way (throw objects, get violent, etc.). As the consultation went on, I could tell the patient was starting to get agitated and worst bit - I was sat furthest from the door and the patient was sat between the door and I (so much for remembering about risk assessment). To be honest - the clinic room wasn't appropriately arranged so there wasn't much one could do other than hope for the best. The consultation came to an end and for no reason the patient just "lost it". He lashed out but thankfully he didn't throw anything and instead stormed out the door and slammed it with a considerable amount of force. You could actually hear him leave the clinic as he was slamming every door along the way. I expected it to happen but it wasn't a nice situation to be caught in knowing there isn't really anywhere to go other than curling up into a ball.
Other than that incident - all the patients I have seen are all quite "alright". Despite some having a history of violence/aggression, these patients all seemed fairly cooperative. We are told of the ones who we shouldn't go speak to as they aren't cooperative but the "okay" ones are fairly normal. Of my 6 weeks in psychiatry, there hasn't been any major incidences. I'm sure more incidences/violence occur in A&E than in psychiatry. I think the one thing about psychiatry is the need for patience. Some of the patients are great historians...some are terrible and will not admit to anything/are not cooperative. With new patients - the clerking can take up to 1 hour and most of these inpatients don't have the patience to speak to you for an hour. I personally don't even have the patience to ask questions for an hour/listen to their history for an hour. I find it very time consuming. The number of times I have nearly fallen asleep during a consultation has been ridiculous. I drift off not because it is boring, but it's the fact that sitting and listening to a history for an hour is very difficult. Again with this attachment, there wasn't much I could do other than observe, but the good thing I had over GP was that when in the hospital - I can actually wander around and am not constrained to one building/area. Psychiatry is definitely different and I have definitely learned a lot since it is a new topic. I'm fairly certain it isn't something I can do, but it is quite interesting as you see a range of people and personalities.
Unfortunately I don't really get a break between this placement and the next other than a 3 day weekend. My next placement will be in Care of Old People - specifically Orthogeriatrics. Talk about luck. I'm actually really looking forward to it as I'll get to see and deal with something I'm interested in and maybe I can sneak off and see a few surgeries as well. I also know the team in the department - so I don't need to endure the whole awkward introduction/getting used to the ward/staff. It will be a short placement but I think it will be one that will pick my motivation back up and get me going again just in time for exams. Eek!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
O&G Labour Week Part 2.
Tiring second half of the week. No joke. Again I underestimated/didn't give labour week enough credit. I thought it was going to be complete crap...but this week has proven me wrong. I wouldn't say obstetrics is my cup of tea, BUT it has certainly earned a lot more respect from me. The midwives are so hard working and enthusiastic despite their ridiculously long shifts. I think the most frustrating part about obstetrics is that it is either very busy or very quiet. When it is busy, time passes by extremely quickly...but when it is quiet - holy smokes...it is painful as all you do is just sit around and zone out.
Day 3 - Because I only had 1 thing left to be signed off on my log book (instrumental delivery) I was literally running around and broadcasting to the midwives and doctors that I need to see an instrumental delivery. Essentially showed up early...again struggled with arriving for 7am, but tried my best. The midwives suspected that one of the rooms will need an instrumental delivery so they told me to keep an eye out. Literally sat and waited for the whole day for this woman to deliver. So a bit of background.
Essentially I had been hovering around this lady's room and keeping an hawk eye on the midwife responsible for this lady as I did not want to miss an instrumental delivery. Sat around in the midwife room for hours. Time was ticking and it was getting closer to the end of my shift (5pm)...then 4:50pm - midwife reports that the lady is fully dilated and has tried to push for awhile but the baby was not coming out - called on-call registrar. It was determined that this woman will need instrumental delivery. I obviously perked up and was relieved that I will finally get to observe an instrumental delivery and get my log book obstetrics section completed.
Lady was brought into theatre as there was a bit of cervix which could be pushed back and she was given spinal. Realized that we cannot use the KIWI so we had to use Forceps. I had never seen forceps before and when I saw them it looked pretty crude but it doesn't really do any damage to the baby. Forceps delivery is just crude. The registrar was pulling quite hard and we had to hold the lady back as she kept sliding down the bed as we pulled. The husband nearly passed out as well. After several attempts, the baby was delivered and it was fairly large so I was not surprised why it took a few pulling attempts. Unfortunately, due to the baby's large head and that the lady was quite small, she ended up with a 3rd degree tear. 3rd degree tear = torn perineum and a bit of anal sphincter. Essentially tears are not pretty...seen a few tears now and it's not nice. Essentially the surgeon has to stitch your perineum back together which is pretty much a mess. It isn't pretty. I don't even get how does the surgeon figure out what to stitch. To me it was just a bunch of flesh torn apart. Certainly looks very difficult to repair and requires a lot of skill and experience. Amazing though. Once that was done it was almost 6pm but the extra hour got me my final signature for my log book.
Day 4 - because my log book was filled and it was a half day as I have a night shift on day 5...i turned up late and observed 2 caesarean sections. Fairly boring day.
Day 5 - 16 hour on-call night shift. Start at 5pm Friday, finish 9am Saturday. I really didn't know what to expect...I like to consider myself nocturnal as I work well in the middle of the night. Unfortunately it was a VERY quiet night and time was crawling. I didn't know what is the proper etiquette for night shifts...do I go sleep or do I stay awake with the midwives? The doctors disappeared midway through the night and I assume they went back to their office to sleep. So what do I do? Essentially I tried my best to stay awake and read 6 chapters of my O&G textbook. 4am - I was getting fed up. Bored to death. Nothing going on. 5am - told the midwives to bleep me if there's anything interesting/if they need to bleep the doctors to also please bleep me. I technically don't have a room but I reckoned the seminar room would be empty so I went to bum on the couch in there. Passed out for about 30 minutes and then my bleep went off. I was so tired...I looked at my bleep and was trying to get up...couldn't. 15 minutes later - woke up and sun was rising...obviously hardly knew where I was...very dazed. I could hardly open my eyes and zombie stumbled to the ward and the midwives said they were trying to bleep me and that there's a patient in theatre. Went to theatre to see the consultant repairing a 3rd degree tear. I'm pretty sure he knew why I was late...but he didn't say anything. Phew. 8:30am - doctor handover. I packed up, got changed back into clinical clothing, and then stumbled to my car. Managed to get home in one piece. But wow WHAT A TIRING/BORING NIGHT. Brutal. Never again - 16 hours. Doctors and midwives only do 12 hour shifts...why the heck do students have to do 16 hour shifts?! Trying to kill us?! At least give us a room or an office instead so we can rest.
All in all...labour week wasn't too shabby. Obviously Monday and Tuesday were my highlight days as I got to assist and scrub in for elective sections. Very good experience as I enjoy surgery so any opportunity to scrub in is an honour for me. Next week is my final "timetabled" week which is Ward Week; however, it is more like 50% ward, 50% clinic. My summative assessment is next Tuesday as well. It involves taking a full Gynaecological history and answering questions about investigations, management, and treatment. Quite nervous as I haven't had time to practice history taking as I haven't had my ward week. Next Monday = catch up time. Probably going to try my best to talk to as many patients as I can on the ward. Final stretch of placement: 2 more weeks. Ward week then "catch-up" week. I'm actually kinda sad that this attachment is ending. Having a blast. Unexpected. Wow.
Day 3 - Because I only had 1 thing left to be signed off on my log book (instrumental delivery) I was literally running around and broadcasting to the midwives and doctors that I need to see an instrumental delivery. Essentially showed up early...again struggled with arriving for 7am, but tried my best. The midwives suspected that one of the rooms will need an instrumental delivery so they told me to keep an eye out. Literally sat and waited for the whole day for this woman to deliver. So a bit of background.
27 year old woman
Prima Gravida (first pregnancy)
Been in labour for 48 hours
Admitted to hospital with cervix dilatation approx 5cm and severe contraction pains
SROM (spontaneous rupture of membrane)
CTG revealed an episode of deceleration of fetal heart - spontaneously resolved - may need C-section if re-occur
FBS (fetal blood sample) taken x2 (both revealed normal blood results)
Plan: Midwife to review every 2 hours for any more CTG decelerations.
Essentially I had been hovering around this lady's room and keeping an hawk eye on the midwife responsible for this lady as I did not want to miss an instrumental delivery. Sat around in the midwife room for hours. Time was ticking and it was getting closer to the end of my shift (5pm)...then 4:50pm - midwife reports that the lady is fully dilated and has tried to push for awhile but the baby was not coming out - called on-call registrar. It was determined that this woman will need instrumental delivery. I obviously perked up and was relieved that I will finally get to observe an instrumental delivery and get my log book obstetrics section completed.
Lady was brought into theatre as there was a bit of cervix which could be pushed back and she was given spinal. Realized that we cannot use the KIWI so we had to use Forceps. I had never seen forceps before and when I saw them it looked pretty crude but it doesn't really do any damage to the baby. Forceps delivery is just crude. The registrar was pulling quite hard and we had to hold the lady back as she kept sliding down the bed as we pulled. The husband nearly passed out as well. After several attempts, the baby was delivered and it was fairly large so I was not surprised why it took a few pulling attempts. Unfortunately, due to the baby's large head and that the lady was quite small, she ended up with a 3rd degree tear. 3rd degree tear = torn perineum and a bit of anal sphincter. Essentially tears are not pretty...seen a few tears now and it's not nice. Essentially the surgeon has to stitch your perineum back together which is pretty much a mess. It isn't pretty. I don't even get how does the surgeon figure out what to stitch. To me it was just a bunch of flesh torn apart. Certainly looks very difficult to repair and requires a lot of skill and experience. Amazing though. Once that was done it was almost 6pm but the extra hour got me my final signature for my log book.
Day 4 - because my log book was filled and it was a half day as I have a night shift on day 5...i turned up late and observed 2 caesarean sections. Fairly boring day.
Day 5 - 16 hour on-call night shift. Start at 5pm Friday, finish 9am Saturday. I really didn't know what to expect...I like to consider myself nocturnal as I work well in the middle of the night. Unfortunately it was a VERY quiet night and time was crawling. I didn't know what is the proper etiquette for night shifts...do I go sleep or do I stay awake with the midwives? The doctors disappeared midway through the night and I assume they went back to their office to sleep. So what do I do? Essentially I tried my best to stay awake and read 6 chapters of my O&G textbook. 4am - I was getting fed up. Bored to death. Nothing going on. 5am - told the midwives to bleep me if there's anything interesting/if they need to bleep the doctors to also please bleep me. I technically don't have a room but I reckoned the seminar room would be empty so I went to bum on the couch in there. Passed out for about 30 minutes and then my bleep went off. I was so tired...I looked at my bleep and was trying to get up...couldn't. 15 minutes later - woke up and sun was rising...obviously hardly knew where I was...very dazed. I could hardly open my eyes and zombie stumbled to the ward and the midwives said they were trying to bleep me and that there's a patient in theatre. Went to theatre to see the consultant repairing a 3rd degree tear. I'm pretty sure he knew why I was late...but he didn't say anything. Phew. 8:30am - doctor handover. I packed up, got changed back into clinical clothing, and then stumbled to my car. Managed to get home in one piece. But wow WHAT A TIRING/BORING NIGHT. Brutal. Never again - 16 hours. Doctors and midwives only do 12 hour shifts...why the heck do students have to do 16 hour shifts?! Trying to kill us?! At least give us a room or an office instead so we can rest.
All in all...labour week wasn't too shabby. Obviously Monday and Tuesday were my highlight days as I got to assist and scrub in for elective sections. Very good experience as I enjoy surgery so any opportunity to scrub in is an honour for me. Next week is my final "timetabled" week which is Ward Week; however, it is more like 50% ward, 50% clinic. My summative assessment is next Tuesday as well. It involves taking a full Gynaecological history and answering questions about investigations, management, and treatment. Quite nervous as I haven't had time to practice history taking as I haven't had my ward week. Next Monday = catch up time. Probably going to try my best to talk to as many patients as I can on the ward. Final stretch of placement: 2 more weeks. Ward week then "catch-up" week. I'm actually kinda sad that this attachment is ending. Having a blast. Unexpected. Wow.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
O&G Labour Week Part 1.
I'm only 2 days in to my labour week and I'm already struggling. I'm supposed to be in for midwives handover at 7am every day. Day 1 - alarm clock for 5:45am...next thing I knew I woke up again and it was 6:30am. Didn't get to the hospital til 7:10am...by the time I got changed into scrubs for labour ward...it was like 7:20am. Day 2 - alarm clock for 5:45am...actually got up this time. Arrived at the hospital at 6:55am and traffic wasn't bad. I actually tried really hard to make it to handover...ran to get changed. By the time I got out...I had apparently missed handover already and the midwives said I should aim to arrive for 6:50am tomorrow. In my head I was like "6:50am?! Yeaaahhh right." Dreading it already. Also I have been sooo tired. I would sometimes catch myself dozing off in the ward because I start so early in the morning...but still get off at 5ish pm. Brutal. And when I get home...I hardly have the energy to eat and all I want to do is sleep. So unproductive.
Pretty exciting first day though. Saw 2 normal vaginal deliveries. Also assisted as a first assistant on 2 caesarean sections (aka I got to scrub in and actually do proper surgical stuff...not just hang around and watch - just the consultant surgeon, me, and a scrub nurse - what a dream). Also witnessed an emergency caesarean section as the baby was stuck. When the emergency button was pressed it was like a TV show. It was crazy. Loads of people ran in within 5 seconds of the buzzer going off and everyone knew what they were doing. Anaesthetist was already making his way to theatre and some of the theatre staff darted to theatre to prep. About 8 of us were racing the bed down to theatre. It was really surreal. Obviously there was a sense or urgency. The mother had to be put under general anaesthetic (most caesareans is under spinal so the mother stays awake and just can't feel anything down below). Staff was frantically prepping the theatre with the equipment...it was just organized chaos. I was so scared to get in the way so I just crammed myself into a tiny corner of the room. I obviously couldn't scrub in as it was an emergency and the registrar had turned up. Eventually we managed to get the baby out and I finally got to see the link between the paediatricians and obstetricians. The paeds team was already waiting for us ready for the baby and for any resuscitation as it was a complicated birth. Baby came out floppy and wasn't crying/breathing. It was a very tense moment as we handed the baby over to the paeds team. Unfortunately I'm with the obstetrics team so I couldn't go watch the paeds team work their magic. Finally after a few tense minutes we heard the baby cry and you could see the relief on some of the staffs' faces. I'm sure it was pretty scary for the mother herself as one minute she was just about to give birth but the baby got stuck..the next minute she's asleep. Also the father is left waiting outside of theatre after seeing a bunch of people wheel off his wife. Pretty scary situation for the family in general I would think. I couldn't say I had as much fun in the afternoon though. Immensely boring after a frantic morning. But the morning certainly made my day though.
Day 2 - quiet morning. Waited til 9am for elective caesarean sections. Again was really lucky and got asked to scrub in and help out...but not to the certain extent of a first assistant. Still makes a huge difference when you're scrubbed in. I even got to transfer the newborn to the crib after we pulled him out. It was really cool. After the sections...again went quiet again. Saw 1 normal delivery and that was it. Next thing to knock off my list: Instrumental Delivery (eg. using Forceps or Ventouse Suction). Really need to get that signed off tomorrow.
Labour week to be continued.......(if I'm still alive by the end of it)
Pretty exciting first day though. Saw 2 normal vaginal deliveries. Also assisted as a first assistant on 2 caesarean sections (aka I got to scrub in and actually do proper surgical stuff...not just hang around and watch - just the consultant surgeon, me, and a scrub nurse - what a dream). Also witnessed an emergency caesarean section as the baby was stuck. When the emergency button was pressed it was like a TV show. It was crazy. Loads of people ran in within 5 seconds of the buzzer going off and everyone knew what they were doing. Anaesthetist was already making his way to theatre and some of the theatre staff darted to theatre to prep. About 8 of us were racing the bed down to theatre. It was really surreal. Obviously there was a sense or urgency. The mother had to be put under general anaesthetic (most caesareans is under spinal so the mother stays awake and just can't feel anything down below). Staff was frantically prepping the theatre with the equipment...it was just organized chaos. I was so scared to get in the way so I just crammed myself into a tiny corner of the room. I obviously couldn't scrub in as it was an emergency and the registrar had turned up. Eventually we managed to get the baby out and I finally got to see the link between the paediatricians and obstetricians. The paeds team was already waiting for us ready for the baby and for any resuscitation as it was a complicated birth. Baby came out floppy and wasn't crying/breathing. It was a very tense moment as we handed the baby over to the paeds team. Unfortunately I'm with the obstetrics team so I couldn't go watch the paeds team work their magic. Finally after a few tense minutes we heard the baby cry and you could see the relief on some of the staffs' faces. I'm sure it was pretty scary for the mother herself as one minute she was just about to give birth but the baby got stuck..the next minute she's asleep. Also the father is left waiting outside of theatre after seeing a bunch of people wheel off his wife. Pretty scary situation for the family in general I would think. I couldn't say I had as much fun in the afternoon though. Immensely boring after a frantic morning. But the morning certainly made my day though.
Day 2 - quiet morning. Waited til 9am for elective caesarean sections. Again was really lucky and got asked to scrub in and help out...but not to the certain extent of a first assistant. Still makes a huge difference when you're scrubbed in. I even got to transfer the newborn to the crib after we pulled him out. It was really cool. After the sections...again went quiet again. Saw 1 normal delivery and that was it. Next thing to knock off my list: Instrumental Delivery (eg. using Forceps or Ventouse Suction). Really need to get that signed off tomorrow.
Labour week to be continued.......(if I'm still alive by the end of it)
Saturday, March 24, 2012
The Grind.
Clinic here. Clinic there. What a brutal week. I don't mind clinics...but I do mind them when I have 2 clinics per day from 9-5pm. I have now grown to fear Antenatal Clinics. It is essentially an overbooked clinic where you talk to high risk pregnant ladies and just following up on their pregnancy. It's nice as you spend about 10-15 minutes with each lady; however, after 5 pregnant women...it gets very boring.
Not only did I have Antenatal Clinics, but I also had to attend Gynae Clinics, which I admit are a bit more exciting/interesting. Gynae Clinic is where patients come in with problems downstairs. This could include menorrhagia, dymenorrhoea, discharge, etc. Because I was with my supervisor, Mr R, I was able to carry out a few examinations and after being taught how to use a Cusco Speculum in theatre, I was finally able to try it out on a patient who is awake. I gotta admit...I was extremely nervous as I obviously don't want to cause any pain and the Cusco can easily cause pain. I managed to find the cervix in the first go and I felt a sense of pride come over me and Mr R was complimenting on my technique. It definitely filled me with confidence and to be honest...inserting the Cusco wasn't that difficult. I don't know why I was pissing my pants about it. I also really appreciate patients being so tolerant with students. I mean if I needed to get my downstairs checked up...the last thing I want in clinic with me is a medical student...and no way the student will be going near my bits. I mean these patients who allow us to practice our skills really need to be more appreciated. It's one thing to practice on a plastic mannequin but being able to practice on a real patient is a whole new ball game and it really helps build confidence. It also helps when your supervisor is keen to allow you to practice skills and perform examinations. Overall I enjoyed my clinic with Mr R as he was also in a good mood and we finished clinic on time (RARE!). Learned loads, got to do examinations + Cusco, and had a lot of good banter and many good laughs.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I had as much fun with the rest of my clinics. Note to self: READ UP before attending special interest clinics. I literally got wiped all over the floor by another consultant when I went to Colposcopy and Gestational Diabetes Clinic on Tuesday. Because I had an evening meeting, I did not have time to read up on the clinic and I wrongly assumed that the consultant I was going to have wouldn't quiz me like Mr R does. To my demise...this consultant LOVES quizzing and I got my butt kicked. It was so embarrassing. I have never felt so dumb either. I kept blanking out and my heart was racing with every question. Worst bit is that I know the answers to the questions...or more like I SHOULD know the answers but I couldn't spit it out as I had not done any revision. Definitely taught me a good lesson and ever since Tuesday I did some reading prior to clinics especially clinics with consultants I haven't met yet.
On top of all the clinics this week...hands down...I have never worked so hard on placement...ever. I was putting in so much extra time. Usually we are expected to be in 9-5pm on a standard day. Monday...technically didn't have to go in until 10:30am for a tutorial. I went in at 9am to take a full patient history for my case study report. Tuesday: 9am clinic...went in at 8am to get a different patient history as the patient history on Monday wasn't good enough for my case study (ended up not seeing any patients as there was a ward round going on). Then had clinic in the afternoon which did not end until 5pm. Went to the ward to see if there are any more interesting patients...didn't leave until 6pm. Wednesday: 9am start for clinic...but stayed until 6pm...when I could've went home at 3:30pm (clinic finished very early) - was chasing after some patient notes I had requested for as I forgot to copy down info. Thursday: 9am start (clinic). Gave up my lunch hour to go read up the patient notes that I had requested for. Then had teaching from 2pm-3pm. Went to clinic...which didn't end until 5:30pm. Friday: FINALLY a normal day - 9pm-5pm.
Worst bit about this case study I was chasing around for a whole week - I ended up writing up on the first patient history I took Monday morning. Most annoying bit: of ALL the patients I could've picked, I picked a patient who was under the care of my supervisor (who is also marking my essay). I didn't want to do up a report on my supervisor's patient as he would know the patient history well so I definitely have to write accurately. This unfortunate coincidence doesn't end there. I thought I could get away with this patient case study as my supervisor had no idea which patient I am writing up, but also this patient presented with a fairly common problem (urinary retention post-op total abdo hysterectomy) so it could easily be anyone. Because the patient was discharged later in the afternoon on Monday and I needed to look at the notes, I requested for the notes to return to the ward so I can read through them. They arrived on Thursday, but were delivered to my supervisor's secretary. No problem right? Wrong...the secretary shares the same office as my supervisor, but luckily my supervisor was called to cover a clinic for another consultant for a few minutes. Perfect - quickly ran to fetch the notes, except the secretary forbid me from leaving the office with the notes. I knew my supervisor had just left his office as his computer was still on (screensaver wasn't up yet), and his chair was still warm. I predicted that my supervisor would be back in 30 minutes so I quickly went through the patient notes.
Unfortunately...my supervisor returned in 10 minutes and found me lounging on his chair and working at his desk and I had moved all his stuff to the side to give myself some room to write. Doh! I quickly stood up and moved over to finish up copying out important info about the patient's operation. My supervisor got curious as why the heck was I in his office, and who's notes was I looking up. He knew I have been working on my case report...and obviously his curiosity took over and he was trying to see the patient name. I kept my hand over the patient label on each page; however, in the 2 seconds I bent over to pick up my pen, which I dropped, my cheeky supervisor took the notes and found out which patient I was writing about. I was obviously a bit annoyed as now my supervisor definitely knows who I am writing about, but now also knows what I will be writing about in my report. He promptly refreshed his memory by flipping through the notes while I stood next to him giving off a dumb face. Guess I really have to do a good job on my essay now that my supervisor knows I'm writing up about his patient and the fact he remembers the patient as well. Great. Bonus bit: my essay is due in 3 days...2 weeks earlier than everyone else. What a tiring week. Hopefully all this hard work will pay off in the end. Next week: Labour Week. Going to be VERY tiring. Long shifts. Lots of waiting around. Yikes.
Not only did I have Antenatal Clinics, but I also had to attend Gynae Clinics, which I admit are a bit more exciting/interesting. Gynae Clinic is where patients come in with problems downstairs. This could include menorrhagia, dymenorrhoea, discharge, etc. Because I was with my supervisor, Mr R, I was able to carry out a few examinations and after being taught how to use a Cusco Speculum in theatre, I was finally able to try it out on a patient who is awake. I gotta admit...I was extremely nervous as I obviously don't want to cause any pain and the Cusco can easily cause pain. I managed to find the cervix in the first go and I felt a sense of pride come over me and Mr R was complimenting on my technique. It definitely filled me with confidence and to be honest...inserting the Cusco wasn't that difficult. I don't know why I was pissing my pants about it. I also really appreciate patients being so tolerant with students. I mean if I needed to get my downstairs checked up...the last thing I want in clinic with me is a medical student...and no way the student will be going near my bits. I mean these patients who allow us to practice our skills really need to be more appreciated. It's one thing to practice on a plastic mannequin but being able to practice on a real patient is a whole new ball game and it really helps build confidence. It also helps when your supervisor is keen to allow you to practice skills and perform examinations. Overall I enjoyed my clinic with Mr R as he was also in a good mood and we finished clinic on time (RARE!). Learned loads, got to do examinations + Cusco, and had a lot of good banter and many good laughs.
Unfortunately, I cannot say that I had as much fun with the rest of my clinics. Note to self: READ UP before attending special interest clinics. I literally got wiped all over the floor by another consultant when I went to Colposcopy and Gestational Diabetes Clinic on Tuesday. Because I had an evening meeting, I did not have time to read up on the clinic and I wrongly assumed that the consultant I was going to have wouldn't quiz me like Mr R does. To my demise...this consultant LOVES quizzing and I got my butt kicked. It was so embarrassing. I have never felt so dumb either. I kept blanking out and my heart was racing with every question. Worst bit is that I know the answers to the questions...or more like I SHOULD know the answers but I couldn't spit it out as I had not done any revision. Definitely taught me a good lesson and ever since Tuesday I did some reading prior to clinics especially clinics with consultants I haven't met yet.
On top of all the clinics this week...hands down...I have never worked so hard on placement...ever. I was putting in so much extra time. Usually we are expected to be in 9-5pm on a standard day. Monday...technically didn't have to go in until 10:30am for a tutorial. I went in at 9am to take a full patient history for my case study report. Tuesday: 9am clinic...went in at 8am to get a different patient history as the patient history on Monday wasn't good enough for my case study (ended up not seeing any patients as there was a ward round going on). Then had clinic in the afternoon which did not end until 5pm. Went to the ward to see if there are any more interesting patients...didn't leave until 6pm. Wednesday: 9am start for clinic...but stayed until 6pm...when I could've went home at 3:30pm (clinic finished very early) - was chasing after some patient notes I had requested for as I forgot to copy down info. Thursday: 9am start (clinic). Gave up my lunch hour to go read up the patient notes that I had requested for. Then had teaching from 2pm-3pm. Went to clinic...which didn't end until 5:30pm. Friday: FINALLY a normal day - 9pm-5pm.
Worst bit about this case study I was chasing around for a whole week - I ended up writing up on the first patient history I took Monday morning. Most annoying bit: of ALL the patients I could've picked, I picked a patient who was under the care of my supervisor (who is also marking my essay). I didn't want to do up a report on my supervisor's patient as he would know the patient history well so I definitely have to write accurately. This unfortunate coincidence doesn't end there. I thought I could get away with this patient case study as my supervisor had no idea which patient I am writing up, but also this patient presented with a fairly common problem (urinary retention post-op total abdo hysterectomy) so it could easily be anyone. Because the patient was discharged later in the afternoon on Monday and I needed to look at the notes, I requested for the notes to return to the ward so I can read through them. They arrived on Thursday, but were delivered to my supervisor's secretary. No problem right? Wrong...the secretary shares the same office as my supervisor, but luckily my supervisor was called to cover a clinic for another consultant for a few minutes. Perfect - quickly ran to fetch the notes, except the secretary forbid me from leaving the office with the notes. I knew my supervisor had just left his office as his computer was still on (screensaver wasn't up yet), and his chair was still warm. I predicted that my supervisor would be back in 30 minutes so I quickly went through the patient notes.
Unfortunately...my supervisor returned in 10 minutes and found me lounging on his chair and working at his desk and I had moved all his stuff to the side to give myself some room to write. Doh! I quickly stood up and moved over to finish up copying out important info about the patient's operation. My supervisor got curious as why the heck was I in his office, and who's notes was I looking up. He knew I have been working on my case report...and obviously his curiosity took over and he was trying to see the patient name. I kept my hand over the patient label on each page; however, in the 2 seconds I bent over to pick up my pen, which I dropped, my cheeky supervisor took the notes and found out which patient I was writing about. I was obviously a bit annoyed as now my supervisor definitely knows who I am writing about, but now also knows what I will be writing about in my report. He promptly refreshed his memory by flipping through the notes while I stood next to him giving off a dumb face. Guess I really have to do a good job on my essay now that my supervisor knows I'm writing up about his patient and the fact he remembers the patient as well. Great. Bonus bit: my essay is due in 3 days...2 weeks earlier than everyone else. What a tiring week. Hopefully all this hard work will pay off in the end. Next week: Labour Week. Going to be VERY tiring. Long shifts. Lots of waiting around. Yikes.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Highlight of my Placement.
It is now the end of week 4 of my placement. 3 more weeks to go. To be honest...these last few weeks have been going by quite quickly. Even the doctors on the ward agree that these last few weeks have blown by. Now 4 weeks in....I'm really feeling a part of the team. We are all starting to get to know each other better so there's a lot more banter going on and joking around, which I really enjoy. Despite this, there are still a lot of up and downs during this placement. There are days where there's a lot going on, and then there are days where you start asking yourself why did you even come in.
Wednesday could have been easily the highlight day of my entire placement. This day also came at a perfect time as it's halfway into the placement and it really gave me a good boost. Every one noticed that I was in a very good mood on Wednesday and actually had a bit of spark in me. Found out that there was some paediatric surgery going on in the morning and I decided I needed a change of scenery. Heard the consultant surgeon apparently looks fairly stern (cue heart sinking) and no one could pronounce his name. Got changed into greens (oh I missed them soooooo much) and heard that surgery is delayed as the patient hasn't arrived yet. Sat in the coffee room and there was only one doctor in there (who looked kind of stern) and I figured he was the surgeon I will be following in the morning. It was fairly awkward in the room as we just sat in silence and watched a tv show. Few minutes later he got up and I shortly followed behind him and hope it didn't seem like I was stalking him. Saw the surgical list before going in and to my delight I found out he is a Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon. Pretty sure I was smiling like an idiot at the list. Walked into the anaesthetic room and we did introductions and after the consultant introduced himself, I knew immediately he's a really nice guy. He asked me to help him out with setting up equipment and he seemed really keen to get me involved. Slowly my mood was picking up and I was really getting excited. He then allowed me to scrub in for one his surgeries (in grown toe nail). It was a really quick surgery but when a consultant asks you to scrub in, it makes you feel involved and you start to feel more included/less useless. You feel like you're actually helping. It's a hard feeling to describe. Like during placement, especially early on, you feel unwanted and useless so when a doctor asks you to help even in a tiny little task, you get this good feeling/sense of satisfaction.
Anyways during a break in between surgeries, the consultant and I had a chat and he noticed that I seemed quite keen about surgery. It was cool having a casual chat with the surgeon and I told him I'm interested in orthopaedics. We had a really good talk about the specialty and then he told me to go to the Trauma list in the afternoon. Saw a fracture reduction + internal fixation and it was easily the bloodiest surgery I have ever seen, yet oddly enough, the one I enjoyed the most...ever. Even a few times I questioned myself as I caught myself smiling during surgery. I was really interested and I found the surgery pretty cool. There was a surgical trainee who was observing and he talked me through the surgery. The surgery was fairly complicated, but I was genuinely absorbing everything the trainee was saying. I was following along without difficulty and I just had this good feeling inside me. I think the hardest part about the surgery was wearing the lead aprons for 2.5 hours as there was a mobile xray machine in the room. Xrays were periodically taken to make sure the plate was in the right position and if the screws were placed properly. My back was killing me by the end of surgery (as I've been in surgery all day and almost all the procedures I had to wear a lead apron). But the aching legs and back was totally worth it. I could easily say it has been the best time I've had in surgery. The morning procedures were fairly simple, yet I still really enjoyed my time. It's quite weird.
"Be back by 4pm" said the registrar when I stopped by the ward to grab my bag for lunch. It was now 5:30pm and I was still in surgery watching the surgeon close up. He made stitching seem so effortless and simple, but I guess if you've been doing it for 20 something years, it'll become second nature. I was in no hurry to leave theatre. To be honest, I didn't want to leave. My bleep went off twice and I knew I should get going. The consultant and I had a chat after surgery and he said throughout the surgery he noticed me looking very interested/keen. I don't think I have ever really heard any doctor tell me I look keen. To be honest, most of the time I probably look like I'm not even there. The consultant also said he was fairly impressed that I didn't get sick as he agreed it was a very bloody/gruesome surgery. He asked when will I join him again in theatre or pop by his clinic as he said he wouldn't mind me around, especially if I'm interested in the specialty. Again I got this weird feeling of actually being wanted. Usually consultants don't want to deal with students, but this consultant seemed interested/keen to teach me.
Dragged my feet back to the ward and everyone was commenting how I look alive for once and happy. To be fair, I was very happy. I was definitely motivated. I can't wait to go back to theatre next week/hopefully I'll be able to escape to theatre. What a great day. Will never forget the last surgery of the day.
Wednesday could have been easily the highlight day of my entire placement. This day also came at a perfect time as it's halfway into the placement and it really gave me a good boost. Every one noticed that I was in a very good mood on Wednesday and actually had a bit of spark in me. Found out that there was some paediatric surgery going on in the morning and I decided I needed a change of scenery. Heard the consultant surgeon apparently looks fairly stern (cue heart sinking) and no one could pronounce his name. Got changed into greens (oh I missed them soooooo much) and heard that surgery is delayed as the patient hasn't arrived yet. Sat in the coffee room and there was only one doctor in there (who looked kind of stern) and I figured he was the surgeon I will be following in the morning. It was fairly awkward in the room as we just sat in silence and watched a tv show. Few minutes later he got up and I shortly followed behind him and hope it didn't seem like I was stalking him. Saw the surgical list before going in and to my delight I found out he is a Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon. Pretty sure I was smiling like an idiot at the list. Walked into the anaesthetic room and we did introductions and after the consultant introduced himself, I knew immediately he's a really nice guy. He asked me to help him out with setting up equipment and he seemed really keen to get me involved. Slowly my mood was picking up and I was really getting excited. He then allowed me to scrub in for one his surgeries (in grown toe nail). It was a really quick surgery but when a consultant asks you to scrub in, it makes you feel involved and you start to feel more included/less useless. You feel like you're actually helping. It's a hard feeling to describe. Like during placement, especially early on, you feel unwanted and useless so when a doctor asks you to help even in a tiny little task, you get this good feeling/sense of satisfaction.
Anyways during a break in between surgeries, the consultant and I had a chat and he noticed that I seemed quite keen about surgery. It was cool having a casual chat with the surgeon and I told him I'm interested in orthopaedics. We had a really good talk about the specialty and then he told me to go to the Trauma list in the afternoon. Saw a fracture reduction + internal fixation and it was easily the bloodiest surgery I have ever seen, yet oddly enough, the one I enjoyed the most...ever. Even a few times I questioned myself as I caught myself smiling during surgery. I was really interested and I found the surgery pretty cool. There was a surgical trainee who was observing and he talked me through the surgery. The surgery was fairly complicated, but I was genuinely absorbing everything the trainee was saying. I was following along without difficulty and I just had this good feeling inside me. I think the hardest part about the surgery was wearing the lead aprons for 2.5 hours as there was a mobile xray machine in the room. Xrays were periodically taken to make sure the plate was in the right position and if the screws were placed properly. My back was killing me by the end of surgery (as I've been in surgery all day and almost all the procedures I had to wear a lead apron). But the aching legs and back was totally worth it. I could easily say it has been the best time I've had in surgery. The morning procedures were fairly simple, yet I still really enjoyed my time. It's quite weird.
"Be back by 4pm" said the registrar when I stopped by the ward to grab my bag for lunch. It was now 5:30pm and I was still in surgery watching the surgeon close up. He made stitching seem so effortless and simple, but I guess if you've been doing it for 20 something years, it'll become second nature. I was in no hurry to leave theatre. To be honest, I didn't want to leave. My bleep went off twice and I knew I should get going. The consultant and I had a chat after surgery and he said throughout the surgery he noticed me looking very interested/keen. I don't think I have ever really heard any doctor tell me I look keen. To be honest, most of the time I probably look like I'm not even there. The consultant also said he was fairly impressed that I didn't get sick as he agreed it was a very bloody/gruesome surgery. He asked when will I join him again in theatre or pop by his clinic as he said he wouldn't mind me around, especially if I'm interested in the specialty. Again I got this weird feeling of actually being wanted. Usually consultants don't want to deal with students, but this consultant seemed interested/keen to teach me.
Dragged my feet back to the ward and everyone was commenting how I look alive for once and happy. To be fair, I was very happy. I was definitely motivated. I can't wait to go back to theatre next week/hopefully I'll be able to escape to theatre. What a great day. Will never forget the last surgery of the day.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Practice Makes Perfect.
I was signed off from placement on Monday so I haven't been doing anything particularly interesting other than revising for exams. Met up with a friend on Thursday to do some physical examination practice on patients at the hospital. As you may recall in my first attachment back in the summer (doesn't seem that long ago...time flies) I was drilling Cardio an Respiratory Examinations. Well exams are in 2.5 weeks so I got to get drilling on the rest of the examinations.
So we went and practised Abdominal, Shoulder, and Knee exams. Got that down pretty quickly. Never really had trouble with those examinations to be honest. Then we practised Cranial Nerves, peripheral neuro, and hand examinations. We did these with each other as these exams have quite a lot of steps. Before practising, I was hopeless at Cranial Nerve exams. I was not slick at all and obviously needed some serious practice. After a few attempts, I have finally gotten it down and was starting to get slicker at it. Did the same with the other examinations and I could definitely see an improvement. I was starting to feel much more confident with my examination skills and a bit more confident for my OSCE exam. Have arranged another physical examination practice session for Monday so hopefully I'll continue to improve and get better at these things.
Today I finally reached the last system to revise (Gastrointestinal). It surely doesn't feel like the last unit as my binder is still full of notes and it just doesn't seem real that exams are so soon. It's really weird. Most of my friends and I agree that exams don't seem near and the panic still hasn't set in. Generally been feeling quite unmotivated so I constantly have to remind myself how close exams are which results in mini panic attacks/a kick up the ass. I guess it kind of works as I've been revising furiously for these last few days and really pushing to get ahead of my revision schedule to give myself an extra half week of revision for anything I'm unsure of. At the moment I have scheduled in 1 extra week prior to exams for random revision/going over sample questions. Hopefully if I work hard enough I can make it 1.5 weeks of extra revision time to actually properly learn Microbiology. I swear Microbiology is my new nemesis. It used to be histology, but because we don't do that as much anymore...Microbiology has quickly taken Histology's crown of being my nemesis. There are so many things to remember! And all the stains for the different bacteria. Mental.
Pharmacology comes close behind. Drug treatments for Cardiovascular disease and respiratory are fairly straight forward. The minute you get to Dermatology...oh wow. You start feeling like a walking BNF (British National Formulary - it is a book of drugs)...but more like a BNF written with fading ink. Put some new drugs into my brain...the old drugs fall out. Dermatology...endless amount of drugs. So many names as well! Half of them I can't really spell! I can picture myself writing drug names in my exam and writing the first few-ish letters and then squiggling the rest and making sure it looks like the drug I'm thinking of. Thank goodness spelling doesn't count in our exams! As long as the word is recognizable they will take it.
My Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine is also finally getting beat up. It had been in mint condition for 2 years and FINALLY it is getting used...and I am seriously using it to death. Also random note - think I might be getting tennis elbow as my desk isn't great to write on as it is fairly deep. That means my elbow is constantly resting on the hard surface and sometimes I can feel my hand go tingly and numb. Also my elbow is sore from resting on the hard surface. The things you sacrifice for exams. Sacrifice sleep, good food (yay for quick microwave food), social life, going out, sanity, blah blah blah, and now sacrificing joints! Prospective future for my body. YES!
I hate revision. I miss lounging around and being lazy.
So we went and practised Abdominal, Shoulder, and Knee exams. Got that down pretty quickly. Never really had trouble with those examinations to be honest. Then we practised Cranial Nerves, peripheral neuro, and hand examinations. We did these with each other as these exams have quite a lot of steps. Before practising, I was hopeless at Cranial Nerve exams. I was not slick at all and obviously needed some serious practice. After a few attempts, I have finally gotten it down and was starting to get slicker at it. Did the same with the other examinations and I could definitely see an improvement. I was starting to feel much more confident with my examination skills and a bit more confident for my OSCE exam. Have arranged another physical examination practice session for Monday so hopefully I'll continue to improve and get better at these things.
Today I finally reached the last system to revise (Gastrointestinal). It surely doesn't feel like the last unit as my binder is still full of notes and it just doesn't seem real that exams are so soon. It's really weird. Most of my friends and I agree that exams don't seem near and the panic still hasn't set in. Generally been feeling quite unmotivated so I constantly have to remind myself how close exams are which results in mini panic attacks/a kick up the ass. I guess it kind of works as I've been revising furiously for these last few days and really pushing to get ahead of my revision schedule to give myself an extra half week of revision for anything I'm unsure of. At the moment I have scheduled in 1 extra week prior to exams for random revision/going over sample questions. Hopefully if I work hard enough I can make it 1.5 weeks of extra revision time to actually properly learn Microbiology. I swear Microbiology is my new nemesis. It used to be histology, but because we don't do that as much anymore...Microbiology has quickly taken Histology's crown of being my nemesis. There are so many things to remember! And all the stains for the different bacteria. Mental.
Pharmacology comes close behind. Drug treatments for Cardiovascular disease and respiratory are fairly straight forward. The minute you get to Dermatology...oh wow. You start feeling like a walking BNF (British National Formulary - it is a book of drugs)...but more like a BNF written with fading ink. Put some new drugs into my brain...the old drugs fall out. Dermatology...endless amount of drugs. So many names as well! Half of them I can't really spell! I can picture myself writing drug names in my exam and writing the first few-ish letters and then squiggling the rest and making sure it looks like the drug I'm thinking of. Thank goodness spelling doesn't count in our exams! As long as the word is recognizable they will take it.
My Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine is also finally getting beat up. It had been in mint condition for 2 years and FINALLY it is getting used...and I am seriously using it to death. Also random note - think I might be getting tennis elbow as my desk isn't great to write on as it is fairly deep. That means my elbow is constantly resting on the hard surface and sometimes I can feel my hand go tingly and numb. Also my elbow is sore from resting on the hard surface. The things you sacrifice for exams. Sacrifice sleep, good food (yay for quick microwave food), social life, going out, sanity, blah blah blah, and now sacrificing joints! Prospective future for my body. YES!
I hate revision. I miss lounging around and being lazy.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Final Placement of the Year!
So today was Day 1 of my final placement of 2011. I'm only on this placement for 3 weeks so yay, but that also means...EXAMS are coming up. Been revising for the last 2 weeks and it's bringing good ol' memories of how much I hate revising. It's tedious, tiring, and stressful. Oh and I have to juggle it with placements as well. Luckily I've been placed in a fairly slack placement (Endocrinology) so hopefully I won't have to be too committed.
Met my consultant today and I always believe in first impressions. If you want to impress:
Saw quite a lot of patients - all seemed pretty ill. I also noticed a trend that most of the patients are quite confused. We had one patient who told us that her husband had passed away 30 minutes earlier, and seemed quite depressed. However, when asked what date it is she thought it was the 10th of October, 2009! She didn't know where she was either and didn't know what our consultant was (expected answer = doctor, she had no clue!). She is a new patient and the consultant wasn't sure whether the news of her husband's passing was whether she was confused or it really did happen. At this point my partner and I left the patient and stepped to one side as our consultant talked to a nurse about the patient's story. Unfortunately it was quite noisy and we couldn't hear what the nurse had told our consultant. I guess it is now just a mystery to us. Anyways our ward round lasted 2.5 hours (which isn't too bad as I've been on 4 hour ward rounds). At the end we were told that today was our consultant's last day and another consultant will be taking over for the month. But because our consultant isn't actually leaving the hospital he now has more time to teach so he offered to teach us this week on anything we would like. It was great news as endocrinology is quite complex and it would be great revision for exams. However, that also means I will have to go in tomorrow morning to meet the new consultant as he will be the one to sign us off for the placement. I wasn't planning to go in so I could stay home to revise - guess that won't be happening. Who knows, this consultant might be really nice and good at teaching, so I guess there is something to look forward to! Cross my fingers that this new consultant won't be stern/serious/intimidating. Some of the doctors on the ward knows of this consultant and they say he is quite nice. Hopefully they were being honest. Bring on tomorrow!
Met my consultant today and I always believe in first impressions. If you want to impress:
- Dress well
- Show up early
- Be keen
- Read up on the specialty
Saw quite a lot of patients - all seemed pretty ill. I also noticed a trend that most of the patients are quite confused. We had one patient who told us that her husband had passed away 30 minutes earlier, and seemed quite depressed. However, when asked what date it is she thought it was the 10th of October, 2009! She didn't know where she was either and didn't know what our consultant was (expected answer = doctor, she had no clue!). She is a new patient and the consultant wasn't sure whether the news of her husband's passing was whether she was confused or it really did happen. At this point my partner and I left the patient and stepped to one side as our consultant talked to a nurse about the patient's story. Unfortunately it was quite noisy and we couldn't hear what the nurse had told our consultant. I guess it is now just a mystery to us. Anyways our ward round lasted 2.5 hours (which isn't too bad as I've been on 4 hour ward rounds). At the end we were told that today was our consultant's last day and another consultant will be taking over for the month. But because our consultant isn't actually leaving the hospital he now has more time to teach so he offered to teach us this week on anything we would like. It was great news as endocrinology is quite complex and it would be great revision for exams. However, that also means I will have to go in tomorrow morning to meet the new consultant as he will be the one to sign us off for the placement. I wasn't planning to go in so I could stay home to revise - guess that won't be happening. Who knows, this consultant might be really nice and good at teaching, so I guess there is something to look forward to! Cross my fingers that this new consultant won't be stern/serious/intimidating. Some of the doctors on the ward knows of this consultant and they say he is quite nice. Hopefully they were being honest. Bring on tomorrow!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Reality.
So I've been back for just over a week now and have started lectures. These lectures have literally made me question why I am studying Medicine. It has been a horrible week. 9am - 5pm lectures. I can fly back to Canada in that time period! I do not know what is going on with my medical school...but 9-5 lectures do not work. No one can concentrate for that long. I really have to admit it was tough. Not only was it tough, but I was dealing with jet lag so my days felt like weeks. I actually thought time had stopped as my days were going by so slowly.
All these lectures actually made me lose focus of my ultimate goal: to be a doctor. I was struggling to find my footing and was not motivated at all. I mean I have definitely found my footing again after having a good rest during the weekend. Yesterday I had Diabetes Teaching which was more interactive and practical. Definitely lifted my spirits and gave me a bit of motivation. I'm sure once placements come around again I will be inspired and motivated again.
After talking to a few good friends, I feel a bit better. One of my friends pointed out that I never give up in anything I do and giving up Medicine is not an option. And you know what, she is right. I never give up and I am not prepared to give up now. I'm halfway through my degree and it can only get better. Just need to put my head down and power through these lectures and assignments. I had a passion for medicine and when I really think about it - I still have a passion for it. There were some sparkles of hope today during our practical session and tomorrow I will be seeing diabetic patients. I am actually excited so I know my passion for medicine is still with me. Just need to get through 3 more days of lectures and I'll be back on the wards. I will be examined on my clinical skills soon so I'll be able to do some clinical skills on the wards. I just need to be patient and keep going.
You know while writing this post, it made me think. This is what medicine is about. Fighting adversity. Overcoming challenges. Pick yourself up and keep moving. On the wards - you will face challenges. You will have to make difficult decisions. There will always be ups and downs throughout your career and you have to learn how to deal with them. These days have been long and will only get longer when I become a doctor. Time to get used to it. This is reality.
All these lectures actually made me lose focus of my ultimate goal: to be a doctor. I was struggling to find my footing and was not motivated at all. I mean I have definitely found my footing again after having a good rest during the weekend. Yesterday I had Diabetes Teaching which was more interactive and practical. Definitely lifted my spirits and gave me a bit of motivation. I'm sure once placements come around again I will be inspired and motivated again.
After talking to a few good friends, I feel a bit better. One of my friends pointed out that I never give up in anything I do and giving up Medicine is not an option. And you know what, she is right. I never give up and I am not prepared to give up now. I'm halfway through my degree and it can only get better. Just need to put my head down and power through these lectures and assignments. I had a passion for medicine and when I really think about it - I still have a passion for it. There were some sparkles of hope today during our practical session and tomorrow I will be seeing diabetic patients. I am actually excited so I know my passion for medicine is still with me. Just need to get through 3 more days of lectures and I'll be back on the wards. I will be examined on my clinical skills soon so I'll be able to do some clinical skills on the wards. I just need to be patient and keep going.
You know while writing this post, it made me think. This is what medicine is about. Fighting adversity. Overcoming challenges. Pick yourself up and keep moving. On the wards - you will face challenges. You will have to make difficult decisions. There will always be ups and downs throughout your career and you have to learn how to deal with them. These days have been long and will only get longer when I become a doctor. Time to get used to it. This is reality.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Research Attachment.
I just got my Research Attachment Proposal list and what a head scratch. The university has given us 93 research projects to choose from and if I had to be bluntly honest - I've only seen 3 which have "appealed" to me. Hard part is that we have to pick 5 projects and list them in the order of preference. Tough choices! At the moment I've picked another 2 but I have NO interest in them and would be quite disappointed if I ended up getting placed in them. At the moment I'm doing more research into the other research topics to see what seems interesting despite not knowing much about those other research topics. What a tedious process...especially going through each and every single research topic, but if I want to pick something I would do well in then I guess it is worth my time to look into each thing.
For those just joining my blog and reading around - please let me direct you to my archives over to the right. I've written a few blog entries on application and interview tips which may come in handy...especially the interview tips as it is interview time now.
Good luck to those who are having their interviews and those who are still waiting to hear from their universities - don't fret! Be patient...no point of worrying as no matter how much you worry it's not like the faster you'll find out about whether or not you'll get an interview. There's nothing you can do so try and relax and concentrate on your school work!
Those with an offer: YAY congratssss!!!!! Exciting stuff. Just meet those offers and you'll be itching to get to university and embark on your new journey.
For those just joining my blog and reading around - please let me direct you to my archives over to the right. I've written a few blog entries on application and interview tips which may come in handy...especially the interview tips as it is interview time now.
Good luck to those who are having their interviews and those who are still waiting to hear from their universities - don't fret! Be patient...no point of worrying as no matter how much you worry it's not like the faster you'll find out about whether or not you'll get an interview. There's nothing you can do so try and relax and concentrate on your school work!
Those with an offer: YAY congratssss!!!!! Exciting stuff. Just meet those offers and you'll be itching to get to university and embark on your new journey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
