Medically Brunette

High School GCSE Science

2011-08-12T06:46:00.000-07:00

I like to think of myself as a tolerant person. However, armchair science is something I have very little patience for. This is a situation I've found myself to be in more and more, I'm up against some very articulate people who none the less have barely understood GCSE biology/chemistry/physics. Sometimes I don't have the inclination to start teaching GCSE biology at parties, but it amazes me the conviction some people have regarding pharmaceuticals, medicine, genetic engineering, fertility treatments, cloning and so on when their science is at best, patchy.
The science taught at school level does not reveal the reality of the complexity and depth of the subject. Often at A Level things that are wrong are taught to simplify concepts only to be taught properly at university. The Na+K+ pump being involved in the initiation of an action potential for example. It doesn't play a role here, but to make A Level science doable its easier to just say that it does, rather than the ten page explanation for what actually occurs. and this is applicable to just about every topic in science! Some woman on TV once talking about GIFT with her high school(GCSE biology) knowledge. I felt a bit embarrased for her, as GCSE biology, even A Level is such a huge oversimplification for what actually happens. Want to understand the complexity of IVF? Why GIFT was popular in the 1980s but no longer ? You will need more science than the standard an A Level gives you. It will take more than a ten minute slot on daytime TV to explain.

Medical Journalists. Is there a profession more hated by doctors?! I think not! Medical Journalists need to create sensational headlines. They need to tell you about some magic pill that will save 7 million lives per year. OK, aspirin is a useful drug, in certain circumstances. But not for everyone. Not for the man who now has a gastric ulcer haemorrhaging because he read that taking an aspirin a day would save lives. Now he's in hospital due to that trash he read in some newspaper. and who gets to feel the brunt of this and take the blame? Not the medical journalists! What's even more disgusting to me, is that some medical journalists are actually medically qualified. Therefore they know the implications of the rubbish they write. For the majority of media outlets, as far as I have investigated so far, these journalists do not have a proper scientific background to understand what they are spouting, not the immediate words nor the far reaching implications.
I think the point here is, just because one reads something and one thinks they understands doesn't mean they do. I used to read medical notes before med school and thought I knew what they were all about. I didn't. Only now after years of med school do I truly realise that before med school, I knew nothing at all. One only knows how much more I will realise I don't know as my education continues.

Dr. Science or Dr. Fluff

2010-01-23T04:32:00.000-08:00

Doctors have got to be good at science and do all the fluffy stuff.

I wonder what is easier. Take a naturally empathic person and try to teach them science. Or take a person with natural aptitude for science and try to teach them empathy? I wonder if you can guess which one I started out as ;)

Well honestly, I can’t believe it, now I’ve learned my science I feel I’ve lost any sort of people skills I once had! A patient presents with X symptom and I’m thinking of all the possible causes and the questions I must get answered in order to rule out condition Y, I found myself interrupting the patient to ask these questions! “Yes, yes all very sad and I am sad for you, but I must ask is the pain worse on breathing out?!” The thing is, I would actually genuinely feel for any of these patients in real life. I do care! That’s the whole reason I want to be a doctor, I want to help people!

So in ten minutes shall I let them ‘elaborate the presenting complaint fully’ and tell me about the neighbours and their cat and make them feel appreciated and listened to? I have discovered from medical law these types of doctors get sued far less (!) They will probably be doing less for you than a more abrupt person. What did they actually do for you?

I don’t devalue counselling. Yet counselling is not what this is. This is medicine! If I was to help any patient medically, I need to get all the information, site of pain, aggravating and relieving factors, radiation, associated symptoms, risk factors, past medical history etc.. etc.. These questions take time!! The patient answering them takes time! How did I phrase it? Did they understand? Did I patronize them? Will they remember? This is the stuff I can use to decide condition Z unlikely, X treatment won’t help, most likely to be condition C, try this treatment. There’s no time for the fluffy stuff. Patient is probably going to feel brushed aside and insignificant. And will probably end up seeing me in court. Yet this approach although I’ve made them feel awful (not an intentional thing of course), I’ve actually tried to get some nitty-gritty science working for them.

All our consultants say “do both, do both!” So far this seems impossible in such a short consultation, perhaps as my medical knowledge grows I will be able to whizz through other things effortlessly and be able to spend time with appropriate silences and sympathy. So far I can only seem to do one or the other. Demonstrate my empathy, and I run out of time to get any medicine done. Get down to business and I come across as an uncaring cow who isn’t interested in you as a person, only in your symptoms or sees you as ‘the disease.’

So, I don’t know, I’m working on being able to do both. Just next time you see the doctor and they seem to fire questions at you, it doesn’t mean they don’t care about YOU as a person. If they are letting you elaborate about your neighbours, and you feel empowered question if they are they actually doing anything for you, not just sending you home with another bottle of Gaviscon..

Pass!

2009-12-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

Ever see those "You know you're a xx when..." and follows a list of funny things which, much of the time for me, happen to be true. In the case of the medical student my particular favourite is:

"It doesn't matter how much you study you always worry you're going to fail an exam"

Its something my non-medic friends fail to understand! If I was doing virtually any other degree the amount of hours I put in would make me disappointed if I didn't get the top grades! First! 4.0 GPA! 100% ! Yet these hours for medicine? I am not alone in my fears and think we all ask ourselves 'will I pass this time?'
I'm not one of those over-achievers that complain that they are 2% off the highest mark ever in the universe. I don't care. I am an achiever, sure. I had an offer for medical school, conditional on some very high grades and I made it. I did my extra curriculars, volunteer work, wrote a shining personal statement, (jumped through those hoops!).
Now I'm here it is a different ball game. Sometimes I think about the exams, its not just how am I going to pass it, but how does anyone anywhere manage to pass these exams?! When the tide turns and most of our former over achievers start being relieved, happy, delirious and celebratory with a pass (even a scrape) ... that's when you know you're in medical school!

Nightmare!

2009-12-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

I have never had exam related nightmares before!!

Now I see cardiology questions (I haven't revised this topic yet) and the invigilator sees me struggling and says... Why didn't you revise the cardiovascular system? ummm... I haven't had time (yet)

Or I see pH curves and glomerular filtration rates, peak flow volumes, reed-sternberg cells, stuff I've already passed exams in. I've just got to go over it all again! Seriously these nightmares are really quite frightening! and I can't start cardiology just yet, so many other topics to do!

"Make sure you have a break over xmas!" Like they are saying it because they have to say it, but I know if they were in my position (especially with all these nightmares) they would not rest, they would make sure they revise cardiology and respiratory and renal and reproduction etc.. etc..

Happy Revision-Mass to all with upcoming January exams :)

Hoop Jumping!

2009-12-09T12:39:00.000-08:00

Well hello hello!
It is exam season again and what better time to procrastinate and revive my old medical blog? Apart from the fact I had forgotten all my passwords and had to answer secret questions I had no idea of the answer to...

Sorry to all my fellow bloggers for abandoning you.

I read Samuel Shem's House of God. Been on my shelf for about four years before I picked it up. I really didn't want to, the review on the back saying its 'Catch 22 with stethoscopes' How can anything in medicine compare to the epic literary genius that is Catch 22? I mean Catch 22 starts off in a hospital, war and medicine and everything else to boot!
Despite myself though, I found myself liking (even enjoying House of God) and identifying with some parts in it. I don't have it to hand now, maybe next time, I don't remember the quotes verbatim and would like to share them faithfully.

A lot of medical school just seems to be hoop jumping, we're the dolphins. Perhaps the tasks initially had good intentions (like inter professional team working) yet making us sit and watch Casualty was patronizing to everyone in the room, student nurse, social worker and medic alike! Get this signed, that signed, hand that in, tick all these boxes, jump through this hoop... No it won't help you be a doctor but its a GMC requirement (oh really?) Then one day the hoops are over and you're a doctor, and no doubt have another set of hoops to start going! I imagine its the same for every profession. Thankfully for me I have finished all this curricular tick boxes and can now get down to the dirty business of revision. Once more!

Flagging?

2009-02-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

In line with my admiration for Susie Law School's ethos I'm telling myself

I love studying!

I love exams!

Knowing stuff is cool!

I do have pink tags and highlighters and all manner of funky stationary. I do have several spots in the library I can sit in and work away (snow not helping this new found motivation sorry to be such a killjoy but i'm an adult now responsibilities sadly)...

Medical school takes everything away. And when its taken everything it asks for a bit more. Even when one feels everything has been given med school will find something one didn't even realise they had and take it.

Colour Clash

2009-01-25T04:08:00.000-08:00

ooh pink and orange really clash! i'll have to change that on the blogs I am following... maybe.

and in the dissertation I worked my socks off on made sense of 40 journal articles and goodness knows how many texbook sections.. working and reworking, drafting and cutting and fine tuning and rewording and polishing and I received a pass grade. I suppose I did say coursework was not my strong point. I was (and in a way still am) actually proud of the finished article though. Mistakenly so?

Oh how I hate medicine.

I'm revising!

2008-12-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Awww... Crash Course you have saved me once again (after spending hours trying to make sense of topics in more respectable texts... ) well, hey at least its not wikipedia!

Not like one could just pick up a medical dictionary to get the answers.. so much more beneath the surface !

I am now always bemused as I think to daytime TV and their health slots. Once I found myself in front of Richard & Judy (back when they were on in the mornings) giving advice on fertility treatments and a lady who had shunned IVF in favour of GIFT "well tell me if this doesn't make perfect sense..." who then used her GCSE biology knowledge to explain the differences and why her method was superior.
Well I suppose I have spent hours making sense of this stuff, can't really expect people to understand it in one sitting.. but then if you are going to go on TV as an advocate of this ... I can't help but feel a little embarrassed for her...

Arrogant Brunette

2008-12-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

I knew I was right! I come home and check the journals and I am indeed right.

I was asked a question in a graded viva. I answered. He smiled gently... silly girl what does she know and corrected me. I was totally flummoxed and I must say a little cross. I have put my life into this research.. I know my stuff... I crammed and crammed and crammed... so to be completely destroyed by a man trying to pass himself off as affable and pleasant while sticking a knife in me ...
I was unable to mirror his smile.. I need to learn this. I must play their game smile sweetly and appeal to their better nature. Really considering how subjective viva marking is.. and how much effort I have devoted to this I can not afford to offend anyone, no matter how badly treated I feel..

Instead they probably think of me as the arrogant brunette with lots of mascara and an inability to laugh. I don't mean to display arrogance... but I am *so* well read on these topics... I'm ready I'm on fire. I did imagine me as CJ Cregg from the West Wing pulling no punches and taking no prisoners.. but unfortunately they pulled rank.
Practice perhaps at this kind of thing?!

hypocrisy...

2008-12-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Health is important and it should be promoted by health professionals... but disqualifying someone for political leadership because of lifestyle choices seems an infringement too far on civil liberties for me...

Why is it smoking people always get irate about? OK, sure smoking is bad.. but if you've been fully informed and want to do it anyway, its your choice and not anybody else's place to judge you. Seriously does every doctor get their five pieces of fruit & veg? Exercise?! Not carry an extra 10lbs around the abdomen?! hmmm.... Just declaring non-smoker status suddenly grants them entry to the ultrafit?!
How about this, instead of enforcing a non-smoker policy, the next prime minister can't be overweight. At all. Less socially acceptable enforcing a 'no fatties' club? Obesity is going to be more of a problem for us in the next 20 years than smoking.... so put that in your pipe and smoke it!

NB: For the record I don't smoke at the moment but often contemplate starting. therefore I feel a fellowship with my smoking comrades.

CV building

2008-10-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Do you, fellow bloggers, ever worry about someone stealing an idea, expanding it, making it ultimately better, distancing it just enough to be different to yours, publishing it & getting the credit?

I wouldn't be so competitive.. but FY1 forms! Start CV building! Extra-Curriculars! Does ruin the atmosphere of free debate & discussion though... Arguably one gets a higher readership from blogging than 'official' publications aimed at ourselves...
A few medical journalists will be out there yes, but CV builders in the majority?
Perhaps I might trot down to the library to leaf through a few...

Coursework Vs. Exams

2008-10-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Decision: I am an exam girl over coursework.... although I have stretched myself to the maximum doing the last bit of coursework (hence my absence) & really do hope the grade reflects the graft!
Research, publishing.... while I was doing this seemingly evil task I just kept thinking how an earth do people survive masters & phDs? I toyed with the idea of doing a phD .... indeed some of my counsel has been I can't get into this speciality or that without one, so stressful though! The carefully crafted nuances (I should post more to practise this!) unlike the scrawl of exam scripts...

Next up: A presentation! I think this is going to be more enjoyable than essays though as I'll get to play around with colours and use pictures. Need to teach myself the finer points of power point and see if I can't insert a few nonoffensive jokes into the subject matter....

Secret Status Jargon Decoder

2008-08-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

oh dear oh dear oh dear.
I went to see a nurse today who told me the glands in my neck were up. (I have been ill recently).
"Glands?!" I said, "aren't they lymph nodes?"
"You have glands all over your body, under your arms, in your groin"
"ah, you do mean lymph nodes!"

We then had a good natured argument where she brought up some pictures on the internet displaying what were from my perspective, diagrams of lymph nodes and salivary glands..when I revealed my status as a med student..
Goodness me if I mistook a salivary gland for a lymph node (on a simplistic diagram) I imagine my professor of anatomy would want me taken outside & flogged.
Still, perhaps this is not exactly her area. Yet she has the power to prescribe. I wonder how much extra knowledge she should have.. and lymph nodes/salivary glands probably isn't majorly significant.. I'm not sure.

Dangerous Depletion of phosphorous

2008-08-01T11:25:00.001-07:00

I've joined a dieting community and started another blog just ranting about my constant struggle to lose a few.. or 20lbs to get the to die for bikini body (nothing to do with health I'm sorry to say, I just want to look good, in this regard I am shallow, yes!)
Some of those dieters are really cranky! Especially when I've been lectured about metabolism "your body doesn't work that way"(explanation point!) and the dangerous depletion of phosphorous caused by drinking diet cola! I haven't come clean and told them I'm a med student... after all it did take a term & some cramming for metabolism, gastrointestinal and urinary to all fit together, can't expect to explain it in one reply. I did join for support more along the lines of 'how to be a social butterfly and not go over your calorie allowance' rather than sound nutritional advice.
Still, does give me some insight into lay beliefs about nutrition I suppose !

I'll smile sweetly the next time I'm lectured about the dangers of diet coke ;)

Medical Histories' impact on Medical Students

2008-06-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog World! Am out of the exam zone, the compulsory celebratory excesses & subsequent recoveries!

Couple of topics I have been ruminating on lately. I have a friend who would be an excellent candidate for medicine, she is brilliant at sciences, hardworking and a caring considerate person to boot. However having a history of mental illness she thinks this automatically excludes her from the profession. She now has to use a walking aid, something else she thinks will exclude her.
Also TV has a lot to answer for! Apparently there has been some 'documentary' on recently about "doctors who hear voices..." saying that one can be signed off for depression but this isn't sufficient for an episode of psychosis. Apparently, according to the drama says they can no longer be a doctor. What their status actually is, is left unexplained.
I happen to know a few people in medicine with histories of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. My friend remarks 'well they obviously haven't declared it' actually they have. In one instance it was a consultant who did something for the former patient, now med student's UCAS application. Then she says being a med student is not the same as applying for a job, which I had to disagree with... the stringent requirements & conditions to get into med school are far greater than my one professional job. Being on a ward with a badge that says 'medical student' immediately brings responsibilities & priviledges, arguably beyond that status accorded to any other undergraduate course.
I would like to get my information from slightly more credible sources than television "documentaries" but I'm not sure where to start with this, GMC guidelines? I did know about people in wheelchairs not being 'suitable candidates' but with regards to the walking aid, how far does this rule go?

In other news a consultant teacher asked me for an answer the other day and I was totally flummoxed when he (pleasantly) told me I was wrong! I was so adament I was right I had to go home & check a number of sources which agreed with me! I feel vindicated (I do know something after all thank goodness) but dearie me I hope he is not marking any exams any time soon!

Desert Island Books

2008-04-22T12:33:00.000-07:00

The best book I have ever read in my life is a textbook. (Yes, really!)

"How to think straight about psychology" by Keith E. Stanovich, it could easily be called "How to think straight about science" My perceptions about almost everything changed, it truly was a fascinating process, so simple so clear and so accurate!
I wish I could persuade medics to read it. I did write to Professor Stanovich & ask him to re-package it as a book for medics :D

"How to think straight about medicine" it could work! Maybe as pre-reading.

Subject Matter

2008-04-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

I love anatomy! Yet I hate physiology, persevering with it and waiting for that moment of understanding when it will all make perfect sense... ;D

Medical Education

2008-04-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Learning the good old fashioned way! I think I am suited to a more traditional approach to learning. Not making any claims about PBL, I've never done any at my med school.

Just learning systems.. I would have preferred to learn anatomy of pharynx, thyroid and oral cavity (& the rest of head and neck) together instead of splitting them into respiratory, endocrine & gastrointestinal systems. Physiology too, acid base requires renal & respiratory systems to be studied concurrently.
For clinical applications & pathology I find the systems approach useful less so for anatomy & physiology.

So I am boycotting this approach. I am starting again in my anatomy textbook from page one.
Perhaps I am an old dinosaur after all.

Politics

2008-04-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of medically qualified MPs out there.. so why not have one of them as health minister? Is it naive of me to think they might have more insight?
Of course if they have to follow the party line of the day it might not make much difference anyway..

Another one on dieting...

2008-04-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

"The vegetarian lo-carb diet cookbook'. I'm not a fan of low carb diets, but finding recipes that are both vegetarian & low calorie/fat (& that I also like the taste of, aren't too time consuming to make, don't have ridiculously expensive ingredients) are a little hard to come by.
This book is a joke. One of the 'meals' has one ingredient! Cheese. Bake it for 30 minutes, then eat. This is the author's idea of a balanced healthy meal?! This is going to fill one up?! In the introduction the author also recommends buying ingredients that are illegal in the UK (stevia...)

I can laugh at this & use it to make healthier variations on the recipes but I imagine there are vulnerable people out there desperate to lose weight that will cling to anything.

A doctor I don't want to emulate...

2008-04-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

A lecturer I had recently was very unforgiving about patients he has that suffer from obesity. "We don't know why that message doesn't get through" (in reference to advising patients to lose weight).
If people do have sufficient education about healthy eating, benefits of exercise, how sticking to a particular diet will help their heart problem/lung/kidney whatever and yet they still continue to overeat then there must be other factors at work. He is right we don't know why, in fact from my former studies in psychology "we remain a long way from any semblance of justification of complacency in weight regulation; significant poundage losses are still in the minority and long term maintenance has remained unexamined"

Yet has he tried to explore these psychological issues with his patients?
His patients didn't do what they were told (eat less) and he was angry about this and then proceeded to tell a lecture hall full of students. Clearly his attitude is going to have a therapeutic effect on patients and help them to lose weight.

That bloke has obviously never been on a diet in his life.

Is Sympathy Necessary for Trivial Health Problems?

2008-03-31T12:46:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine, a student paramedic "Mindy" was called out recently to see a girl that had called an ambulance for a very trivial health problem. Now for the problem itself I probably would not have called an ambulance and wasted precious NHS resources (toe the party line!) but this fellow healthcare professional student was suggesting this girl needed no treatment at all.
She was shocked when I said if it was my body, I probably would pester my GP with it, or at the very least go and see the practise nurse. Mindy remarked how this girl had a friend with her who could have sorted the problem. Well, if our friends can sort out our health problems why bother with any sort of medical /nursing training at all?
What about genuine anxiety from this girl or other patients with seemingly trivial health problems? How often is it that the most painful things have no other symptoms? I ruminated over the many ridiculous things I have been to see various doctors about over the course of my life and each one has shown me sympathy and gently advised me every single time. How lucky I haven't run into any Mindys. "I've done worse than that" she tells me, forgetting that one is supposed to put the patient first. Its their experience that matters here.
Also I worry about the opinions.. the more I study medicine the more I realise I didn't understand much about it before! Quote from Mindy "Well it would be a shit doctor that gave antibiotics for that" ?! Then I hazily explain something about facial veins connection to brain and risks of encephalitis. Mindy isn't qualified to make that statement and for that matter, neither am I. It is one thing for the general public and the media saying outlandish things and criticising but what about healthcare professionals working together in clinician led interdisciplinary teams?

Dream Time

2008-03-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Every night lately I have a dream where I have succumbed to some condition. Last night for example, I dreamed I had an M.I. (heart attack) during lectures. (I did have some chest pains earlier in that day which might have triggered it but in no way think I am going to have one soon, I'm not *that* much of a hypochondriac) There have been numerous other conditions... and they get progressively more embarrasing. Detrusor instability, ulcerative colitis, sterrhoea. In one dream I explained to someone I didn't recognise about how visceral afferents conduct pain in a retrograde direction. Revision is.. taking over my sleep! :D

Hospital Dramas...

2008-03-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

After an OSCE where I was slightly flummoxed as to the problem, I recalled an episode of a non-hospital tv programme that just happened to have a doctor in it. I repeated the somewhat unorthodox answer that this tv doctor had given. My examiner was taken aback "interesting" he remarked "its possible, but not what we're looking for here" This allowed me the time to think through it and get the answer they did want.

Well, clearly I need to watch more hospital dramas, I thought to myself. Yet after trying them out I find I really don't get on with any of them... scrubs, house, casualty... that enticing afternoon 'doctors' show. I wonder if I am the only one to find them a cross between sally jessy rapheal and the most tedious lecture one has ever been in. They can't even be so bad that they are unintentionally funny, its a little hard to laugh at a character who has just been diagnosed with cancer. I'm sticking with textbooks.

Class War at Medical School!

2008-02-29T12:27:00.000-08:00

Getting students from poorer backgrounds into medical school is a laudable goal and if they have the ability and deemed to have the 'right qualities' worthy of becoming a future doctor, I do believe they should equal chance with more affluent candidates at winning a place at medical school.

Leaving arguments about better schooling, supportive home of educated, middle class parents and the gem of private tuition, I am bewildered by the attitudes of some of my current teachers which perpetuate the advantage of the middle classes.*

Just one example. Follow up a few patients for two years. Again, I agree with this I see the value of going into patient's homes, getting to know them, seeing things from their point of view. Yet why do all the patients have to be so far away from our university city? Our GP tutor told us "we'd be getting very familiar with the bus route to this town" and chuckled to himself. The half of my group that have cars smiled. It is two buses actually to get there and the second one is over an hour's duration. I find to keep on top of things I do six hours of private study plus lecture attendance, six days a week. Such wasted time commuting is really felt and missed! There are plenty of deprived inner and outer city areas in our university city full of people we could visit instead.
The community lecturers seem to assume we are a homogenous group, us med students. Of course we're all middle class and live in leafy suburbs, have been privately educated and have never even seen an area of inner city deprivation. They also seem to assume any financial trouble, caused by excess drinking of course (what else) and our parents from our perfect 2.4 families will be able to bail us out. Laughing at my lunchbox with my lunch in it! "But you don't really have to worry about money do you? Not like mee" She could take tips from me on saving money and then I wouldn't have to hear how poor she is. One does have to take responsibility for their own spending, whatever class they are.
I wish they would assume less and ask more. Not give us nonsense assignments of going on buses to outer city areas. (My group, not realising this was a requirement essential to future understanding of our patient's lives, all chipped in to get a taxi, to the disappointment of the session leader).
I did wonder earlier if the med school was 'testing us' to see how we would handle the pressure and juggling so many assignments that they throw at us. Lectures, Patient visits, studying, reflection, hospital visits, (you don't need sleep right?) and of course its only going to get worse when you're a doctor, this is nothing, get a grip!)
I now think they are far too disorganised to have even conceptualised such a notion! Yes, I can handle it but I see that it could be made easier for us.
I'm loving it actually, despite the tone of this post! Reading up on eye disorders tonight :D

*No, I'm not a Marxist, socialist or a working class person. I don't hate the rich, simply illustrating a point.

Idols

2008-02-24T13:13:00.001-08:00

Sir John Mortimer starts every day with a glass of champagne. It doesn't seem like a wholly bad idea...

Just a Little Dig...

2008-02-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

This week I have been subject to a series of seemingly pointless lectures given by people who tried to win us over and justify their positions. I am all for interdisciplinary team work among fellow professionals. Nurses, counsellors, social workers, doctors, yes.

'Play support therapists?!' I'm sorry but no. From the lectures they gave us they came across as general busy bodies, running around the hospital and keeping up with the gossip! (Do they think they are actually on a hospital tv show?!)
The NHS is struggling for cash.. heard that argument before! How is this a good use of funds? The job description seems something that should be and I imagine is done by any decent caring parent, there should not* be any need for this position.
*OK, some parents are more caring than others. Some are abusive, but there are already fully trained social workers and therapists and so on to deal with such circumstances. (Indeed, from the specs it does not look like play support therapists are expected to work with traumatised children).
If money is to be spent it should be subsidising the parents to take time off work to look after their child? Or funding programmes like SureStart if the parents (& children) need education? One of the job requirements of 'play support therapist' is to 'advise parents or carers about the value of play'. Because parents what, don't know that?!

http://www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/profiles/profile858/

Multi Disciplinary Team Working

2008-02-17T13:22:00.000-08:00

Not everyone wants to become a doctor. Some intelligent people (arguably more intelligent than us) weigh up the pros and the cons of various healthcare jobs. For them, nursing or social work or counselling or whatever it is, is not a second choice to medicine. It isn't that they aren't intelligent enough or dedicated enough, it is their decision not to enter the sometimes ~~suicidal~~ medical course. I do realise that this hasn't been the case in the past so present experiences with healthcare teams may not reflect those to come.
Nor are doctors turned into deities upon honour of this magical five year degree and subsequent training. (Although I do wonder what exactly he means when my consultant referrs to us, his teaching group, as 'the chosen few'). They know more because they have been in education for an eternity! That certainly isn't for everyone!
In the face of recent tragedies due to lack of inter disciplinary communication it is vital that multidisciplinary teamworking should not be trivialised. So far my experiences in this have involved watching an episode of a hospital drama. The sort of hospital drama that has been made for the lowest common denominator. You know the ones I mean, the ones with absolute authenticity, believable style acting and suspense plot thrilling twists. Then we sat around in 'multidisciplinary groups' and discussed the actors' emotions and issues that the episode had brought up. I can't remember feeling that patronised since I was a child! As I think I have made quite clear I respect allied health professionals as intelligent individuals and they felt as patronised as I did. This is our multi disciplinary team work?! At least we were unified in our dismay.
What a wasted opportunity! Getting students from all sides in the same room! Why couldn't we have discussed our concerns for our future careers? What we thought we expected from other healthcare professionals? What we will do in the face of conflict? What about role-plays? OK not perfect and I can hear some groans already but seriously how does sitting around and watching a cringesome hospital drama help anyone?

Evidence Based Medicine

2008-02-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how much negativity otherwise intelligent medical students have about this concept... it seems totally logical to me that of course we should test treatments to see if they are actually doing any good to patients (or indeed harming them).
I remember my non medic friends in my days before medical school about various symptoms 'well of course its that that caused it' don't they realise that it is precisely that kind of thinking that the profession (and the public) needs to get away from? (Incidentally they were wrong, but that is besides the point). They may laugh about leeches and blood-letting but if we don't test the treatments properly, how do we know that we aren't just using modern day versions of leeches?! How is that beneficial or indeed ethical to patients?

Its amusing actually, during my first degree I read a book bascially illustrating how the study of psychology was a strict academic discipline (real psychologists that is, not ones that study ghosts, astrology or hypnotism) and how rigourous the tests were. The author used the example of a comparison with medical research to add strength to his arguments. I can see why, medicine, despite whatever ongoing media storm still has credibility and respect from the public that the social sciences don't, but oh how undeserved!!

I don't think enough emphasis is being placed on this. Is it too much to ask that my 18 year old collegues take this subject seriously? Perhaps they are not being taught sufficiently well. I think throwing in all these studies without even mentioning Popper is misguided.
My first degree taught me how to think scientifically, concepts such as falisfiability, that correlation doesn't equal causation, validity etc.. are second nature to me now. I am still waiting for medicine to catch up. Surely, in the field of medicine arguably more is at stake so they need to hurry up?

Rucksac Day

2008-02-10T15:00:00.001-08:00

Tommorrow I am out for 12 hours. This is, by my own volition. Library for 9 o clock, lectures in the afternoon and a society meeting in the evening, finishing at 9pm.
This sort of hectic busy life is fine, great even.. except for the rucksac. A 12 hour day means I need to cart around with me all the books I need for the day, stationary, notes, notepads, ring binders, a jumper and spare socks (the library can get cold and my feet often get wet), society items, waterbottle, 2 lunchboxes (one for lunch and another for dinner), I can't afford to eat in the uni canteens it would end up costing me about £25 weekly (my entire weekly food budget is less than that) and I am always watching my weight, there isn't really anything 'calorie controlled' on offer that suits me and thirdly, in my own humble opinion, I can cook a lot better than the canteen mistresses reheated delights of the day.
Others remark on how big my bag is, but most of the time it is a struggle to get everything I need into it.. but it doesn't do a lot for my image. Certainly doesn't match any of my outfits! and yes, I know it is not good for one's back! I don't see how other ladies manage with such small bags? they do all their studying at home... they eat in restaurants (or at home)...
and how can they walk 30mins to uni in heels? 15 mins at a push, but 30?!
I want to be more fashionable but it doesn't seem likely!!

It took me 90 minutes to type out a revision list for pre-clinical exam. My list of topics is 7 pages long! I hope a lot of it is in my head already.... ;)

A Weekend of Work!

2008-02-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

I went to the library both Saturday & Sunday this weekend, go me! Partly this was because friends cancelled on me.. so I had nothing better to do! (or nothing to distract me at least)

Five hours spent on the histology of the male and female reproductive tracts though... (surely I could have done this in less time?) Seriously carting all these books with me.. I'll do this, go through that and in the end I only my histology atlas!

I want to sort this out uber early.. revision for that big scary pre-clinical exam coming up soon!
It seems phenomenal to shove three years worth of work into one exam. I always mean to revise as I go along.. review 1 session a day or something, except I can't carry all my first & second year notes around with me... and keeping on top of current work is quite time consuming by itself! I tell myself I'll read over a mind map before bed (which happens on and off) Though I suppose many medics before me have all managed and passed to go on to the even scarier clinicals.
Then I have a dissertation to write also.. although we have been given a deadline we haven't been given any guidelines for it yet (!) Sketched out a few ideas yesterday though.

In other news I have a job interview! This will cut down on my time even further but it will reduce my stress levels as money worries seem to concern me most at the present time. (I am pre-clinical so I expect that to change)
It is 5.30pm on a Sunday evening. I think it is time for a bit of online shopping!

Presentarle!

2008-02-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

This week my seminar group nominated a person to do the presentation at the very last second (it was me!) None of them would even come and stand at the front of the class while I presented to the other groups but I don't mind really, public speaking doesn't bother me.
In fact I thrive on it. (Not that I love the sound of my own voice) capturing an audience.. getting them interested in a subject, being able to elicit a room full of laughter from an originally crafted joke! I love presenting if I have the research to support it.
So why was my entire group in fits of giggles while I gave the talk, relieving them of any responsibility? Apparently I'm 'so professional' perhaps a little overly so?! This is after all only a seminar. References made to my vocabulary "where are you getting these words from?!" They were in the recommended reading!
Hmm next time I might be tempted to fight back with a "Sindy, please be quiet this is for your learning" only, 1, I'm not sure I could say it with a straight face and 2, it would ultimately lead to more laughter all round! Seriously though.. I wonder how they see me? Have I already morphed into one of those eccentric lecturers with really bad dress sense and mauve lipstick?! oh dear...

Medic vs. Lawyer

2008-02-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

A finding so unexpected... having read varieties of both medic and lawyer blogs, it is the medics who seem so bitter, angry, dissastified and depressed!
I wonder why this is? I think if they are honest most medics/lawyers have looked over to the other side and considered it before embarking on their chosen path. Do medics sit themselves on some sort of moral highground (we are on a crusade for the NHS, all else must be sacrificed!) but lawyers, (excepting human rights lawyers and those that do exclusive pro bono of course) are honest with themselves from the start.. Doctors and lawyers both do extremely long hours with unhealthy levels of stress.* I do wonder why doctors should seem so much more dissatisfied with their lot than lawyers? Yes, doctors have terrible conditions, and pay rows and all sorts of things happening right now but I do not imagine the life of a lawyer to be completely without its problems. (It could just be that unhappy lawyers blog less, venting their frustrations via other outlets..)

I have succumbed to some of this negativity. Yet medical school exams are unlike any other. It is possible to get a 90% overall yet fail to hit threshold in one question (therefore failing the entire paper). I can't allow myself to feel that I am a lazy person or less intelligent if this happens to me.

So to that end, I am going to inject some new enthusiasm into my mode of study. I do love medicine. It is my first choice, my dream choice career. I remember going to a medlink conference where they told everyone to put in their personal statements 'I welcome the academic challenge that studying medicine will bring' Well I genuinely do. Tommorrow I shall go to the library with my Netter's and Gray's anatomy flashcards (I have two sets like a true geek) and get to grips with the head and neck.
No doubt, if I do have any readers they are all laughing because positivity in a pre-clincial student is irrelevant?

*Classic British understatement.

AS chemistry

2008-01-29T11:48:00.000-08:00

I still have my little A5 sized Collins Instant Revision AS chemistry study guide. That little book was such a help to me, I used it every day... I'm not sure I can ever let it go.

Plus I imagine there is more chemistry to come at the medical school :)

Interactive Encyclopedia

2008-01-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

The start of a new semester dawns. Tommorrow!!

I am enthusiastic, I don't think it is too unrealistic to want to be fluent in Spanish and French in about five years time... provided I keep up with them. I am going to do an hour of languages a day, three days a week French and three days a week Spanish, with a 'medical orient' to them. Have some medical dictionaries to go and pick up tommorrow actually to aid my quest for learning.
That said, I am going to force myself to write a reasonably regular diary in said languages, so please forgive the odd entry you might find with umpteen errors, all part of the learning process!

Exams were rock hard. I had memorised every learning objective, one can imagine the amount of effort that that task had taken and yet there were still things on the exam paper that I had never heard of before! It was not just a simple memory test, real application of knowledge and that is a skill I need to develop this semster! I suppose any old parrot can memorise a few textbooks but we need to become encyclopedias. Interactive encyclopedias with problem solving algorithms.

Revision!

2007-04-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am bored of revision already and it is only day two of a twenty day marathon... weekends excluded. The evening sun is shining on the trees. Soon there shall be many colourful flowers. Perhaps I can revise outside?

2007-03-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

hello.