Primum non nocere

I’m still here, pootling along, studying medicine. I passed everything last year (woop!), scoring a nice high 2nd decile in CPH-PPD but an uncomfortable 8th decile in BCS - but, looking at it, I was aiming for 60% and there were only a few areas that let me down.

Given I didn’t study at all over the eater break due to personal reasons and the like, i think I did alright in the end. This year I’m much more determined to make my exams looks a little better, trying to spend more of my time studying rather than procrastinating, which is - as always - a challenge.

I’ev already been on placement this year - a week in the respiratory dept. of my wonderful university hospital, which was insightful and very enjoyable. 

I’m tasked, now, though, with my SSC.

My titles is ‘Sex and Death’ as a broad scope but I’m being an ass and focusing in on the relationships between sex, death and identity with Hannibal. Because the fuck not.

(It’s encouraged we have a fictional source material, I would add, I’m not taking something clinical and twisting it in the way I want, I promise)

put that thing back where it came from or so help me

let me see what lecture is next on my

oh okay that’s not too

.... bad

is it...

Today I finished my last day of 5 (technically) on my Early Years Clinical Experience placement.

I was placed on the radiology and geriatrics rotation, which is not quite as full on as either the medicine or the surgery rotation, but I will be able to experience both of those next year.

Radiology was on wednesday, thursday and friday last week, with the wednesday being made up of lectures only on the specialism and then the dangers/truths about ionising radiation!

Thursday I got to experience general x-ray and A&E x-ray, which mostly involved standing around watching people be scanned. As it was the middle of the day/the morning, A&E was pretty quiet, but I did get to follow the radiographer over to resus to watch the two patients there get chest x-rays from the pretty cool GLaDOS like x-ray machine that literally comes down from the ceiling!

After a long lunch (and many odd half hour coffee breaks), my partner and I got to go to ultrasound! There we had our first run in with an actual radiologist (the consultant), as well as two registrars, and we were able to observe two gentlemen having ultrasound guided prostate biopsies taken. That was definitely the most interesting part of the day!

Friday we spent two hours sitting in with the radiographers and radiologist in the St James’ Wing (and A&E feed) CT, which again was interesting but, as it was the morning, rather quiet.

Overall radiology wasn’t that ‘exciting’, per se, but interesting none the less. If I were to suggest an improvement, it would probably be making it a little more hands on for us first years (though I’m not sure how that would be achieved!)

The last couple of days (monday and today this week) have been in the Senior Health wards. We had communication workshops with each other before being given a patient with dementia or delirium in our pairs to talk to and take a history from, which posed an interesting challenge to some people! Then we were let loose and able to see out other assigned patient to take a much fuller history from that we would then present today.

There was a teaching ward round yesterday afternoon, which was interesting but a little awkward with four medical students following the registrar around and listening to patients’ chests.

As part of the two year EYCE programme we have a sheet with clinical skills that we need to get signed off. I spent much of this morning on the Heberden ward following a lovely HCA and learning a lot about day to day patient care and practising these skills.

These ranged from being able to dispose properly of clinical waste and wearing protective equipment for procedures to taking a blood glucose level and feeding an elderly patient.