work-life balance

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

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[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

Active Revision Techniques

How To Do Uni Readings

How to Revise BIG Subjects

Common Study Mistakes

hi friends! i’ve been falling behind with my studies, so i’m doing this challenge to add a bit more accountability. my first goal is to catch up! ✏️ 💪

14/100 days of productivity (02.05.2021)

pulled an all-nighter to study for a big exam

09.27.19

im currently in the uk for an apworld trip, it’s been pretty rainy but still so beautiful!! still a lil jetlagged though, but doing homework on the plane is suprisingly calming :0

MDCalc - just a whole load of medical calculations so you can stop having to google what each one requires - like CURB65, Well’s, etc

I use the following:

MDCalc, for all your well’s score and other calculator needs. you have to sign up, but it’s free. I love having most of the medical formulas I’ll need in one place. The multiple  icons you see there are links to the web pages for the calculators before the app included them all.

The BNF- now you don’t need an athens email, and all BNFs are combined in one app. I use it very frequently; it’s basically a best friend. Naturally, it doesn’t replace my friendly neighbourhood pharmacist; it just saves me asking them silly questions. NICE also have guildelines up as an app. 

iResus. I redid my ALS recently, but it’s nice to have the algorithms in an app. Useful revision aid.

Microguide. Most trusts I’ve worked at have used this app to make their microbiology guidelines accessible. Your ID team will love you if you refer to the guide before asking simple questions like “What do I give for HAP?”. The BNF will lie; always go for your local protocol if at all possible.

Induction. YuMost hospitals have all the relevant bleeps on it. If they don’t, add them in or update them. I’m always ruthless about adding and updating wherever I work. Plus, you can switch hospitals, so if you need the contact number for the oncall gastroenterologist at another trust? Why not bypass as many switchboards as possible, and save everybody the hassle?

Dr Toolbox. It’s like Induction but for some specific trusts, and it can have lots of useful information. If your trust uses this, it’s worth a shot. 

Pastest. Self-explanatory. Passmedicine and RCPmasterclass don’t have apps. If you’re doing exams, doing them on your phone is pretty convenient. Doesn’t make the revision hurt any less, but you get it done a bit more easily.

Your usual phone calculator. Your 3am brain can’t always be trusted. If you aren’t feeling confident with your mental maths, that’s what technology is for.

Your alarm/watch/timer. Self explanatory. I set far too many alarms due to different shift patterns and my pathological need to snooze alarms. Hopefully you won’t max out the number allowed (Hint: it’s 50 on a Samsung).

A decent Flashlight app. You need to check those pupils and your penlight died three oncall shifts ago? Your phone has you covered.

Whatsapp. Whether you want to or not, you’ll be added to a million workplace related groups - watch out for the ones with the consultants on them. They may save your bacon a few times - remember to add anyone useful to your contacts. ALSO remember to add anyone useful in the following format: Dr Jeevan Patel paeds consultant DGH. Trust me on this one; in a few years you may have a dozen colleagues or former colleagues called Sarah or Dr Patel or whatever, and you will NOT remember who these people are. Your brain tells you that you will always know, but your brain is a liar.

Outlook, Email, whatever. You’ll need to check your email a lot. You can also put a link to the NHSmail website directly to your phone homepage if you choose. I recommend getting an NHSmail address as soon as possible; it’s really useful for getting information securely from other trusts. 

A period tracker, if you’re of the menstruating persuasion. This isn’t a medical app, but when you’re done with oncalls, you won’t even remember who you are, let alone when your last period was. Oh, they may also become irregular from the stress and messed up circadian rhythm.

A good calendar app. I upload every shift type onto my brightly coloured Samsung calendar. When you can barely remember what day it is, you really want to know what shift type you are working.

Various Transport apps. Make sure you can work out how to get home safely after that 3am shift in A&E. Make sure you have your local area’s taxi app, too.

Doodle. You’ll want to see your friends sometimes.

Your bank app. It’s really satisfying seeing your account go £££ on payday. There are also apps you can use to budget.

NHS meds safety. A fun app from the Manchester Pharmacy school testing your med safety knowledge. Not for work, but good for new FY1s.

I used to have a few of those ECG identification apps and murmur apps for fun, but I might have gotten rid of them, now.

I use Genetics4M to swot up on obscure genetic diseases, so when I present my patients I know exactly what to watch out for.

If you couldnt tell, plants are my favorite study buddies🌿 My desk area is looking a little hectic today.. 😅

• Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo •

This book jointly won the 2019 Booker Prize, and I can understand why! Girl, Woman, Other has to be one of my favourite books ever - I absolutely devoured it.

It is predominantly about the black British female experience, and is quite ambitious in that it has 12 narrators, whose lives intertwine. It’s definitely very character driven, rather than being plot heavy, but that suits me. Despite being in third person, and the fact that each narrator is so different, I thought it was incredible how Evaristo allows us to really understand the worldview of each narrator, and their perceptions of the other characters are challenged when you then step into their minds. The ending tied it together so beautifully.

This story is so relevant at the moment, with the Black Lives Matter movement. I hope people read it, because the book really encourages empathy, which we need so much right now.