HAPPINESS! :D
Got my uni results yesterday! Full marks! 4 out of 4! Which is awesome! I was totally afraid that I would fail one of the stations because it totally threw me off but after hearing from a friend that the examiner only failed one student in our session, I felt über confident that I would get 4 out of 4. The other 3 stations were relatively easy.
It made me think how far I’ve come these 3.5 years. It has been a harrowing journey (actually just last year) but it’s all good now. I love what I’m doing and although I still feel inadequate, I feel like I am capable of at least doing the basic for my patients now.
For example, I inserted a catheter into this patient today and although I have not done one in over 6 months, I knew what I had to do and having the consultant praise me for my good work and to see the catheter draining well is so rewarding. It was a difficult patient as well as there was a lot of swelling in the area. That made me feel like I can be useful, even now, just as a medical student.
Just had a palliative care session with the palliative doctors. It is so different - the management of palliative treatment. Why would the other doctors continue prescribing simvastatin for a patient who only has 3 weeks to live? Would you prescribe Clexane for a patient who has advanced lung cancer and is immobile? Would you prescribe anti-depressants for a patient who has recently deteriorated and is dying in the next few weeks?
How do you make a patient comfortable? What does palliative care really mean?
Got my uni results yesterday! Full marks! 4 out of 4! Which is awesome! I was totally afraid that I would fail one of the stations because it totally threw me off but after hearing from a friend that the examiner only failed one student in our session, I felt über confident that I would get 4 out of 4. The other 3 stations were relatively easy.
- Take a history in a 25yo G1P0 22/40 lady presenting with PR bleeding. Just don't misread it as PV bleeding. Some of my friends did. And so did i initially until I saw that I'm the 'surgical intern'. Differentials and management.
- Take a history from 50+ yo man with sudden onset chest pain with a hx of trauma to L shin after being kicked by the horse (yes we're in Australia). List of differentials and investigations.
- Shoulder examination of a 30+ yo male who presented with shoulder pain after vigorous window cleaning over the weekend. Dx - supraspinatus tendonitis. This was the one that threw me off because I don't exactly know how to examine a shoulder but still managed to do the basic Look-Feel-Move-Special Tests
- Motivational Interviewing - 45yo lady who came in for >45yo screening test. Impaired fasting glucose. Explain to her what that means, the next investigation and advise her on lifestyle changes. She also had a daughter with Asperger's which made it difficult for her to exercise because she had to keep an eye on her. ><
It made me think how far I’ve come these 3.5 years. It has been a harrowing journey (actually just last year) but it’s all good now. I love what I’m doing and although I still feel inadequate, I feel like I am capable of at least doing the basic for my patients now.
For example, I inserted a catheter into this patient today and although I have not done one in over 6 months, I knew what I had to do and having the consultant praise me for my good work and to see the catheter draining well is so rewarding. It was a difficult patient as well as there was a lot of swelling in the area. That made me feel like I can be useful, even now, just as a medical student.
Just had a palliative care session with the palliative doctors. It is so different - the management of palliative treatment. Why would the other doctors continue prescribing simvastatin for a patient who only has 3 weeks to live? Would you prescribe Clexane for a patient who has advanced lung cancer and is immobile? Would you prescribe anti-depressants for a patient who has recently deteriorated and is dying in the next few weeks?
How do you make a patient comfortable? What does palliative care really mean?
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