Guide to Clinical Year

The key to surviving clinical year lies in mastering the art of loitering.

Yes, loitering.

More specifically, loitering with intent.

A lot of time is spent hanging around in ward corridors, in front of the nurses station, outside procedure rooms, in the hallways of clinics, waiting for things to happen.

We're always waiting for something.

The general idea is to loiter around with the purpose of gaining learning opportunities. Most of the time a nice kind soul will see you standing there and take you under their wing.

Hang around the nurses station and ask if there are any jobs to be done, any patients to clerk or anyone with interesting clinical signs and symptoms.

Seek and you shall find, but don't seek too hard, you might end up observing a complicated five hour neobladder construction surgery on a Friday afternoon.

Loitering is all well and good, but sometimes it might take hours before anything exciting happens, as such no loitering medical student is complete without the companionship of the trusty Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine.

Why not spend your time learning something new while waiting for the consultant to turn up for teaching?

I'd suggest eponymous syndromes. They are good for impressing people with your extensive knowledge of weird and wonderful diseases. They are fun, random, and more often than not completely useless.

You are now ready to take on clinical year, armed with your Oxford Handbook and newfound skill of loitering.

Seen Outside Medschool

THERE ARE NO MORE PLACES ON OUR MBCHB COURSE. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COME SEE ADMISSIONS TUTOR [insert name here] IN HIS OFFICE TO APPEAL. THANK YOU.

[name of admissions tutor]

Just thought it was rather random to put a sign like that, with his name and position, right outside medschool.

I wonder sometimes

While being the SHO's clerking bitch the other day on MAU.

"Sorry sir, just to clarify, did you just tell me that you have been passing blood in your water for 13 days?"
"Yes, 13 days."
"Every time you pass water, every single day, for 13 days?"
"Yes."
"And you say it's like passing red wine?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Any particular reason you decided to come into hospital today?"
(shrugs) "I'm still passing blood..."

Is it just me or does that strike anyone as rather odd?

Why Medicine?

It's one of the questions that everyone seems to ask, especially, especially UCAS personal statements and admissions tutors.

It also happens to be one of the questions I ask myself everyday when I get out of bed, which is perhaps not the best way to start your day.

Why medicine?

Oh, well you know, I've always wanted to be a medic, it's my destiny, my calling, my life will not be complete if I do not have Dr. in front of my name.

No, I didn't say that in my interview.

My official answer when faced with that question is simply, I like being challenged to solve puzzles.

I like putting the pieces together, connecting the dots, then sitting back and looking at the full picture glaring back at me. Medicine gives me the opportunity to do that.

Granted, many other professions do, perhaps just about any job you care to think of incorporates elements of problem solving... but I digress.

Truth is, I wouldn't know what else to do if not medicine.

But despite the daily doubting of my ability to survive in the world of health care, the constant confidence crushing at the hands of consultants and the early morning marathon ward rounds, I love every moment of it.

So there.

Trust me, I'm a medical student

The inaugural post.

It should probably tell the reader my background, who I am, what I stand for, my motives and my general purpose in life. But it won't, because I'm lazy and I really need sleep.

So why a blog?

I need money to put myself through medschool, doesn't matter how as long it's legit and not overly time consuming. So over the next couple of weeks, months or even years, dependent on when I can be bothered to do anything, expect to find this blog filled with pointless ads you don't want to see.

Hey, at least I'm being honest.

Now that formalities are out of the way, watch this space!