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The Anatomy Room 2007-10-21 18:36:00 I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time, and for whatever reasons have been put off until now. In my school, medical students have exclusive swipe card access to the anatomy room, which in itself is enough to feel a part of ‘the club’. Upon entry, it is not immediately clear that the room is for purposes of teaching anatomy for the tables are not the broad, detached metal slabs I had envisaged. Instead, the room is arranged more unevenly with walls separating the different tables and specimens.Walking around the room there were so many marvellous things to see and touch. There was a hard, dark, leathery liver on one table that was nothing like the sort of thing you’d see or feel in the living body. Still, I was captured for one moment as I aimlessly tried to figure out the different lobes and orientation in the body.Next, I walked over towards a leg, with the skin, fat layers and muscles partially removed so as to reveal the entirety on the legs anatomy. I gently re
Selected Study Modules 2007-10-21 09:49:00 In just a few weeks time we have to submit our preferences for the first year SSMs. These consist of two week blocks of teaching in a specific area of medicine designed to broaden our knowledge and open our minds to possible career options. Basically, the list has a few cool options and a load of bullshit looking ones (e.g. personal development skills and goal setting – yes for TWO WEEKS?!).In order to get a top choice SSM we’ve been advised to apply for modules with either lots of places or ones that aren’t considered mainstream (and therefore probably crap). Some of the SSMs I’m considering are:Dissection (Limbs) 64Neural and pharmacological control of body function 25Applied radiological anatomy 6Renal medicine and transplantation 6Clinical epilepsy 4Adiposity and adipokines 20Brain structure and function 40Reconstructive surgery 4 (Oooh I wish…)Numbers indicate maximum placesIt’s fairly obvious that modules such as reconstructive surgery and renal medicine are going to Read more:Study
, Modules
The Mendelian Bunch 2007-10-26 12:06:00 This week we have been covering genetics, and in particular inheritance of the Mendelian variety. Now, before I started the course I used to think families looked like this:Well, maybe for the unlucky few. Thankfully my not so nuclear and thus UN-approved family is far more dysfunctional and camera shy. Anyway, this week all that was turned on its head as I discovered families actually look like this:And what a happy bunch of shapes they are, I’d love to see the reunions. But more importantly we learnt the importance of inherited diseases. Take for example the case of inborn mitochondrial diseases. These are maternally inherited, due to the mitochondrial DNA being in the egg at time of fertilisation, daddy’s sperm just doesn’t seem to cut it (and I can’t wait for the new Google hits from that sentence). Oh dear.That poor box now has to move on with his life, sell the house and car. Maybe one day he will meet another circle, one with just a faint outline you know - no strings at Read more:Bunch
You know it's a long way off when... 2007-10-25 05:57:00 You’re not even half way through FunMedYou are yet to meet a patient or set foot in a hospitalYour uni swipe card expires in 2012There’s an entire Olympics before London 2012You are yet to sit an examThe timetable isn’t even half fullThe counter on your blog reads “I become a doctor in 1721 days”You don’t recognise even 1/4 of your yearYour other friends keep reminding you!You are fazed by basic microanatomyThe sell by date on the pasta is due years before graduationYou’re trying to work out a realistic 5 year budgetYou wonder if it’s actually worth renewing your passport for the next few years – aint going on holiday anytime soon!
The Daily Grind 2007-10-24 16:26:00 The following takes place between the hours of 5pm and 6pm.5:01pm - Whitechapel“Unfortunately due to a signal fault at Tower Hill there are no westbound services running at the moment”…“Argh, typical, I’ve got to get back to eat dinner and meet my friend”, I groan.“Well that’s the Hammersmith and shitty line for you…”“I know, nothing we can do might as well wait it out”“We could get the bus?”“Nah, it’ll be packed, besides I’ve got a travel card and am determined to get my moneys worth”5:14pmWe wait in the train carriage until the announcer crackles “All westbound services are now CANCELLED passengers are advised to seek alternate transport”A wave of commuters make their way to the other platform.“Okay let’s go the other way and then change for the central line”“Are you sure? It’ll be totally crammed, seriously it’s not just this station that’s having problems”“Well it’s either that or walk…”“You make a good point”5:22p Read more:Daily
, Grind
Elephants 2007-11-01 11:12:00 The day started early, a quick shave and frantic last minute rummage for my smart shoes before heading off to the medical school for a communication skills briefing. Normally I wouldn’t have been so eager to get to college, but today marked a medical milestone for me – it was the “meet your first patient” day.On the tube I glossed over the protocol we had been given regarding the ward visit. I wasn’t particularly anxious at the thought of meeting a patient. It was to be an informal chat, nothing too challenging, and I’ve dealt with patients before at my home GPs. The hours lecture before hand worked me up a bit, and in all honesty overcomplicated the occasion as worrying about whether to shake hands, the posture to sit in, and things you should and should not say to me seemed like common sense.The FY1 met us at reception, and after working our way through the labyrinth of drab hospital corridors we were told to wash our hands, don gloves and plastic aprons as there were MRS
Enzymology Lab 2007-10-30 15:04:00 Case study:Female, 56yrsBone painGeneral malaiseHypercalcemicVery high ALPHistory of breast cancer and mastectomy 3 years agoAll other liver functions normalI flit through the pages on liver disease, all the while thinking of the bone pain and hypercalcemia. Then I decided to check the pages on osteomalacia, Paget’s and cancer. It becomes clear that the patient is presenting with bony metastasis, as the case study is in fact a textbook-perfect presentation.The lecturer strolls over and asks me how we’re doing. My PBL group go silent and watch. Wearily, I suggest the diagnoses…“Is it a bony metastasis?”“Bony metastasis…why do you think that is then?”“Err, well she has all the symptoms…”“Yes, but why then not a liver disease?”The group look baffled, I pause for a moment.“Well she has hypercalcemia?” I propose, thinking of the link between bones and calcium. Then a better suggestion pops into my head, but it is too late as the lecturer reacts “Well hypercal
Year 1 SSM Choices 2007-10-29 15:46:00 I’ve now submitted my year 1 SSM (selected study module) choices. You may recap I was irresolute with the plethora of options available to study, but for some reason or other I made up my mind and talked myself into submission of the form.We do two SSM blocks (1a and 1b) this year. For each block we must put down four SSMs we would like to do. My choices were as follows:1a1st – Dissection2nd – Head and neck tumours3rd – Introduction to surgery4th – Neuronal and pharmacological control of body function1b1st – Head and neck tumours2nd – Introduction to surgery3rd – Dissection4th - Neuronal and pharmacological control of body functionI’m fairly confident (touch wood) that I’ll get dissection for 1a, as it is my top choice and has the largest intake of students out of all the SSMs.For 1b I remain, as always, sceptical. Both 1st and 2nd choices are sure fire popular SSMs and both have 2 places available for students - which isn’t so good in a class of nearly 300. I won
Lost in frustration 2007-10-28 18:32:00 Changes I would make to the past week include:“Pre-eclampsia: a deceptively boring PBL” as the scenario title.and“Hammersmith and City line – well worth the walk”********Highlights of this past week include:1. Clinical DemonstrationSome medical student: “So, do you have to inform say, your dentist when you go in for exposure prone procedures in case he catches it?”SICKLE CELL patient: “Errr…no I don’t have to disclose my status”Duh. And it’s frickin’ genetics week?!!2. Tescos Express“Wo y li a crb?”…“No I don’t have a club card?”“Ne, wu yu li a brb?”…“Err…”“A brg?”A B-A-G? Is it THAT HARD TO PRONOUNCE?????Okay, so I wasn’t in the mood for the last one. Roll on next week!P.S. I’m not nearly the cynical bastard that this post has made me out to be.
Rock On 2007-11-04 13:23:00 If there’s one good thing about medicine, it’s the seemingly endless list of cool band names on offer:EpiglottisKaryotypeBlastocystMesodermSplanchnic ganglionThe AnticodonsDiencephalonZymogenThe Brachial grooveForamen magnumThe Okazaki fragmentsAnd my favourite…The Islets of Langerhans.
Making an impression 2007-11-09 05:47:00 We arrive at the GP surgery for our very first placement, the doctor is a pleasant, self-proclaimed introvert who made us all feel very welcome. We go through the ground rules of the placement which are all fairly obvious. The session then starts properly with some basic counselling-reflective exercises.From what I gathered, the affable Asian GP started by asking:“Okay, so firstly I want you all to write down a few sentences on your favourite T-shirt. Say whatever you like, be descriptive, just jot down a few sentences as to why this is the case.”I sit there blankly staring at my pad. I know the one I like, it’s the one I’d forgotten to bring to uni with me as I was wearing it the day I packed, then put it in the wash and forgot about it.I note down a few details - “Nice brown colour, cheap, very soft on the skin, from America but you wouldn’t think it from looking at it. Edges are slightly creased and been pulled a bit out of shape as I slept in it.”I wait for the others
The Eternal Optimist 2007-11-09 04:45:00 Breaking from the gain, and realising that I have been serially bitching about everything that pisses me off on a daily basis I felt it was time for a brief hiatus on the pessimism. Enjoy.1. Spaghetti Bolognaise for dinner, 3 times a week.It may be one of the few meals I actually can cook properly, but I have perfected my recipe and technique and now enjoy my favourite food every week, several times a week.2. My courseI may vent about it on my blog, but the truth is it has its moments, it can be very interesting and I can't imagine myself doing anything else. Plus my old uni mates are very jealous and always asking about it.3. Wintertime Live for winter, the cold sharp frost on my face in the morning, wrapping up all cosy in bed at night. The same naive excitement for the run up to Christmas and the pigging out. I may not be going on holiday to somewhere like the picture, but my home town ain't half bad for crimbo.4. Geek Chic Med students are by default geeks, myself included (accor Read more:Eternal
Christmas time, dismissal, woe and whine 2007-11-08 10:58:00 Its been a strange week, nothing seems to have happened yet the reality is quite to the contrary. Like I said strange, huh?There are a few things I have not been able to get my head around. Firstly and my main complaint has to be the aggressive generic letters I have received. One from the TV licensing company telling me to ‘cough up or else’ or alternatively if I don’t have a TV (which I don’t) I should inform them by ringing their premium rate number. Fuck off will I, they can waste their money sending more generic letters that I’ll ignore.Secondly the ‘Dear Resident’ letter I received from the beloved site manager team, yes those fuckers. They have decided to tell me to stop smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes and hookah (which they informed me is another word for shisha). I don’t particularly care if the other students covertly smoke out of their bedroom windows, but I don’t appreciate the site manager team’s indiscriminate approach to heckling the non-smokers.I w Read more:Christmas
, dismissal
One more time for the PB Hell of it 2007-11-06 12:07:00 Want to know what the best part of the week is?Tuesday afternoon, right after PBL has finished. That marks the longest possible time before the next PBL session. I am fairly critical of PBL, and perhaps this post comes as no surprise but I would like to reiterate the main problems I have with it.For one, the sessions are timetabled to last two full hours although we have never exceeded 1hr 15mins. I am of course very happy about that, but at the end of the day if we’re only doing a half arsed job of it (and for some reason receiving decent marks) then the logical outcome is half-educated doctors, right?Well, in all honesty what goes on in the PBL discussions is hardly enlightening nor is it particularly engaging. This is not a criticism of my group, but there is very little for me to gain from hearing other students repeat the same material I have researched. I am probably a little dismissive of others attitudes or opinions with regards to the scenarios we are given, perhaps I’m ig
Gall, blimey. 2007-11-15 16:12:00 Being the bright eyed and over-eager medic I am, and determined to get my moneys worth out of the Anatomy Society today I tagged along to a whirlwind lecture on abdominal anatomy. It started with a few interesting anecdotes, but from then on I was immersed in a world of unfamiliarity. I hardly spoke their language and had great difficulty visualising the orientation of the slides let alone understanding just exactly what part of the anatomy he was talking about. I was a foreigner, and not one to stop and ask for directions.But it was great.Now, after seeing the response of the older students being seemingly engaged and able grasp the material, faith has been somewhat restored in my course. I guess they will be teaching us something at some point, just not in FunMed (this term). Anatomy was one of the main things I really wanted to learn, be ace at, a stronghold in my competence. There’s a lot to it, a lot more than I realised but I’ve not been put off. I really hope I get that diss
Buds night 2007-11-11 12:28:00 A productive day, for once. It is becoming a rarity now, as the material we are given is currently of little substance. These are the early days and so I am enjoying my head start, though aware of the risks of complacency. I have been writing up those long and diffuse PBL learning objectives. Turns out the scenario was based around Osteogenesis imperfecta, and the fact this was not mentioned in the PBL is what I would put down to those poor objectives we ended up with.Still, I have been taken aback to my BSc days, using the NCBI resources and PubMed to find relevant and undoubtedly reliable information from scientific papers such as the Lancet. That’ll make a change to the usual Wikipedic references from the rest of the group. I do enjoy reading up on the scientific basis for disease, and now I’ve bored as I am left to do the other sociological-based learning objectives. I know that the rest of my PBL group will focus almost entirely upon those points, as they aren’t as confident
In vain 2007-11-20 06:34:00 I finally reached the most dreaded day of term yesterday, not the day I saw my first dead body, nor the day of my FunMed exam. It was the day I had to put on a brave face and get a vial of blood taken from me by occupational health.In my truly stoic style I had bitched about it the entire weekend to my girlfriend, moaned the following evening to my hall mates and then again in the lectures the next morning. If there are any times in life I’m terrified, it’s down one of three things – wasps, needles or sharks.Sweaty palmed and with extreme trepidation I went up to reception and tried in my most macho voice to explain I was here for a date with the sharps. I sat around waiting for a while, prolonging the anxiety somewhat until I was beckoned into the office. A lot of things were explained to me, most of which I have no recollection. Next I was asked if I wanted to be tested for HIV and HepC - not a mandate for medical students but it certainly is for undertaking exposure prone proc
Freudian Quip 2007-11-16 05:22:00 Yesterday’s cultural diversity workshop wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated. Those things on the whole tend to be a nonsensical, open-ended, waste of time. I hate the whole overly politically correct verbatim that accompanies those workshops. Now, I’m not saying I would advocate the use of offensive terms by any means but when I mention that there are “Asian societies” and “Afro-Caribbean societies” at uni I get a little annoyed when we have to class those as “societies of a family background”.Unfortunately for us, out of the 18 students in our room only 10 turned up. Still, in the room next door just one medic showed. Yes, one of eighteen?! So the class was divided and six of us went next door at the start of the session.At one point we are given self-reflective questionnaires and told to work in two groups of three. I began to work my way through questions such as “How do you express your cultural identity?” and “Discuss those places and events that have contri
A heart to heart 2007-11-22 15:11:00 General practice day, and was it ever a good one. Although there wasn’t supposed to be a particular theme, I could only describe it as a sweeping introduction to heart surgery management in primary care. To start off we spent an hour with a patient, observing the GP extracting a long and detailed history of hypertension and unstable angina bought on by lifestyle choices.From the consultation it was easy to see this man was a patriarch, frustrated by his condition and eager to get back to work. He was a caged animal, unable to continue his arduous job and awaiting a heart bypass. Speaking with regret of past habits, making jibes at his history and warning us of the dangers, he was a real tribute to preventative medicine - put him on the back of a pack of cigarettes any day.In the lunch break we are given pages and pages of medical history for the afternoon’s home visit. Right now, I have just finished marking out all the personal details with a thick black pen. All that’s left is
*Insert witty title here* (because I can't be arsed to) 2007-11-25 17:46:00 A little snowed under, and unfortunately not the seasonal kind. I have let PBL get the better of me and consequently have spent most of the day writing up one after the other. As a result I missed the now traditional (i.e. Facebook-ratified) Sunday night curry on Brick lane. Arg. Well the pasta bake I made wasn’t half bad…Spent the weekend with the lady which was a pleasure as usual. Unfortunately due to certain life changes she is now earning, making her the definitive bread-winner whilst yours truly is somewhat emasculated, trying his hardest not to be too frugal, but at the same time not go overboard with the bank. It’s a balancing act, with equilibrium a little too close to the overdraft for comfort. Looks like it’s gruel for dinner again.It has certainly been a week of little achievement, as perfectly exemplified by my current situation – sitting in my room with only the laptop glow to light up the place. You see, my light bulbs went around a fortnight ago and I am still Read more:witty
Living the dream 2007-11-29 07:19:00 A quick show of gratitude to all of you whom have left such kind comments recently. It’s not like my life has gone down the shitter, I just like to vent. Med school is awesome, life is sweet, no doubt. For those of you who may be interested I have managed to finish writing up the formal PBL essay – the only coursework I’ve had to do this term. I didn’t really get stuck in to it for a while after I read the marking scheme:1. Learning objectives – all are stated and addressed2. Presentation – presented in such a way that it is understandable to the reader3. Content – focus and relevance4. Resources – Range, relevance and suitability of the format listedThis will be graded on the basis of generic writing skills (not factual content as such)So no marks for what I put, as long as it looks nice and is well cited.**************For brief word on the social life and setting, I’m far more comfortable in London now. I’ve adjusted to the endless noise, bustle and idiot pedestri Read more:Living
Zimmerflame 2007-12-06 11:43:00 GP day again today, though not a great deal to report on. It may have something to do with the lapse in concentration from the early start coupled with sleepless night or perhaps just the subject wasn’t enthralling. Elderly people, the huge chunk of medicine that is apparently overlooked by the profession. I must confess, it wasn’t top of my priorities and there was on the most part feigned interest.So came a 3 hour lecture from an ex-GP and ex-ex-surgeon who found his calling as a manager for Age Concern – not something I can relate to, but impressive none the less. Overall, it was a fairly PC talk on stigmatisation, needs and misconceptions of the elderly. Wishy-wash stuff really, some may call it common sense, but has to be done.For the latter part of the session we moved onto the taboo subject of ‘sexed up pensioners’. After the reluctance of my PBL group to openly discuss priapism in the scenario last week, I didn’t expect much engagement. I don’t find anything parti
Yawn 2007-12-05 16:21:00 “I heard there was a secret chord, that David played and it pleased the lord”- Jeff BuckleyI bet it was a b-minor.Lately I can’t get to sleep very easily. For why I’m not exactly sure, but I’ll turn in 12-1ish and still be awake come 4am. A plethora of thought, about nothing in particular, yet everything at once haunt me. Comparisons between yesteryear and the present, trying to see if change is for the better. I must admit, I do still very much miss my old life. Starting university for the second time is nothing like the first. The magic it seems is gone.Ironically, frustration at not being able to sleep leads to a more conscious state and the cycle feeds back. In a vain attempt to drift off I put my iPod on under my pillow. Jeff Buckley was my lullaby, and I hadn’t listened in a while. Thus this post came to be. He has since been in my head the whole day, damn my subconscious!
Examinus Pyrexia 2007-12-03 17:11:00 Exam time is upon us for the first time, and with that comes the different personalities instilled deep within the crop of med students. Having never lived with people on the same course as me until now, on my part there is a feeling of unease, self-doubt and a competitive engine sparking up. The halls are quiet, too quiet for my liking. People are in the library, coffee shops, study rooms and parents homes reading through the mass of lecture notes we’ve slowly accumulated this term.Some people feel the need to vocally list their daily schedule, to include the hours of reading they’ve put in. Others don’t mention it at all - they are the ones who scare me the most. The sly, subversive types who know the game keep their cool and come off top. Where do I place myself? Somewhere between the two, a little off centre though I am not sure in which direction.At the end of the day it isn’t about passing the year, it isn’t even about learning the material. It’s about quartile ranki
Street Sense 2007-12-02 12:21:00 Recently, every Saturday night has been spent visiting friends in various locations throughout the capital where we all congregate to drink, eat, reminisce and watch X-Factor. Most of them are now working full-time in the city, as we all graduated last year. Unfortunately, it seems this week took a slightly unfashionable turn as it transpired that the girls had recently bought and gotten quite obsessive with SingStar – a karaoke game on playstation. Karaoke is fairly high up on my top 10 reasons to slit my own wrists list. Begrudgingly I joined in on occasion, oblivious to the vocal line and timing of most of the songs it chose.The problem with living in London is the last tube. I kept an eye on my watch, and at 11:45pm I announced we really had to be going so we could get the tube. Feeling a bit of a killjoy, I agreed to one more song. Then another, and another. I wasn’t feeling it. I thought the last train was at 12:10am, to which I was informed they’re never that early. Not li Read more:Street
, Sense
Autonomic Intermission 2007-12-18 10:59:00 For those of you who may be stumped, the correct answers for the previous post are B- X-ray and D- Pronation. Fortunately the other exam questions were up to scratch and proved more challenging. Still, couldn't help but snigger uncontrollably in the exam when those questions came up, though 45 questions in 30 minutes left little time for jest. As for the SSMs, no idea what happened there, still waiting on our choices to be allocated I guess…And now for something completely different - the autonomic nervous system!Shit! That sounds like real medicine??So far so good. It's only this week in preparation for our cardiorespiratory module after Christmas, but the content and lectures are generally far more interesting. Furthermore, the lecturer actually kicked out the late-comers who protested "But I'm only like, five minutes late"…yeah, try fifteen. Needless to say, it was nice to be able to hear the lecturer rather than some obnoxious prat sitting behind me chatting abo
An actual exam question - part II 2007-12-16 14:59:00 What action is this? A. SupinationB. Internal rotationC. External rotationD. PronationE. Circumduction(Note the name of the file on mouse hover)
Read more:actual exam
An actual exam question 2007-12-16 10:42:00 What type of image is this? A. CTB. X-rayC. MRID. Contrast media X-rayE. Ultrasound(And yes, if you were wondering the website was left on the image)Answers on a postcard to the usual address…
Read more:actual exam
When the weather outside is frightful, and FunMed so delightful... 2007-12-13 16:40:00 You've gotta love my halls - organising the Christmas party the night before the freshers FunMed exam. There's something so charming about walking into a cheaply decorated hall to the sound of Slade, very…youth-hostel. Still I went for a bit, reluctantly danced and had a few drinks - was great to get away from the lockdown of our corridor this week. So in terms of work, well not a great deal accomplished for our first exam but perhaps more worryingly is the lack of regret.Revising is the "hot topic' of conversation at the moment, understandably. If anything I'm more worried people will think I'm an arrogant prick for my reaction to this. Truth be told, I honestly can't be dealing with the stress of it all so soon into the course, especially considering its small weighting. Some freshers have been in tears, e-mailing the tutors asking what happens if they fail and contributing to a tense atmosphere that ebbs through the place. I feel sympathetic towards them, but a l Read more:weather
FunMed: the end of an earache 2007-12-11 16:51:00 Et voila, FunMed is over! Well, not quite. There is still the end of course exam that students are going crazy over. I've mulled it over a fair bit, and come to the conclusion that I'm not going to fail (you'd really have to work against the programme to do so) and with my current lack of motivation, don't really care how well I do anyway. Subsequently any reading I should have done has not really happened.I did go over microanatomy on the weekend, which is surprisingly (and perhaps shamefully) one of my favourite things we've done so far in med school. Perhaps as it's all new material, or a visual, aesthetic activity? I like the terminology for numerous reasons - there is a logical basis behind the nomenclature, and it is an articulate language in itself. Even when taken from the same tissue same, no two slides are going to look the same. There is a degree of abstract thought required, to put the tissue slices into a 3-dimensional context. It's a little bit of a detect
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