Catch up with more people, the world over.
Buy a international calling card.
Love others not only by obligation, or in words.
Developing an intimate r'ship with God.
Plan my written driving test date.
Finish reading the Advanced Life Support book before the assessment date.
Watch Joshua's cd on the PDA Christian.
Set a date for planning the rest of the term with the student fellowship.
Start jamming sessions on Sat mornings.
Some things only get done when I write them out, flesh them out as it were. Gosh, its true, I AM more task-oriented than I thought.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
wednesday night
sOMETIMES I wonder if I'm cut out for a medical life. I know, I'm a final year and any doubts should have disappeared by now. Plus, the money's alright. And I'm saving lives. What more could anyone want?
I don't know.
Seeing how different people handle their working environment, I wonder how and where I'd stand.
In the short space of time I've been working at the Royal, I've observed doctors who come to work with a nice comment for everyone, even the grumpy patients and the gawky med students. I've seen docs who just get the job done, keeping their heads down. I've observed docs complaining about the system, bitching about other docs behind their backs, and generally raining on everyone else's parade.
I've been in ward rounds where the juniors gather to hear the disastrous medicolegal ramifications of another doc's mistakes, in other rounds where consultants complain the juniors are not working as hard as they used to 'in their day', and in yet other rounds where the consultants hardly say a word.
Working at what I enjoy, dealing with grateful patients, cleverly diagnosing what is wrong based on clear clinical signs/symptoms and initiating treatment quickly; that was what I saw medicine to be when I signed up.
Working late, dealing with patients who refuse to keep to the point, who are unhappy/agitated, and whose clinical signs don't match up and with treatment that doesn't go according to plan, that's what I see.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not depressed, neither am I disillusioned.
I'm just wondering what kind of person I'll turn out to be down the road.
I don't know.
Seeing how different people handle their working environment, I wonder how and where I'd stand.
In the short space of time I've been working at the Royal, I've observed doctors who come to work with a nice comment for everyone, even the grumpy patients and the gawky med students. I've seen docs who just get the job done, keeping their heads down. I've observed docs complaining about the system, bitching about other docs behind their backs, and generally raining on everyone else's parade.
I've been in ward rounds where the juniors gather to hear the disastrous medicolegal ramifications of another doc's mistakes, in other rounds where consultants complain the juniors are not working as hard as they used to 'in their day', and in yet other rounds where the consultants hardly say a word.
Working at what I enjoy, dealing with grateful patients, cleverly diagnosing what is wrong based on clear clinical signs/symptoms and initiating treatment quickly; that was what I saw medicine to be when I signed up.
Working late, dealing with patients who refuse to keep to the point, who are unhappy/agitated, and whose clinical signs don't match up and with treatment that doesn't go according to plan, that's what I see.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not depressed, neither am I disillusioned.
I'm just wondering what kind of person I'll turn out to be down the road.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Back In Liverpool
I just had a guy spit faecal vomit over me as I was helping my SHO put in a nasogastric tube. Granted, he had dementia, and therefore he was allowed to act like that. But all over my black animal tie! It's making a stronger case for me not to wear ties to work now.
I came into Acute Medical Unit rotation expecting it to be similar to A&E which I finished before Christmas. I'm now finding it to be very ward-based, at least, my half of the unit seems so anyway. Morning ward rounds for the past week has seen me play the role of a house officer, with a single SHO to boss me around. The learning curve has been steep, and I've made mistakes I've been dreading as a medical student already (identification mistakes, ordering bloods for the wrong patients, communicating things I shouldn't have). I'd be feeling really bad now if not for my SHO, who is really supportive and helpful (not in the least in taking his share of the blame!).
Learned the importance of making lists, and reading up patient notes before rounds and having the results to hand. Basic ward-medicine, not what I expected from this rotation at all! I've not clerked in new patients since the start of the week at all, which I should really get around to doing next week.
A retreat for the students is being planned for the end of January. All the way in West Yorkshire, the theme is on Renewal, with the verse being John 10:10. Great things are going to happen.
In the near future: driving tests, ALS assessments (finally!) and a possible holiday!
I came into Acute Medical Unit rotation expecting it to be similar to A&E which I finished before Christmas. I'm now finding it to be very ward-based, at least, my half of the unit seems so anyway. Morning ward rounds for the past week has seen me play the role of a house officer, with a single SHO to boss me around. The learning curve has been steep, and I've made mistakes I've been dreading as a medical student already (identification mistakes, ordering bloods for the wrong patients, communicating things I shouldn't have). I'd be feeling really bad now if not for my SHO, who is really supportive and helpful (not in the least in taking his share of the blame!).
Learned the importance of making lists, and reading up patient notes before rounds and having the results to hand. Basic ward-medicine, not what I expected from this rotation at all! I've not clerked in new patients since the start of the week at all, which I should really get around to doing next week.
A retreat for the students is being planned for the end of January. All the way in West Yorkshire, the theme is on Renewal, with the verse being John 10:10. Great things are going to happen.
In the near future: driving tests, ALS assessments (finally!) and a possible holiday!
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
What I've Been up to 4
Christmas time at home, my first in 2 years, was good.
Back in Sitiawan, MYF Musical 2008 was coming around, and to my surprise, involved what seemed like everyone, from the adults to the Sunday School kids.
Met up with some of the IMU bunch at the Curve, not having been there before.
ECF's Christmas outreach was a great idea, and even with all that done, they still had time to pull off 'Conversations With Catherine', a talk show on how God came through for 3 different groups of people.
Met up with more IMU people after that.
Back in Sitiawan, Christmas dinner with family. Some changes this year, but helping out at the Hotel brought back memories of younger and happier days.
Went for a friend's wedding, a rarity for me, being so far away most of the time. Was good catching up with ACS people at supper, after church, and at the dinner.
Back to the grindstone again...still jetlagging. Sigh.
Back in Sitiawan, MYF Musical 2008 was coming around, and to my surprise, involved what seemed like everyone, from the adults to the Sunday School kids.
Met up with some of the IMU bunch at the Curve, not having been there before.
ECF's Christmas outreach was a great idea, and even with all that done, they still had time to pull off 'Conversations With Catherine', a talk show on how God came through for 3 different groups of people.
Met up with more IMU people after that.
Back in Sitiawan, Christmas dinner with family. Some changes this year, but helping out at the Hotel brought back memories of younger and happier days.
Went for a friend's wedding, a rarity for me, being so far away most of the time. Was good catching up with ACS people at supper, after church, and at the dinner.
Back to the grindstone again...still jetlagging. Sigh.
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