^date

So I spent a couple weeks on the cardiology medical unit. It was really interesting and I did learn a lot. I also ended up successfuly taking a few bloods and doing cannulas (my future bread and butter.) Amazingly, I feel heaps more confident in my ability to diagnose things from an ECG. Well, seriously obvious things. But having had some good teaching and cast my eyes over tens of ECGs. It has become aparrant that ECG interpretation is less crystal ball gazing and more a science than I thought. I could totally be a cardiologist.

Now I'm on ENT surgery. It's great! Watching the surgeries is really good. It really helps with the anatomy. And the surgeons have been really generous with their teaching time.  I got to watch (amongst other things) a doctors first solo tonsillectomy, which took many times longer than a veterans efforts. But it allowed me to see heaps of the basic anatomy and to get softly pimped. Fortunately as a second year im not expected to know anything, so I'm taking it all with great humour.

Really enjoying medicine at the minute, just wish the final set of exams would get out of the way.

2 weeks.

Surgery is surpringsly violent. Apparently jaw dislocation during the operation is not uncommon. Now say "ahhh!"

The perfect doctor

Prior to today I was the perfect medical student. 100% of my cannulations, blood draws and intubations had been on song. Alas, my first real patient and I missed the target. Naturally I blamed the tools - it was my first time using a butterfly and didnt go deep enough. But still, I concede my record is now shot.

Like most of the things I just assume I'm good at. I really should have retired before I started.

In other news, I'm making a living following doctors around. It has been interesting. Also tiring. Two years of being a student and you forget what a full day of work looks like. But the team has been nice to me. I happened to kick off on New RMO Day. Which was great, because they were also finding their feet and the consultant spent extra time explaining things. Unfortunately my first ever ward round went for five hours, and I was extremely glad to go skive off and have lunch at the end of it.

Sure I sucked at interpreting ECGs. But on the plus side, I knew that a tumour in the left lung can give you a horse voice (but forgot the more likely cause of hypothyroidism, who knew!)

Also, I actually properly hear my first ever murmur (and not just nodding when a doctor asks me if I can hear that?) It must have been super loud.

I'm learnding.

All I see is vampires

I stole a mans blood today. Right from out of his elbow! I suspect it wont be the only time I'll have to do that. But it was the first, and very exciting. Regrettably the same person got me back when my head was turned.

And then for the sake of education we learned about ambulances int he afternoon. It was quite amusing, as it strarted off with a rather cheerful fellow asking us about what sort of things you might find in an aambulance. He let the group meander blindly before calling us all to get up and leave the lecture theatre. Walking us outside to a waiting he ambulance, we were instructed to strip its contents bare and bring it inside to see just how many fun bits of equipment there are.

It was actually quite amusing.

All in all a good day. Back to the wards for the weekend though. Pretending to be a nurse again.

Eric the half an eel

I was talking to a friend today about going swimming in the dead sea. I learnt some interesting things

1. If you feel inclined to pee in the dead sea - it is a bad idea due to the extremely high tonicity.
2. Fat people can die when they become trapped face down in the super-buoyant water

This latter point reminded me of an incident a few nights ago, where upon I awoke face down in my bed with two dead arms. oh my! Try figuring out how to rollover without your arms... Awkward.

Out of curiosity, what do you call a man with no arms and legs going swimming?

Bob.

In a lecture today..

Esteemed clinical educators: "You know, you're going to become a doctor. It's a powerful position. I'm a doctor, and I can practically talk anybody in to anything, and I have!"  
Eager student: "In medicine?" *Class erupts in laughter*
 Esteemed clinical educator: "Bahahaha. Yes, no, well... It's important to stick boundaries around these things! We'll just stick with medicine today."

Ah chronic block, you have yielded some fun memories. But todays chat on end-of-life decisions and palliative care was surprisingly amusing given the material. In conclusion, although you are never meant to tell a patient what to do, some will ask you what you would do. And you are meant to tell them it's their choice. But. And somewhere in there, there is a line where you don't get sued if things go wrong whilst at the same time giving advice. It's all a little mysterious to me yet!

Too long for a facebook quip...

After driving home in the rain, I feel that there needs to be a word to describe the frustrating inability to get the windscreen wipers at just the right frequency to not be annoying. Ahhh, first world problems.

What a month!

Oh man, it was everything I forecast it would be, but actually fun! Coming soon: Actual content! But TCP so far has been the amazing holiday i was promised. And I'm LOVING IT! Also I passed my exams, and got full marks for musculoskeletal. Orthopod is on the table...