Christmas Plans

as i mentioned in my previous post, i am now home for christmas and am busy sorting out things to do during my christmas break! here are a few things i have planned -

• Work - i currently work in a local deli as a seasonal sales assistant, and so am hoping to spend quite a bit of time working there during my break, as i really do enjoy it, and also to save up a bit of money to see me through semester 2. 
• Relax - although i certainly don't spend all of my time working at uni, i really haven't had the chance to lie back and really do nothing for days on end - there was always something to do, be it laundry, work, tidying up or going into town. so i plan on spending a significant proportion of my time sitting back and enjoying the emptiness of my schedule.
• Shop - what doing my own laundry has taught me is that i need more clothes, in order to be able to avoid putting loads through as often as i can. this being london, i have a plethora of charity shops to investigate, as well as the january sales to look forward to. i also need to stock up on some more clinical clothes, as i only have a couple shirts and trousers at the moment.
• Catching up - i have missed my friends back home so much whilst i've been away! i am by far the furthest north of all us when it comes to uni, so i am going to spend lots of time with them before i go back, so hopefully i won't miss them as much as i did this semester.
• Baking - i really really really love baking, however, in my halls, we only have 3 kitchens between 250 people, and the ovens aren't very good, so i haven't had the chance to bake in a long time. so i'm going to go crazy with the baking, to tide me over until i next go home.

i hope you guys have a lovely christmas as well, and do let me know if you have any exciting plans as i'd love to hear about them!

Eliza xxx

Exams Exams Exams

now that i'm finished my exams for semester 1 and am back home for christmas (woo!) i thought i'd just give you a brief overview of the kind of exams you might get in medical school, as the way that you are assessed was one of the big questions i had before i started. bear in mind though, that not all medical schools will have identical exam styles, and so this isn't designed to tell you everything you will need to know, just a quick guide.

Multiple Choice Exams - these are exactly what they say on the tin - you get given a question, a selection of answers and you have to choose the right one. there are two types of multiple choice question, one where you get one question per selection of answers, and another where you are presented with several questions to one set of answers. be warned though - these aren't as easy as they sound because most of the time, they will also sound similar and vaguely familiar, so you really do have to have an idea of the topic to get them right.

Short Written Answer Exams - these will be your typical exam papers that you will be used to - each question will be broken down into several parts, each requiring either a short answer (up to about 3 or 4 marks) or something a bit different like a calculation or a diagram. part of me prefers these exams to the MCQ exams, because there is a wider range of correct answers and there will be a small amount of freedom given by the marker, although these exams are a bit more work and so are more tiring to prepare for.

Observed Structured Clinical/Practical Exams (OSCE/OSPE) - these will be assessing your clinical skills and, at least at my med school, there may be assessment of any independent study you had to hand in during the semester. there will be several stations set up in the room, how many there are depends on your medical school, and you will rotate around them according to a set amount of time, performing each skill according to the instructions you are given. if you have had an interview in the multiple mini interview format, this is what they are modeled on.

Anatomy Practical Exams - i don't know whether all medical schools do these exams, so i'll just touch on them quickly. during APEs, you will be presented with prosections and anatomical models, and asked to point to specific areas of anatomy that you have studied previously. our APEs don't count for a large proportion of our module grades, but they are still quite important.

i hope this has been useful for you guys to read, and do let me know of any posts you would like to see. i have a few ideas of my own, but i'd like to tailor my blog to what my readers want to see!

until next time,

Eliza xxx

Getting Into The Christmas Spirit

i've always loved christmas. i'm religious, so the real meaning behind christmas has always played a role in my life, but beyond that i also adore the idea of spending quality time together with the people you love, to give and receive fun things. oh, and not to forget all the yummy food and drink you get to consume without a shred of guilt!

this year, something about the combination of moving away from home, not seeing my family or old school friends for almost 4 whole months, and having my own living space to control, has seen my christmas spirit skyrocket! i've decorated my room, sung christmas carols, worn christmas jumpers, taken part in a secret santa, and have eaten christmas dinners already!

this year my colour theme for my decorations is blue and silver - i have silver tinsel and baubles hanging up, with a box of glittery blue reindeer ornaments hanging over my bed, and a big blue and silver glitter reindeer on my windowsill, who i have named Steve (because Rudolph is just too mainstream for Steve). i used to have a tinsel heart stuck on my door, but it fell down and i just took it down because i couldn't be bothered to fix it :P

so far i've eaten 2 christmas dinners - one with my archery club, and one with my hall of residence! i had my first mince pie of the season a few weeks ago, but haven't had one since as it just made me sad because i started thinking about how my family would be making mince meat, and my mum would turn them into yummy mince pies.

i do hope my christmas spirit lasts until christmas day, because it had been so much fun up till now!

what have you been up to, to get into the christmas spirit?

Eliza xxx

Munching My Way Through Med School

everybody knows exam revision requires snacks. it's just a simple rule - so here are some of my favourite nibbles i have during revision!

Chocolate
specifically the fruit and nut bar from tesco - bit pricier than their value chocolate, but much yummier!

Popcorn
i am currently addicted to popcorn - either plain or sweet and salt mixed together. it's so easy to make yourself in the microwave, and really good if you just want a mindless snack that you don't have to look at to eat.

Cherry Tomatoes
these are both sweet and a little bit sharp - perfect for when i'm craving sour sweeties but want something a bit healthier! i pick them up when they're on offer in the supermarket, because normally they can be a bit pricey.

Tea and Coffee
i have a shelf in my room filled with tea and coffee, not only does it give you a caffeine boost, but it's refreshing and tasty, and it provides a nice break when you go to make a cup.

Water
something about revision makes me drink gallons and gallons of water. which of course makes me need the toilet soo much, but i just can't help myself!

what are your favourite revision snacks?

until next time,

Eliza xxx

Talking to Patients

***DISCLAIMER - i will not be talking about specific patients, their medical histories or personal stories and i will not be talking about colleagues or tutors, in this post***

(apologies for the scary disclaimer, but i've heard a few scary stories about student blogs that have been shut down in the past, so i wanted to get that out there to begin with)

this post is really just going to be a couple of thoughts and reflections i've had, now that i've interacted with a couple of patients as a medical student. i also think it'd be quite interesting to do the same kind of post at the end of med school, just to see how different they are!

my first sentiment is that patients are just normal people! we make them out to be these giant figures in the future, to be approached with caution and talked to slowly and gradually. but really, after a while, you realise that you're just having a chat with them - they stop being 'patients' and start being 'people'. and that's the way it's supposed to be, nobody sick really wants to talk to a poor baby med student quaking in their boots with a quivering voice, as that doesn't inspire confidence in us at all! that being said, we really are only having a chat with them because as much as we'd like it, we really don't know enough to do anything else.

secondly, when you start having to focus on the patient's behaviour and start learning the signs for certain things (like, certain bodily behaviours indicate pain etc), you actually start watching your own behaviour. not exactly for covering up pain and other things (hopefully you should know that even without watching yourself!) but for words that you say more often, or hand movements you make over and over. you just generally become more aware of yourself, which i think is good because the more aware of yourself you are, the more you can refine your techniques and attitudes.

finally, talking to patients who have been through the health care system, or maybe are still in the process of it, and hearing their thoughts and feelings about the procedures they've undergone, makes you suddenly so much more aware of the role doctors and medical students - yes, even the baby ones like myself - play in people's minds, and the types of roles we fill in society. i know the whole idea of the 'Doctor' people used to think of in society is gradually being replaced by a more modern one, but especially in elderly people, they still have certain expectations of us and how we act as members of society. it really is a privileged position to be in.

yours, ever so thoughtfully,

Eliza xxx

A Week in the Life of a First Year Medical Student - Sunday

so here we have it - the last day of my week! i'm almost going to miss having to write a chronicle of my day next week :) although there's always 5 more years for being able to do this!

8:30am - woke up, got washed and dressed. headed up for breakfast, bleary eyed and hungry.

9:30am - suitably caffeinated, i get down to work. finish off the rest of my independent work and submit it, then start working on my list of learning objectives again. i use these when i revise, alongside the recommended reading - accompanied by multiple cups of strong tea.

12:00pm - lunch! roast pork - not quite the same as home though :( a proper roast is definitely something i'm looking forward to having when i go home!

1:30pm - get back to work. finally finish off my learning objectives and reading lists. go and print off everything i'll need (lecture handouts and worksheets) for the next week, from the communal printer in one of the study rooms.

5:00pm - was about to have a shower when the fire alarm goes off. grrr. this must be the sixth fire alarm we've had so far, including two in the same night!

5:20pm - get back in from the freezing cold, jump in the shower. terrified that it will go off again, i make it a very fast shower! get changed into my PJs and blow dry my hair.

6:00pm - dinner time! Heinz chicken and dumpling stew, and a roll. pretty much the same meal as last night, but hey, i'm a creature of habit. hung about for a while afterwards to catch up with some friends.

7:00pm - sat in a friend's room, watched A Very Potter Musical on youtube, and then Breaking Dawn part 1. we like movies and procrastination. no wine or hot chocolate this time though - just rich tea biscuits!

11:30pm - writing this blog post, then will pack my bag for tomorrow, and go to bed.

and that, friends, is what happened to me this week :)

now - i need suggestions for posts you would like to see! comment below please :)

until next time,

Eliza xxx

A Week in the Life of a First Year Medical Student - Saturday

i've debated all week long whether or not to carry this on onto the weekend, but i've decided i shall, as after all, it is part of my week!

11:00am - wake up, get washed and dressed. overslept, but on saturdays, sleep is way more important than breakfast!

make a cup of tea and eat a cookie in place of breakfast.

catch up on the news, gossip from the night before, and write a to do list for today.

12:00pm - lunch! man i love sweet potato fries :)

1:00pm - start working - catch up on writing up lecture notes, find out what reading i have to do for the next week, sort out revision schedule for the next couple of days as i have a formative exam on tuesday.

4:00pm - my halls of residence is going carolling this year, so i went to our first practice today! was rather fun, sang 'o come all ye faithful' which is one of my favourite carols

5:00pm - went to mass (normally would go with a friend but she went home for the weekend) - i take comfort in my faith, it's quite a personal thing for me - i like to be able to have that release from the rest of my life to take a break and go to mass, even sing a few hymns.

stop by tesco on the way back to pick up some stuff for dinner as we have to cook for ourselves on the weekends for dinner, and to buy some more instant coffee and a pint of milk.

6:30pm - dinner! Heinz beef stew with dumplings, and a roll. pretty typical meal for me to be honest. i love to cook, but there's not much space or much time to make a proper meal.

8:00pm - watch chitty chitty bang bang in a friends room, drinking hot chocolate with mini marshmallows (yes, we watched loads of films this week!) and then just messed around watching random programmes for a while.

12:00am - writing this blog post, contemplating what i will be doing tomorrow, and thinking of going to bed.

not a very productive day today, but ahh well.

until tomorrow,

Eliza xxx