25 September 2007

Year 4 Week 3 - Mental Kids

(Not the patients, the freshers)

It's freshers fortnight this week.

It's also my first week back in hospital since July.

I've started my paeds firm properly now. To say it's organised chaos would give it too much credit, it's not particularly organised, half of us have been shunted out into the community, which isn't bad from a learning point of view, but we're essentially forgotten (and we have a fortnight of the same immediately after this firm).

However, I'm finding myself enjoying it a lot more than I thought I would. I like engaging with the patients and their families - on the good days it's far more laid back and fun than medicine for big people.

And yes, freshers started here this week (well, Saturday). At least this intake seem like a decent bunch at first glance, they've been out in force, they're almost all borderline alcoholics and they seem quite happy to dress up in the most ridiculously costumes - what more can you ask of them? For me, I've been good; I haven't pulled a fresher yet, I haven't destroyed one either (they don't need my help) and I've done my shifts and (mostly) got up for school the next morning. Not bad going really.

24 September 2007

Year 4 Week 2 - Mental Kids

Back in the swing of things, the year has started properly with me dipping my toes into the unchlorinated pool of paediatrics. I've sat through week of lectures, grossly inadequate to prepare us for the vastness of child health, and feel a bizarre combination of fascinated and truly terrified. A lot of the week focused on child mental health - behavioural problems, developmental disorders, mood disorders and the rest - I wasn't expecting much from it, to be honest, I only went because it's attendance is compulsory, however, I found a lot of the material fascinating, I'm really looking forward to learning more about it. However, a lecture on sick kids (and how quickly they die) mainly worried me, I'm not sure how I'll deal with that sort of thing. On a side note, I'm impressed by my own attendance - I've only actually taken one hungover afternoon off (attendance checks might not be all that bad a thing).

Year 4 Week 1 - DNA

No, nothing to do with genetics, in modern medical terminology - Did Not Attend.

I went to one introductory lecture this week, missed some very important stuff and will have to sort my life out early next week. So, really, I have nothing to say.

Except that I'm considering succumbing to the demands of my audience, both of them, and thinking about restarting this blog. I could say that I'm inspired by the likes of Nick Edwards
and Tom Reynolds, but I'm not particularly, I'm just bored and have plenty to say for meself.