ECGs and the Cath lab.

ECGs remain hard and still manages without fail to send me into a sinus tachycardia when i get them passed onto me on the ward rounds (!!)

When a doctor picks up the patient's folder, and start clicking the binder open... i know the ECG is on its way !!..and is shortly followed with a: "So... medical students.. what do you think this is?"

I planned to have an ECG cram day today and have myself read ECG made easy.. but alas.. that didn't happen...tomorrow it is!!! - eeks.. i know i really shouldn't leave it too late.. as i only have 4 weeks of cardiology left.... and a viva exam at the end of the firm > . < (i have a feeling..they will slip an ecg in there!)

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Cath lab - Yesterday i had the opportunity to sit in the Cath lab and observe a few angiograms and angioplasty being performed..which were pretty cool. The last time i sat in a Cath lab was when i was 17 for a spot of work experience... that was ages ago!

I sort of wish i started bugging the registrar a bit earlier.. as the other 2 medical students and myself just stood there looking at the screen and trying to work out which coronary artery was which, and if there was any narrowing among ourselves. We didn't really get much teaching until i started asking him questions.. it's really important to be pro-active on these firms... as if you don't ask... you sometimes just don't really learn anything from just being there.

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4 more weeks of Cardio left.....

CCS & CardioRespiratory 3

After a short 2 week winter break, which basically involved me gaining 2kg of Christmas and New Years weight... we started the year bright and early (3rd Jan!!) with Cardiorespiratory (CR) teaching!

- this was extremely intense! perhaps the toughest week i've had in terms of the amount of lectures we had to sit through since starting medical school. It was spread out over 5 days, with 33 lectures to be covered... 4 of which was done over that week.. and the last one .. i have tomorrow.

The amount of lectures wasn't the hard bit, but more to do with the content.....

...this is where i admit.. i HATE ECGs! I find them so difficult, and i get a tad depressed when people around me are shouting out "It's a right bundle branch block", "Supraventricular blah blah" .... when im still looking at the rhythm strip bit to work out the rate > .< ...*sigh*...this will take a lot of practice! The picture below depicts it will:

Sadly...time is limited.. as i'm let loose on my Cardio firm this Tuesday!

Last week we also had CCS and i fail to remember what it stands for.. but i think its clinical and communication skills - possibly? This had a good mix of communication skills practice with interpreters and difficult racist patients, but also a bit of clinical skills (my favourite part)!

We worked on these simulation manikin sort of things.. i can't really describe it.. i wish i took a photo, but they were essentially manikins, wired up to a computer.. you can take vital signs like it's pulse and breathing rate, a blood pressure, sats and even do an ABG, and then administer o2 etc and access the patient's response. It was pretty cool actually!!