Monday 25 June 2012

Revision: 7 days left!


Revision updated..

Cardio
Resp
GI
Surgery
Renal 
Endocrine 

CSP 1,2,3 
PH 
OSCE stuff 


I'm a little optimistic striking through the list of things that need to be revised, as technically i still have 2 lectures before i finish off endocrine; but as it's crazy o'clock and i should go to bed soon, i'll just pretend it's done for today ^^

Revision appears to be going rather briskly, but sadly it's going in as quick as it's going out. I can hardly recall any GI medicine, let alone cardio and resp. This worries me a tad.. OKAY truthfully, it worries me a lot.

As soon as i learn one set of guidelines, i will remember it for a week and recite exact figures and doses, but give it a few more days and I can hardly recall it at all. I have exactly a week now, to some how re-cram everything back in, practice OSCEs on my friends, and hope whatever i learn from CSP and PH manages to stick.

On a side note, 4th Year firm allocations are out! - Just a single out firm next year for care of the elderly, otherwise i'm pretty much based in London. I foresee many posts complaining about my journey to and from firms, but before that, i need to pass these exams and make it into 4th year!

Back i go to finishing the 2 breast lectures.. or i could go sleep.. hmmmm....





Sunday 17 June 2012

Revision: 15 Days to go


So revision looks a little bit like this at the moment..

Revision:

Cardio
Resp
GI
Surgery
Renal 
Endocrine 
CSP 1,2,3 
PH 
OSCE stuff 


Still have Met3b topics to cover, and a big chunk of CSP and Public health lectures to go.. i'm really not looking forward to revising the latter 2..

Something to look forward to though, is if the timetable is correct, i should be finding out my 4th year allocations tomorrow :) I know I shouldn't get ahead of myself and start getting too excited about 4th year, especially when i still have to sit and pass the 3rd year exams first.. but i can't help but feel a little excited about things.

1 Week left on my out firm
15 Days till Exam week

Monday 11 June 2012

Revision: 21 days left

That's it. I received my last ICA result of the year today, and now given the all clear to sit the final exams... it's all revision, sleep, revision and cram till its all over and it's summer again.

I don't know how or when it got to this point, but there's only 21 days left until i sit my first end of Y3 exam!

I sort of knew they were coming, but with my last SSC essay and ICA to worry about, it didn't really dawn on me so much.

Revision:

Cardio [X]
Resp [  ]
GI [  ]
Surgery [  ]
Renal [  ]
Endocrine [  ]
CSP 1,2,3 [  ]
PH [  ]
OSCE stuff [  ]

............. okay .. so i've only just done cardio... and a bit of resp.. i need to start this cram!!! 

Wednesday 6 June 2012

CCS week 2 + MET3a ICA

I struck a deal with D, if he allows me to insert a nasogastric tube into him, i would let him do the same after. We shook on it. 

So under the supervision of the teaching staff, i had a quick practice on the dummy with the self/water- lubricating NG tube, and as expected with a plastic dummy, it went straight in without any resistance whatsoever (Hoping for the same luck, if this comes up as an OSCE station!). 

However, i'm pretty sure both D and I knew it wasn't going to be quite the same when it came to our nostrils being penetrated. 

So firstly, i had to drape the tube from his nose to his ear, and then down to his xiphisternum, okay, so approximately 55cm; that's how far the tube has to travel in. I gave him a glass of water to hold, dipped the end of the NG tube with ky jelly for lubrication, and asked him which nostril he preferred, and off we went! I probably got around 5cm in before i hit my first bit of resistance, i was instructed to turn the tube 180 degrees and keep pushing... it was just stuck, and i started to feel bad as D's eyes started to well up (it's pretty normal, around the room i don't think i saw a single student with a NG tube in, without tears rolling down the same side of the face!.. but still.. i felt bad!!). It sort of eventually gave way, and i asked D to keep sipping water, and once it got past the second bit of resistance, it was just like the dummy, slipping straight down until i hit the 55cm mark. Yep, almost there. 

Last bit, was just to take the syringe and aspirate some stomach contents and test the pH on a bit of litmus paper just to make sure it was in the stomach and not the lungs. 

Now my turn. Okay, so it was pretty much the same thing, just i was a little more self concious as i just had a tuna salad for lunch, and was a bit worried he'd syringe out a bit of that onto the tray (!!) It really wasn't too bad, definitely not pleasant though as it stings a LOT when it goes through the nasal cavity, (and the tears... you really have no control over it!!) but once it's into the back of the throat, it no longer stings, perhaps a little more uncomfortable than anything. 

.... and no tuna salad was aspirated. 

So that was probably the highlight of CCS week 2, and at the end of which i had a weekend of cramming, followed by Met3a ICA on monday!

So now having sat all 3 ICAs of the year, personally i think i would rank it as: 
CR --> Met3a --> Met3b in order of difficulty. Not...that is matters, as I still have to revise all 3 for finals >.<

Now onto my Vascular surgical firm, revision for finals, and looking forward to my summer vacation!