And so the end is near

So I've completed third year and finished phase 2 and what a year it was, and so at this point I consider the future of this blog. With the numbers of students put on various outblocks (i.e 1 at Stirling or 2 in Lochgilphead) it will become very easy for anyone in my class or involved with the medical school to work who I am- so I think this may well be the end point of the blog in it's current form. So I can either 1) delete the blog completely 2) go to private blogging or 3) start a new blog with a new name and not tell anyone what it's called (bar a few special blog friends and allies) so opinions please.

Cheers Guys

Thanks A&E guys for making Dundee and Ninewells the funny medical story of the week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8079827.stm
I would also like to thank the BBC for there superb (as usual) scientific reporting and the fact they couldn't be bothered to send a reporter to Dundee, but instead to interview a family in Glasgow- you WIN at the news.

other things of little importance

The Burns Unit are an ace band- go listen to them. http://www.myspace.com/theburnsunitband

and I can't comment on Underappreciated medical student's blog.

This is the last straw

So this year I've not blogged much, mainly because I got scared- the medical school have been constantly incompetent and abusive and I got more and more angry; yet I didn't blog I was scared my outbursts out get me thrown out of the medical school; I wasn't confident that a few annoymous google and hotmail accounts would protect me so I said nothing. Before I get the usual abuse about being a whinger I have made my concerns known to the medical school through the MSC, feedback forms, evaluation forms etc (and much more elequoently than my usual blog standard) But I have to finally say something- after the shoddy teaching, the complete lack of direction, the sub standard exams full of spelling and grammar mistakes, the lack of exam results but the announcement posed on blackboard yesterday takes the biscuit.

I quote in full
Wed, May 13, 2009 -- OSCE station & Exam results

First thing is to say that results will not be out until into the afternoon on Monday 18th - I am afraid that it is just the effect of having 3rd year exams closely followed by 2nd year exams, 1st year exams & 5th year finals.

A number of you (all from group D) contacted me about the Paediatric prescribing station in the OSCE given that Group D missed this teaching due to a timetable clash. I have three things to note about this( mainly to Group D but the principles are applicable to all!):

1) the timetable clash was unfortunate but what happened to you taking responsibility for your own learning? It was clearly something that was being taught; the RoCE includes "Calculation of drug dose by patient age / weight" as one of the Practical Procedures that you are expected to sign that you are familiar with; you could have done some work to cover what (through no fault of your own) was missed; checked with those who were at the session as to what was covered.

Frankly I was always lead to believe that prescribing is the most dangerous thing any doctor wil ever do- so taking responsibility for my learning means that I would expect someone to ACTUALLY TEACH ME IT! This is a skill that should not be left to self learning. Where is the medical schools responsibility to our learning? If I have to teach myself such essential skills then I'm sure the university won't mind if I stop paying my fees. I'm not sure the GMC have to say about this blantent shirking of responbility- surely the public are entitled to have doctors actually trained in prescribing.

Pfft- think happy thoughts and it will all be over soon.

Well there's one advantage to doing the RoCE

I'll be one of the few people who can get a job out of the lottery that is MMC- I'll be able to litter my application forms with enough buzzwords and right on jargon that no-one could ever query my actual ability to do the job- this in the week that Remedy UK reports just how badly MMC has fucked up doctors training and in turn patient safety.

Anyhoo off to skate even closer to alcoholism and get a large glass of red wine and finish my reflective outcomes booklet wank fest.

And panic sets in

So we've just finished the final block of our systems teaching (which was actually really good- much praise to be given to the O&G dept for the effort they put into the block) and are looking into the abyss of randomness that is the transition block 1, which means the RoCE is due in just over 2 weeks and exams are in 5/6 weeks (I can't count) and thus panic has set in. There is now no banter to be had with any of the 3rd year medics the only points of discussion are what on earth is going to happen over the next 3 weeks of transition, RoCE woes and OMG!!!! the exams are soon!! I hate this time of year medics are the worst people to be around during exam time- once one person starts panicking and speculating on things then soon enough everyone has heard about it and the one patient we have to present for the RoCE exam has morphed into 17 patients with extra outcome based work.

Think I'll be heading to my secret law library retreat to hide from the madness, ssshh don't tell anyone else.

Half Way

Bloody hell finally at half way, ball this weekend and currently on our last system block.

Fuck it's really happening now, no backing out.

(A more in-depth proper post about this later- currently sewing my costume for the kids TV themed party on Fri Night)