Flu ravages class …

Or so it would seem from the large numbers of empty seats, the constant snuffling from the back row and the sea of green faces at lunch time. It would appear as though flu season has arrived earlier than expected. Some in the class may lay the blame at the feet at one or two individuals that were sick at the start of the year and, either knowingly or unknowingly, infected several others on a class trip. Others think they picked up something from the various clinics they have to visit each week. Regardless of the cause I spend a portion of my day worried that some twit classmate will cough on me and start the cycle for me and my family. I’ll do my best to avoid it. I’ll no doubt arm myself with the latest in the cold fighting drugs, as well as overdosing on daily regiments of vitamin C and Echinacea. I may even try that “Cold Fx” that Don Cherry endorses (I mean if he says it works it must be good – right?). Maybe if I believe strongly enough that I won’t get sick I can stave off whatever germs come my way. There has to be a solution ’cause I feel kind of feverish and I think my nose is beginning to run…

Welcome to Hematology

The next two weeks are going to focus on Hematology, i.e. the physiology and pathology of blood. Given that we have so little time (a common theme in medical school) we are going to focus primarily on coagulopathies in week 1 and lymphoma / myeloma in week 2. This block has been well taught in the past and the blockhead … I mean … block chair has promised not to be a complete bastard when it comes to exam time. This is incredibly reassuring as it means (most likely) that the material tested will be that covered in class. This might seem like a given anywhere else but with medicine it isn’t necessarily so. For example, if you take the last block we covered (the GI block) the exam has traditionally been based on sources outside of the class. This means that you are given a set of lectures that cover some testable materials but at the end of the day you have to find sources for the other materials that appear on the exam. It makes a bit stressful when it comes to exam time because it is hard to know what to focus on.

I have found that there seem to be two approaches to getting information to medical students (I am no expert here just an observer). One method is to throw a hundred different facts and details at the class and hope that one or two stick. The other teaching method seems to involve selecting choice material, common presentations and focusing the time and energy on these. Which teaching method do you think is most prevalent? Well the “throw a hundred facts” method seems to be the teaching style of choice – which again makes focusing for exams difficult. With the hematology block chair admitting that he will be reasonable this also tells me that he will probably focus on common presentations within hematology as opposed to the absolute obscure. It takes the guess work out of exam prep and, even though it will be a lot of work over the next two weeks, it will be (overall) less stressful.

4 weeks into the semester …

It’s hard for me to believe that a month of school has passed already, but it has. This was the last week for the GI block and next week begins the two week Blood and Lymphatics block. At this point in the semester summer memories are beginning to fade and people are beginning to settle into the routine of school.

It’s, in some ways, hard to write about the beginning of the semester of year two medicine because although there is a certain excitement about being back there is also a certain sense of routine (i.e. the novelty has worn off). Unlike the first year of class where people bend over backwards to welcome you to the school, the second year starts without fanfare. People are still in the summer mode, and less enthusiastic about being in classes – which has the effect of making the first couple of PBL sessions hard, as participation is low. A friend of mine in the class noted that he actually felt depressed to be back in lectures, as it wasn’t much of a change from the second semester of first year. I can relate to that in spades – the most difficult part for me is being stuck in lectures while the vast majority of my friends are working with patients and learning in a much more hands on approach. Regardless, things are progressing at rapid pace and I know from experience that the Christmas exams will come a lot faster than I expect. Meanwhile, it’s time to focus on the next block of study while looking forward to the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Minna Unchi

I must apologize to the faithful few that read this blog for the lack of posts lately. You see, I had a bit of an internal struggle with respect to what to say last week. I just completed week 3 of the Gastroenterology block and was reluctant to post because the material covered was all about sh*t. Yes, I mean that in the most literal sense of the word. I learned about all manner of diarrhea, steatorrhea, constipation, as well as colours, volume, floaters and sinkers (The list is exhaustive and I only mention a few). I really must commend the Gastroenterologists who taught during the week, who spoke so passionately about poop without hardly cracking a smile. It’s probably just my immaturity showing but I giggled like a school boy throughout.

Anyway – I thought the material might be a little inappropriate given that my mom reads this blog (hi ma!) – thank goodness my grandma can’t figure out how to turn the computer on. So – for those of you out there in cyberspace who are thinking about getting into medical school, just remember – sometimes your going to have to deal with some crap, but it’s ok- everybody poops.

The Anaesthetists Hymn

I sent this to a friend of mine who has short listed anesthesiology…

I found this in one of my favorite blogs “the underwear drawer” which is penned by an anesthesiology resident.

Check it out at : theunderweardrawer.blogspot.com/.

Believe me it’s well worth the wasted time!

A new year, a new leaf

School is back is session and has been for about a week now. One of the things I want to do this year is keep more of a regular schedule for blogging, and so, to that end, I will try and post at least once a week. I will aim for Friday afternoons but will post sooner if possible.

I think I want to start the new year of blogging with something positive. This is directed primarily at those currently studying medicine, or thinking about studying medicine (or even those on the outside looking in…which, I guess, includes almost everyone). Perhaps one of the most positive things about a career in medicine is the opportunity that exists within. I know I have mentioned it before but I want to expand a little here.

Medicine is an umbrella term for a large variety of different specialties with a similar goal at the core. Perhaps one of the most attractive things about medicine is the fact that you have the power to make your job into what you want. So, for example, if I want to do research, have a clinical practice and do surgery; there are options that could allow me to follow that dream. It may take some work, but it’s possible. What is different from my past experiences is that medicine feels more malleable, more flexible, more able to shape into something I want, or desire. There is simply more opportunity within Medicine to follow a passion and create something unique and this different from what I have seen anywhere else. I see this even while I am in school and it is exciting but it can be a little dangerous as well …

While in medical school I have found that there are a tonne of opportunities to follow things that you are interested in. For example, I enjoy research and have (prior to medical school) worked in a research lab doing basic scientific investigation. There is opportunity to do research while in school, and some (like me) work to that end. In fact, you do not have to look very far if you want to find something that catches your interest. The flip side is that each of these activities outside of school takes time away from what should really be the focus, i.e. the core classes. The last year of school I found that I had simply taken too much on and when it came to exams I did not do as well as I would have liked. Long story short I find myself repeating some of my second year courses while my peers have moved onto their clinical rotations.

So this year will be hard for me. I have lost some of my drive because of my poor performance (which was personally very disappointing) and also from the lack of social network I have this year (my friends are all scattered around in the various hospitals, meanwhile I’m with new classmates). Despite this Medicine is still an exciting prospect, but the focus is clear – to finish school in one piece. The new leaf for this year is a simple one, to focus on my studies with few distractions. The goal is the same as the year before, which is to succeed in a career which offers such a promise of opportunity.