It makes you think

One thing I love about my course and job is that I get the chance to talk to so many different people who have all had a much different experience of the world than I have or will. Some of their stories are incredible, whether its things they’ve done or been involved with or whether its the things they are currently having to live with, I find myself respecting them all.

I love learning from each of them, I love finding out about their conditions and how it has affected their life. Its so much easier to learn the symptoms and specific histories of different pathologies direct from the patient. And when its just one-on-one in the back of an ambulance, with no nurses and other ward staff floating about its much easier to talk.

One of the patients I transfered yesterday made me think, I guess I felt sorry for him really, and I realised just how lucky I am. He was a 29 year bloke that had been involved in a car accident, he’d had a spinal injury and is now paralysed from the waist down. He’d been in hospital since the accident and was now ready to be discharged, but he would need some help at home. However, he had no family other than his parents, and they were unable to care for him due to their own health problems. So this guy was being transfered to a residential home. His whole life has been changed due to one accident, and he’ll never be the same again.

When I’m 29, I’m expecting to be a Doctor, with a settled job and slowly working my way up the ranks. I don’t know what I’d do if something like that happened to me, I don’t know how I would cope. I guess you just never expect it to happen to you. But the scary thing is that it could very easily happen to each and every one of us. One split second and your life changes forever.

I think I’ll remember that transfer for a while.

SD

Its not all hard work

Work this morning went by without incident, was providing first aid cover for a local rugby and lacrosse club. Didn’t have a thing to do all morning – just the way I like it.

Am now back at home contemplating having a nap. Am meeting up with some friends tonight for food and a chat, should be good. Tried to persuade them to come to mine so I don’t have to walk home afterwards but unfortunately that plan failed as I live further away from the place we’re getting the food from! Soon they’ll be wanting to come to mine as there is currently a Nintendo Wii on its way to me! Yey!

Uni wise its quite quiet at the moment. I’ve just finished a 2 week care of the elderly placement which I really enjoyed and I now have 2 weeks away from placement to write an essay, mine is going to be on “The role and development of paramedic practitioners and ECP’s in the care of the elderly in the community”. So I may be bugging some of the people on my blogroll for some information in the next few days.

In these two weeks off, as well as writing that essay I’m planning on working quite a bit – I need the money, car insurance/breakdown cover needs paying for. Also need to pay for the Wii!

Right, off to hang some washing out and have that nap.

SD

A little bit of background

I started medical school in 2004 and am now in clinical years, having just done (and passed!) my first set of clinical OSCE style assessments. I enjoy the course, most of the time, I enjoy learning and having the opportunity to put the knowledge and skills I’ve learnt into practise when on the wards. I really enjoy talking to patients and finding out whats wrong with them and whats happening with regards their condition/treatment - I suppose I’m just a little nosy!

Its not all fantastic though, the course does have its down sides. I spend a lot of my time wandering around trying to find things to do, and to be honest, the lack of structured teaching we actually receive is scary. To think that in under 3 years time I will be responsible for patients is terrifying. But we’re all in the same boat and I keep telling myself that we will get there!

I moved to a new city when I came to university and I absolutely love it here, its very rarely that I go back to my hometown even in the holidays. I’ve really settled here, I have a fantastic group of friends both students and non-students, I don’t know what I would do without them. I also have a part-time job here and am involved with various student union clubs and activities, this lot combined means I lead quite a hectic life but I wouldn’t have it any other way – all work and no play makes for a dull studentdoctor!

I like to think that I’m quite a down-to-earth sort of person, I come from a working class background and am the first person in my family to go into higher education. My part-time job is essential to me in order to pay my way through medical school. I’ve been quite lucky in finding a job, I love going to work – both the people and the job are great fun, and the type of work is benificial to my career. I work as a first aider for private ambulance company – this involves providing first aid cover at a variety of events and also doing medicar/patient transfers in the local area. I’ve been doing it since first year and I have had the opportunity to do things which I would never have been able to do otherwise – I’ve took control of a cardiac arrest (until the paramedic arrived), been first on scene to an RTA (by accident), and developed friendships with nurses and paramedics which I am planning to make the most of when it comes to organising placements and my elective!

All-in-all, I’m quite happy with where I’m at and what I’m doing, as with anyone, theres a few things I’d like to change but who doesnt think that. Like I said before, I plan to use this blog to reflect on different things that have/will happen and having a little bit of background helps to see things in perspective.

Thats all for now, must sort out my uniform ready for work in the morning.

SD

New year, new blog…

After reading many blogs by different people involved in health care for the past year or so, I’ve decided to join in.

I’ve never written a diary/blog before so I haven’t a clue how successful this attempt is going to be but there’s no harm in trying is there?

I intend to use this blog as a way of reflecting on the things I do and see on placement and in life in general over the next few years until I graduate and (hopefully) start working within the NHS. Ever aware of patient confidentiality etc all details will be changed to protect patient identity.

I’m not exactly sure how it all works but if you’re reading this then i’ve obviously done something right! Please feel free to leave comments about me, this blog or anything else!

SD