I wanna be a Medicine!!!!... =P

Good thing Blogger's up and running again. I thought I wouldn't be able to post despite being in school for the whole day (what a waste that could have been!).. =P

The prelims ain't over yet. We just had our examination in Pediatrics a few hours ago. I thought about going home but nah, I'll be able to accomplish more by staying here. Had lunch with the guys at the hospital canteen. It's so refreshing to be able to hang out with friends without much pressure bothering you. I mean, we take our exams very seriously, but the fact that we're free from other worries is already a load off our tired minds. Medicine 2 is up next tomorrow. Some of you non-med people might be wondering "What the hell do you study in the Medicine subject? Isn't Medicine what you call your entire postgrad course??" (listen up Reg, you might just learn something.. =P)

Well, the Medicine subjects (we had Med 1 last year) teach you how to integrate all the basic stuff you learned in first and second year. Last year, we were taught how to perform history taking and physical examinations (because "90% of the time, you can make your diagnosis with a good history and PE!"). WE also had a smattering of cases for common illnesses to expose us to the wild world of diagnosis and management. This year, we're taking it to a whole new level. With our fundamentals (supposedly) in place, we now tackle more in depth cases, are given more detailed lectures on the different pathologies affecting the different organ systems, are given workshops on some of the more practical aspects of diagnosis andpatient management, and are even expected to give more detailed reports even encompassing the realm of diagnostic procedures and treatment! Ah, such fun.. =P

I could go on and on, but alas, time is against me, and now Ii must return to my little nook up there in the library to continue my romance with the different interesting facets of the topic known as Endocrinology.. =P

Who knows, Imight even blog later when i get bored again.. hehehe

Prelims week

Ok, here I am at the first day of the prelims (or midterms for those from other schools). We'll be having a single test per day, which isn't really too light considering the amount of material covered by each. :P Yes, I have survived hell week, which wasn't really as toxic as I expected. In fact, it turned out to be quite pleasant in the end..

I'd like to sincerely apologize for what I said about our facilitator before we had a chance to meet her. I was SO WRONG to base my impression from feedback from another group! While it may be true that she may have "terrorized" them, she was very nice to us, although demanding. =P But the thing is, I was able to really appreciate the points that she was trying to get across. It was really a great learning experince, going to the wards ALONE handling your own patient for the very first time, and being expected to give a good output. It was very tiring (and tension-filled because of what we've heard from the previous group), but very rewarding at the end. I didn't get chewed out, was appreciated for my effort, and even got to snack on some peanuts which she brought for our group! Such a nice lady!! :D Though she was quick to point out our shortcomings, she did so in a fair and non-hostile way. I dunno about my other groupmates if they were able to grasp her message like I was, given the fact that we have different ideas with regards to how learning should be. =P

If I was at the brink of giving up before we started this module, I now find myself more determined than ever to finish medicine, complete my specialty training, and maybe even come back to school to teach! =D

So to doktora, thank you for giving us the chance to go solo flight at the wards. There is really no substitute for confidence and experience, stuff that can't be learned from the books or in the classroom. I know I didn't do so well the first time around, but thanks to you, I've identified my weaknesses and will be able to work on them as I grow to be a full-fledged physician someday.. (naks!) =P

Whew, now that that's out of the way, I guess I gotta get back to the books. OB is up next tomorrow! The fun just never ends! Yahoo! =D

Hell week

Nah, it's not prelims week yet, though with the present load, one can never tell.. We've got at least two exams per day this week, some of them considered "major".. The week has barely begun but it already has me worn down. It's bad enough that we have to study non-stop, but our group even has an additional "mini-revalida" to contend with... This isn't funny anymore.. :P

At least I was able to attain my objective this weekend, which was to finish up my reports for thursday.. Well, they're not really done yet, but I guess its a load off my mind to have been able to accomplish that much. Sometimes I don't want to think about what tomorrow has in store.. I'll be living day-by-day for this week.. It's the only way to get by...

Day by day
O dear Lord, three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
To love thee more dearly
To follow thee more nearly
Day by day...