Going Up In The World

4th Year is officially over and done with! I guess that makes me a 5th year! Shitters.

The year concluded this week with 2 mammoth days of everyone presenting their project option. This involved about 40 people talking, for about 5 minutes each (it was supposed to be strictly 5 minutes but there was a mistake in the timing thing which meant everyone had 6 minutes! Ha!) Anyways, my turn came and went without any problems, my presentation was ok and I think I managed to answer the questions. Even my busy supervisor managed to make it which was nice of him. All in all, it was all quite interesting although it began to drag a little towards the end. The worst thing about it was the free lunch, what a pathetic attempt it was. We're always given free lunch at the end of OSCEs but it usually consists of atrocious prawn croissants. This time I couldn't even tell what it was so I stuck with 2 baps and some ham. And the cake?! Don't even get me started, I think it was supposed to be black forrest although you couldn't tell! It was awful, the sponge had about as much chocolate in as my left big toe! (Bloody neurology meetings always get a big juicy chocolate cake WITH CREAM! I often acquire a bit on the sly pretending I'm a neuro doc) So that was a mammoth disaster.

Anyway, yesterday ended and slowly people drifted away. Some of these people I won't see, probably until finals, most of which I won't see until January and all of which I won't see until the end of October. (5th year is very scattered, we're all on electives at different times and at different places) Being the socialite that I am, I decided against going to the pub and decided playing pool would be a far better option and so that's what we did. Suddenly the realisation that we're now 5th years began to dawn on us (helped by a huge brown envelope labelled "tlm, Year 5 Medical Student" No longer can I fall back on the excuse that "I'm only a 3rd year", or "only a 4th year", I'm expected to know stuff. Next year should be fun, I've got a cool elective and some great placements.

And that was that, the end of another year at medical school. 4 down, 1 to go. For me, the next one sort of begins on Monday when I leave for pre-elective travelling. Everything has come together and seems to be sorted out. We just have to finish packing up our cosy little flat (which at the moment is crammed full of full, half-full and empty boxes), move all the stuff, and then we're ready for the off.

I even managed to sort out, at the very last minute, the donation of a fetal heart Doppler from Huntleigh Healthcare, very kind of them indeed. I'm sure it will be much appreciated, that is if UPS decide to deliver it today...

Am I Dreaming?!?!?!

Today I almost kicked the oxygen habit, yes ladies and gentlemen, I almost died! "what happened?!" I hear you screaming at the screen...

Well... I was sat in the library casually procrastinating as you do, you know, perusing the web and checking emails when suddenly it happened. I noticed an email, our placement choices for year 5. I almost died of shock! (I know that is far less exciting that I built you all up for but I'm serious!) We were asked to pick a list of specialties for 5th year and we're told we'd be lucky to get 2 of our top choices, from past experience I expected the worst. As I glanced at the email, little explosions of happiness went off in my head.

I seem to have got all 4 of my top choices, even in the order that I wanted!!! How? How has something in the medical school gone my way? I'm not sure I believe it, its a joke, come on, surely?! Where is Jeremy Beadle?

So whats the explanation? Well, sadly it isn't cause for me to start singing the praises of my medical school. Fortunately the 5th year placements are arranged internally at my teaching hospital! (perhaps its not the worst place on Earth after all, actually of course it is, it's just the staff are all really friendly and considerate)

So my 5th year looks a little something like this:

Block 1 (8 weeks) - Elective, Lata Hospital, Solomon Islands.
Block 2 (8 weeks) - 4 weeks Orthopaedics (woo!), 4 weeks general medicine (gastro)
Block 3 (8 weeks) - Community placement, 8 weeks in GP land (we had to make choices for this too, I bet I'm going to get sent to the Arctic.
Block 4 (8 weeks) - 4 weeks A&E (yay!), 4 weeks lower GI surgery.

All with decent consultants in the same hospital!

p.s. Had typhoid and Hep A vaccination today - my arm hurts SO much!

p.p.s Happy Birthday to missbliss