A Week In The Life of a Final Year Medical Student - Friday

Sorry this is late... I had such a busy day on Friday that I just left my laptop and went home for the weekend to recover!

7am - Get up, get sorted out to go in to the hospital.

7.50am - Realise the other students on my firm are too hungover to come in. Consider going back to bed, but decide I might as well make the most of being the only student for the day so trek in.

8am - Get to the hospital. See the huuuuge list of patients. Wish I'd stayed in bed.

9.30am - As its so busy I get to write my first discharge completely on my own. Get it double checked by a doctor... one sign off in my log book!! Woo hooo!

9.45am - Ward round moved from the Clinical Decision Unit to the wards. We have a new SHO with us (borrowed from another firm), she's really lovely and keen for me to get lots of experience. She lets me write drug charts and double checks them. I'm glad I went to the prescribing sessions we had a couple of weeks ago. Sign off number two...

The ward round is huge so this takes all morning. I get to write in the notes, fill out more drug charts and even examine some patients.

1.01pm - The SHO and I rock up 1 minute late for a presentation we all have to attend because we're so busy. We were worried there would be no good left but I manage to get a nice combination of colslaw and a chocolate chip muffin.

2.10pm - Leave the talk and hot foot it to the wards to get jobs done.

2.15pm - Try my first ABG. I was so nervous that my hands were shaking. Surprisingly to me I got it. That means I have a 100% success rate so far! I then had to run the sample to the machine on the other side of the hospital and work out how to use it. Not fun and noone in A&E would show me. Eventually got it working and had to run the results back up to the ward,.

3.00pm - Go through all the patients on the list and work out what blood tests they need over the weekend and print out the forms on the right wards. This is the disadvantage of not being ward based. The advantage is all the free exercise.

3.40pm - Spent time chasing a haematology referral as they haven't made it clear if they want to take on the patient or not. Try and find out what we're supposed to be doing. Succeed only after actually turning up to the haem clinic and sitting outside the room.

4.20pm - Chat to microbiology on the phone about a couple of patients. Get drilled on antibiotics once the consultant realises he's speaking to a medical student. Realise that I have a lot to learn.

4.30pm - Run around 4 wards trying to find the FY1s to tell them about the microbiology results. Noone's answering bleeps!!

5.05pm - Finish for the day. Legs throbbing from walking around so much.

5.30pm - Get in the car home to visit my Dad. Wonder how I'll survive a night out...

Lily xXx