Graduation Ball

What a magical evening. An evening made even better by the fact that although there was copious amounts of champagne and wine flowing, I managed to moderate myself and spend the whole evening sober enough to enjoy every moment.

I might be biased because I'm currently on a graduation-high, but this ball was fantastic.

The evening started with champagne at the fountain outside one of our teaching hospitals, overlooking the River Thames. To add to the atmosphere there was a jazz band playing, and it gave everyone the perfect opportunity to catch up and drool over all of our beautiful dresses.

Felt a bit like naughty school children for a while as a big group photo was taken and the photographers did lots of shouting at us, but that was all soon forgotten when a fleet of Routemaster Double Decker Red Buses turned up to transport us to the hotel. Once we reached the hotel we were ushered through to another champagne reception, this time with a string quartet.

After an hour of drinking more champagne, my feet were really hurting in my heels, so I was glad that they called us through to dinner. We enjoyed our tasty 3 course meal, while listening to a harpist... it was all very sophisticated.

To end the sophistication we all took to the dance floor to have a good old boogie to songs from the last 6 years.

All in all a fabulous night.

I'm now off to get bits ready for graduation tomorrow as I'm off for a sneaky drink or two tonight! Yay!

Lily xXx

End of an Era

I've been thinking for a couple of days that I should write something deep and meaningful to end this blog. I'm getting closer and closer to graduation day now, and therefore closer to switching to my new blog, so I feel that I should probably stop thinking about being deep and meaningful and just write something before it's too late.

It's graduation ball today, and graduation itself on Friday. Even though these are looming and I got my results a week ago, it still hasn't really sunk in. I'm sure the reality of being a doctor won't sink in until I actually start work at the end of July.

There is a little shadow over all these end of degree celebrations though. A lot of people in my year group are having to resit the year this year. 37 in fact. A fair few of them are friends or at least mates of mine. I think the strangest thing will be if they get sent as medical students to the hospital I'm working in.

I've spent the week mulling over how quickly the last 6 years have passed. It only seems like it was a few months ago that my Dad was driving me to halls and I felt so nervous I thought I was going to puke all over the dashboard. A lot has happened in the last 6 years though, and hopefully I've managed to learn a lot of stuff. I also hope that I don't forget it all over the next couple of weeks before I start work.

So sorry that I haven't written anything deep and meaningful, but I think that's because there is so much flying around in my mind at the moment. That and this heat is melting my brain.

Hopefully I'll have time to give you a little graduation ball update tomorrow, but for now I'm off to try and make myself look acceptable.

Lily xXx

I Passed!!!

Sorry it took me so long to post this, but I was busy putting plan A into action and drinking lots of champagne!

Hurrah!

Lily xXx

Tomorrow!

AARRRGGGHHHH!

Results day tomorrow.

This is plan A:

Get up and let plumber in to fix shower.

Find out results at midday online.

Pass.

Get champagne.

Go to campus

Indulge in champagne.

Celebrate my socks off.

This is plan B:

Get up and let plumber in to fix shower.

Find out results at midday online.

Fail.

Get gin.

Take gin to bed.

Cry.

I hope tomorrow will be plan A

Lily xXx

Plans

I've managed to fill up this week until results, all in an effort to not thing too much about exams.

Sunday I cooked for my Dad and then hopped back in the car to London. I spent my evening drinking beer and talking lots and lots. Lucky for me I got a lovely lie-in to start my Monday. The day was mostly spent trawling London to find the shoes I want for graduation. After navigating past a swarm of angry bees (yes, really...) on Regent St, I finally found them. Beautiful beautiful beautiful dark red patent leather shoes.

The rest of the time before results is filled with little bits which I find insanely exciting, but probably mundane to most people.

Tomorrow I'm having a new oven delivered. I haven't had a working oven in my flat for about a year. This means baking cakes and pizza... noms! Then on Wednesday I'm going to chill out with a friend and keep her company at her hospital appt. The evening will be topped off with popping out for dinner and hopefully a few drinks to aid the fretful sleep before results...

On a slight tangent I was asked if I was a Miss or a Mrs over the weekend while buying a new car tyre, I wanted to say Dr sooooo much!

Lily xXx

Making Plans

I am completely rubbish at organising my life. If I didn't get the occasional kick up the bum I'd pretty much just coast through life without doing much.

I have about 5 weeks of holiday time left. I need to make the most of them. I have results day in 6 days, grad ball on the 29th of June and graduation on the 1st of July. I'm also spending a few days in Paris with my Dad later on in July. Otherwise I have diddly-squat planned. I realise I have a flat to pack up and move out of, but I really should be making plans otherwise to make the most of summer.

This is where all the nice people who read my blog are going to come in useful. If any of you can think of a nice way to spend a few days, that isn't extortionately expensive but also doesn't involve a tent comment and let me know.

I've also been busy making the new blog look half decent. Tell me what you think?!

Lily xXx

1 week to go...

This time next week I will know whether or not I passed my exams and therefore whether or not I start work as a doctor on August 2nd.

On the surface I always seem calm about exams. I can even offer the voice of reason. I know that there's no point panicking once the exam is done... there's nothing I can do now. That doesn't mean that I'm not having nightmares about it though. I haven't slept properly in about a week and it's only going to get worse over the next week.

Strangely I'm also getting panicked about other random things. Mainly fashion based. I have graduation ball and graduation to get outfits for. I've found a lovely dress for the ball, but now I have to find something for actual graduation... and shoes. I need to find shoes. I also possibly need to get a hair cut.

I guess if dresses and haircuts are the biggest of my worries, then life is OK!

Lily xXx

Whiling Away Time

At the moment my life just seems to be a countdown to results. It's only 10 days to go. So as not to completely waste the 3 weeks by stressing out, I've been trying to make myself busy.

eBay has become my biggest new obsession. If it stand's still long enough I'll probably try to sell it... better watch out Dad! Unfortunately this does mean that I have to take 10 parcels to the post-office this morning. If the people who bought them pay for them, I have another trip of 5 parcels tomorrow, and potentially lots more on Wednesday too.

I also ventured into a gym for the first time in years. This gym was perfect. It was small, relatively quiet, not full of posers, had a huge pool and best of all it had a sauna and jacuzzi. Excitingly it also had a shower that squirts at you from all directions. It's clearly the little things that make me happy, and that's one of them. Apparently they also do a 10% NHS discount on membership, so I think that's the gym I'll join once I'm home.

To top off my luxury free-time I've been cleaning out both my flat in anticipation to move out and my Dad's flat in anticipation to move in. Not perhaps the fun laid back holiday I dreamed of, but strangely satisfying in it's own way.

This week I have boring grown-up paperwork things to do, but also hopefully lots of fun to be had!

Lily xXx

Save Graduate Entry Medicine!

A couple of days ago I got a nice email from a young man called Chris (well I presume he's young... you never know with these graduate types :-p) asking me if I minded mentioning a bit about the campaign to save graduate entry medicine.

I myself came straight from A-levels to medicine, but I have a great admiration for graduate medics. On the whole they're lovely and they seem so much more motivated, organised and able to study than many of the undergraduates (like me...). In fact only a week or two ago in the pub I was having a big conversation with undergraduate medics about how we felt that medicine should perhaps be a graduate-only subject.

That however is a discussion for another day...

This campaign is basically highlighting that with the new increased tuition fees and potential for the NHS bursary to be removed, most graduates seeking to do medicine will simply be unable to afford it. This will mean lots of people who would make fabulous doctors not reaching their potential, which quite simply isn't fair. All this just because they can't stump up big lumps of cash up front.

I'd harp on about it, but these guys do it a lot better so visit their facebook page, sign their petition, see how the BMA supports them and follow them on twitter @saveGEM

Good luck guys... I really hope that something is done about this.

Lily xXx

Diazepam Daze

I would have let you all know yesterday that I don't have to do the extension exam, only I was in a bit of a diazepam-fuelled daze. This means one of 3 things.

1. I could have passed everything.

2. I may have failed writtens, but passed OSCE.

3. I may have failed writtens and failed OSCE.

I'm hoping for choice number 1.

Dr Grumble asked if it was true that 80 people failed. Well no. It was 75... so close to 80.

I'm sure most of those will have been borderline though, and may very well pass the extension exam... otherwise there is going to a be a bit of a shortage of junior doctors.

Anyway... some of you might be interested as to why I have suddenly developed a taste for benzos...

I pulled my back out. There I was moving heavy furniture around all day with no problem, then I bent over and next thing I was in so much pain I couldn't move. I stayed propped up against a wall for 20 minutes and then gave in and called my Dad to help. In the end I ended up taking 5mg of diazepam at about 4.30pm which relieved things just enough for me to hobble around, I took another 5mg at 11pm before I went to bed... that ruined me.

I slept for 13 hrs. I then got into the shower wearing my PJs. Lathered up with shower gel. Reached for my towel. Tried to dry myself with my towel under the still running shower. Realised something was wrong. Felt stupid.

I then got dressed and went to find my Dad.

I'd put my clothes on inside out.

Safe to say I didn't try anything too complex after that!

Lily xXx

Final OSCE

So I did it and I survived.

It's strange to think that this OSCE could be the last exam I sit as a medical student. I'll find out on Monday if I need to sit the extension exam to improve my mark or not.

Although 21 stations, each 7.5 minutes seems really long, in the actual OSCE the time flew by. It was over in what seemed like minutes, although it was actually hours.

I thought I'd give a quick run through of the stations for those who are interested...

1. Precription chart for COPD... it was so hard to fit this in the time.

2. Cerebellar exam.

3. Advice about hospital discharge, wound care and antibiotics.

4. Surgical history, possibly an ileus.

5. Breaking bad news, telling a lady who was trying for a baby that she isn't pregnant.

6. Choosing the drug and setting up a nebuliser.

7. Prescribing for cellulitis.

8. Brief history and examining a lady with the fake strap on boobs.

9. An alcohol history.

10. CVS exam.

11. Dermatology history and exam.

12. Medical history, possibly heart failure.

13. Setting up a syringe pump (minus the actual syringe driver).

14. Respiratory exam.

15. Abdominal exam.

16. Giving advice about osteoporosis.

17. Explaining a laprascopic nephrectomy.

18. Informing a nurse that a patient wishes to complain about them.

and 3 rest stations

The examination stations all had so many signs, which meant that it was hard to fit them into the time given. I also find the plastic strap on boobs so offputting!!

Anyway I am off to nurse my hangover...

Lily xXx

OMG... OSCE

I don't usually swear on here...

Fuck.

I have never been this scared before an exam. For some reason I've got it into my head that I'm not prepared even though I have passed both my Mock OSCEs. I've been to revision weekends, I've practised on friends and I've even read the books.

I still can't remember everything in cranial nerves.

I get my knickers in a twist during cerebellar exams.

I have forgotten all my special joint tests.

I have no skills.

I've forgotten all the facts for explaining.

Fabulous.

It's just so scary that after 6 years of hard work there is a possibility this could be the last exam. Working seems even more scary than doing these exams.

On the plus side by just after 5pm tomorrow I should be finished.

I'll have definitely earned a drink or two.

Lily xXx