All entries for Wednesday 12 February 2014

Meeting patients

OSCE is done and I'm happy to say it went quite well (I won't get ahead of myself too much yet). I managed to enjoy it even though there were a few hairy moments, so I'm definitely feeling a bit better about the real thing in the summer. Recently we've started seeing real patients in the hospital. So far all of the patients I have met have been so nice, and really keen to help us out, and it feels good to strut around the hospital with your stethoscope around your neck pretending that you know exactly what you're doing. After all, you've got to fake it until you make it, right?

I saw a really nice man last week that came in with shortness of breath. He was happy to have a chat with us and even talked me through my respiratory examination - "I think you're supposed to have a listen now, on both sides of my chest and my back" - at least one of us knew what we were doing. I suppose it's a bit like learning to ride a bike. In the first week we had our clinical tutor guiding us through the history, helping us to ask the right questions, a bit like having stabilisers on. Now we've had them taken off but we're wobbling a bit, still asking what we should do next and how we might make things better in the future. Before we know it we'll be flying solo, bothering patients all on our own.

I really like my tutor and I learn a lot from him. I've also found that a lot of the theory makes much more sense when put into real life, clinical context. Every week though my tutor says "I'll show you this now and you'll never forget". Thankfully, he hasn't remembered that he has had to show me the exact same thing three weeks in a row. He recently tricked us by instructing us to take a history from a man who was completely aphasic and a woman who didn't speak any English at all. I suppose it's all part of the learning curve!

It is quite uplifting meeting people who think that you're an important person and are absolutely entitled to know their deepest, darkest secrets. I'm amazed at how forthcoming patients have been with letting us talk to them, prod them and poke them, even though they have gone through the motions countless times before. People are generous and encouraging. The whole experience definitely fills me with optimism for the future, however naive that may be. I like the idea that one day I can do something to help the people who have helped me to learn. Hopefully though they won't remember that one medical student who palpated them a bit too aggressively or made them sit for ages in the cold without a top on. I hope it has been as positive an experience for them as it has been for me. It can only get better with practice.

See you soon,

Amy

Sarah Hill : 12 Feb 2014 11:07 |  Tags: Mbchb Osce Patients Wards Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem