All 2 entries tagged Easter

Abbie down the Rabbit Hole

It feels like I’ve stepped into a weird alternate dimension of planet earth. Queues to get into Tesco, petrol nearly down to the pound and campus the quietest I have ever seen it. It’s like a ghost town here!

We’ve been off placement for four weeks now and I have lost all definition of time. It’s even harder as I live on my own, so the social distancing basically means social isolation for me. It’s been hard, getting up with not much to do and losing any sort of normality. However, I know it’s a very small on the bigger scale of things.

We’ve also had changes to the order of our degree. We normally do our SSC2 project after second year exams in third year. I had self-proposed my own SSC2 project and I was really excited to get on with it. However, due to Covid-19, that was all about to change. Instead of CCE2/3 which we would have normally been doing up until the end of July, we have essentially swapped them for the SSC2 project, and our exams will be pushed back. That was ok until I read the second part of the swap. We would all now be doing a systematic review. I was gutted. I thought my project would be ok as I didn’t need to use any patient data or go anywhere near a hospital. However, due to many of the staff going back into their NHS roles, ethical clearance wouldn’t have been able to take place. Again, not the biggest injustice in this crisis but I was gutted and the thought of doing a systematic review instead of my own project was underwhelming. However, I am still hoping to keep a similar topic to the one I originally planned so hopefully, not all is lost.

We have also been offered the opportunity to take up roles in the NHS like our fourth year counterparts. We are going in as a morph of HCA/medical student. Essentially, an extra pair of hands to help in this unprecedented time. I am working in the A&E department of George Elliot Hospital which I am looking forward to as it will enable me to spend time in a department that I have only been a patient in before. I had a bit of an introduction shift last week which felt odd as there were only four patients there the entire time I was on shift. However, it gave us time to get used to the place and even get some ECG teaching. Something I really did need; cardiology is not my strong point. I’m looking forward to being able to put my skill set to use and helping where I can. I know I can’t do a huge amount but every little helps right? I am grateful for the opportunity as I know not all medical schools have done this, so we are incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and I do hope other medical schools follow suit!

I don’t know when the lockdown is going to end. Everyone seems to have their own theory and I am just trying to avoid spending too much time on social media. I am hoping I can keep myself busy with SSC2 and shifts in A&E to try and stop myself becoming homesick during this time. I have an Easter egg from home waiting in my fridge for Sunday, I wish I could pop home for Easter roast but I’ll just have to wait until we are released back into the world. For now, I am waiting for the goslings and ducklings to make their appearance down at Tocil lake and making good friends with the local wildlife.

'Til next time!

Hattie Trigg : 14 Apr 2020 12:24 |  Tags: Abbie Easter Mbchb Patients Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Block 5 … Babies and hormones

So, we are officially back from Easter break and I can officially say that it felt like we had 4 seconds off rather than 4 weeks. I was worried about the atmosphere when everyone else returned but it has been really nice and everyone is building each other up and reminding everyone that making sure they have a break is just as important as learning pharmacology. I have also discovered I have grown rather attached to my spot in the MTC computer room as someone was sat in it the other day and I just ended up wandering around until they moved so I could work…. I wonder if a post-it note claiming my spot will work?

I am enjoying Block 5 so far which is our child development and pregnancy block. The physiology is actually going ok for once and I am enjoying my lectures. We have Jamie Roebuck back for anatomy this term and I think he has provided the most memorable moments such as the “abseiling testicle” and demonstrating what the lithotomy position was on the front bench of the lecture theatre. We have also had our block lead Dawn Cannon who has taken us through contraception meaning there was a line-up of 5 students holding condoms at the front of the lecture hall describing them to us. Block 5 is going to be eventful. I have also had the joy of being a mother for one lecture by holding a plastic doll whilst taking notes, much more difficult that you would first think.

My favourite lecture so far has been on development as we talked about the teenage brain which is one of the topics of Neuroscience I love more than anything. I first got interested in the world of Neuro by a book which detailed all the aspects of Teenage Neuroscience, so it’s a topic of which I am ridiculously passionate about and could talk about it all day (though I think everyone would hate me for that !!).

It’s a busy time as I have also applied for a WMS internship which will be developing a new peer teaching programme and a booklet for the new first years. I had my interview the other day so … fingers crossed! I have also applied to be a resident life tutor which is a live-in student who helps the first years with their time living in halls. The role looks incredible as I get to be the friendly face for the first years to come to with problems but it also means I have to deal with things like noise complaints and encouraging the freshers to not be typical freshers and keep the kitchen areas at least liveable! I am waiting to hear if I have got an interview but it does mean I currently have a lot of balls being juggled at the moment!

My scheme that I set up over the holiday has taken well. I get a little wave of excitement when I hear people taking mugs or using blankets. I am really happy that people have deemed it as useful and I hope to build on it in the future. I have also just taken on a role in Neuroscience Society working on the outreach and engagement which I am really looking forward to getting my teeth into.

The first open day went really well and I enjoyed meeting all the premeds. It felt so weird as I was in their position just over a year and a half ago. I still have my pen from my Warwick open day and the pack we were given. I was slightly nervous giving my talk but once we got rolling I was in my element. It reminded me just how much I love public speaking and I even got a couple of laughs on the day!

I am a bit stressed. I found that trying to get to sleep at night is proving to be a mission and I am struggling to completely switch off. I am worried how this will develop as we get closer to exams but I guess it’s something that is affecting everyone. However, the nights are drawing out and campus is looking as beautiful as ever which makes late night studying that much easier. Cycling past the lake means I have met the newest arrivals of some goose chicks. I wish I could show you a picture to show just how fluffy they are!

Anyway, back to work I suppose!

Abbie

Charlie Gallan : 23 Apr 2019 14:51 |  Tags: Abbie Easter Mbchb Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem