All 9 entries tagged Exams

Care of the Surgical Patient

I’ve come into this block feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after the Christmas holidays and have just completed the first two weeks of my Surgical Patient block (my final specialist block of medical school!!) When I look back over the last three (and a bit) years, they have been filled with highs, lows and plenty of hard work – but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I feel as though things have come in a neat roundabout circle as my last block is surgery and Gastrointestinal medicine, and my first block in my first year covered the basics of this area of medicine. I, too, feel like I have come full circle in terms of motivation and drive. I started Year 1 with energy and determination and I again feel energised and ready to approach the next few months with the necessary determination to hopefully finish the course.

…Which is good as there is a lot to do. I have two prescribing exams at the beginning of February, and then written and practical exams in March. As well as this, I still have to engage with this block and learn enough about surgery to be able to cope as a junior doctor on a surgical ward. So, what have I been up to? Well, for this block I have not one, but two surgeons, making me slightly spoilt for choice. I have a general surgeon (so digestive system amongst many other things), and a urologist (male reproductive tract and male and female urinary systems) as my consultant supervisors. Last week I was lucky enough to attend general surgery clinic which I found really interesting, which sort of surprised me. I am still unsure what career path to go down but had thought general surgery wasn’t for me up until this point. I found the clinic really interesting and actually quite innovative with some of the novel techniques they use to sort digestive problems. One of these techniques is what they call a seton, which is essentially a specialised string which they put through false passages which helps the passage heal correctly – very cool stuff!

We have also had lots of tutorials from experienced surgeons in this block, and one of the most engaging of these was a session I had last week where we were taught how to suture. Suturing is one of the most basic surgical skills, but that doesn’t mean it is easy! All doctors need to be able to suture, of course surgeons need to be able to suture to close wounds, but also doctors working in A&E or General Practice need to be able to close small wounds and injuries if necessary. We had three experienced consultant surgeons teaching us how to handle the equipment and do a basic interrupted suture. This is where the needle goes through the base of the skin and is then tied above the skin to close the wound. We were also offered a challenge – one of the surgeons had created a laparoscopic training ‘game’. Laparoscopic surgery is commonly called ‘keyhole’ surgery as rather than large incisions, small incisions are made, and a camera and tools are used to complete the surgery. The game involved a webcam and two tools inside a box, and involved picking up rubber bands and putting them on small pegs. The person who did the most of these was the winner and would get a certificate, and unbelievably, I won! As I said earlier, I haven’t really considered surgery as a career in seriousness, but I found the game fun and have really enjoyed this block so far, so you never know…

Megan Earle : 18 Jan 2021 08:28 |  Tags: Exams Jordan Mbchb Student Surgery Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The results are in….

I PASSED!!! I actually passed! I am now a second-year medical student. Typing those words is so surreal. I honestly didn’t think I would get here! I had basically convinced myself I had failed this year, I kept re-guessing all my answers and was a right state when we reached results morning. The results were due to be released at 10am so by 9:55am I was a wreck. I was just sat slumped against my bed nervously watching the clock tick over to 10am. I had to physically talk myself into opening the link with our results. I was terrified. I eventually made my thumb move the 1cm to my screen and opened the link:

“Congratulations, you have been deemed satisfactory for this set of examinations”.

I gasped. I read the line over and over again. I had passed. I was a second year! In complete honesty, I still think the med school are going to send out an email saying they had mixed up the results. I keep staring at the page as if it is playing tricks on me. In fact, I have it as my lock screen just so I can keep checking it’s not a dream. It is silly to dramatize this but I had fully convinced myself that I was never going to pass first time, that I was totally reliant on the re-takes.

I called my mum crying down the phone and I am not sure who was happier! Now I have to think about what I want to do over summer. I’ve been offered a place in GOSH summer school which helps students wanting to go into paediatrics and now I know I don’t have to re-take, I am really looking forward to that opportunity! I won a £100 ticket by simply re-tweeting their tweet, twitter is very handy!

We also had our summer ball which was before results meaning we could all relax without the weight of results looming over our heads. It was a fantastic evening and it was nice seeing my year all dressed up and looking amazing having had some sleep since exams ended. We happened to have it in the same venue as we had our welcome ball in which was a nice little circle to complete the year off! It was nice to celebrate with members from the other years as well as they had been as bigger part of our year as the lecturers here. We got a photo of our student seminar team that has to be one of my favourites here at med school. I got home quite late/early with a huge smile on my face knowing I had nothing to do the next day.

We also had our final open day of the year and it was a bittersweet day. It was lovely to meet everyone, but we were also working with Dr Roebuck in clinical skills who we had recently discovered was leaving us. Dr Roebuck’s lectures are infamous, and we are going to miss him next year, he has been a huge help to us all explaining concepts in the clearest way possible. I don’t think I am ever going to forget the human broad ligament or the lectures with chocolate, skittles, drinking competitions (don’t worry it was squash)!

I still can’t believe I have passed. I’m sitting here, still not believing it! The new first years will soon be upon Warwick for their offer holder’s day. I remember mine as if it was yesterday and I even found the running order in my room when I went home. It feels amazing to think I can actually start planning for next year now such as medic families, student seminars and neuroscience society without having to add the work “if” in front of my sentences. I want to run a science demo competition next year as it was something I loved back at my old university so I need to set the wheels in motion!

I guess now, it’s time for a complete break. I need to give my old brain a bit of a rest and to have some much-needed therapy time with my pets! My friend is working the fridge festival in Edinburgh, so I am hoping to pop up to Scotland to experience it! I am also watching Andrew Scott in the Old Vic over summer as well which is a small pick me up I bought before exams and cheers me up every time I remember I am going! A huge congrats to all my year, whatever the result, we got to the end! Here’s to an incredible summer and a slightly more relaxed second year!

Abbie

Charlie Gallan : 25 Jun 2019 09:03 |  Tags: Abbie Exams Mbchb Results Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

If you need me, I’ll be sleeping.

ITS OVER!!!!

Exams are finally over, and with that last sound of the buzzer marking the end of the OSCE station, I could feel the biggest grin stretching across my face. I have made it past the exam period!!

It has not been easy, and I can safely say this was the most stressful and exhausting two weeks of my entire life (and that includes my dissertation!). We had our first exam on Monday 3rd June. The SAQ. This had been the paper I was most worried about as it relied on us knowing the knowledge well enough to write it down. I had practised short answer questions over and over again. The exam was ok! There were some questions in which I did not know the answer to but I tried to logic it out and come to the best conclusion I could offer.

I was pretty happy afterwards, a couple of us went to the Duck on campus to have some food as a treat and just to have a break before hitting the books again. I walked back up to the MTC with Dan and we spotted a Heron walking around in the Tocil lake, apparently, they are meant to signify that a change is coming in your life and you need to embrace it. I hope that is a message of good change.

Day 2 and we hit the first MCQ paper. This. Was. Ridiculously. Hard. I was trying my best to apply my knowledge but I just felt deflated coming out of the room. Thankfully, I had an email saying I needed to pick up a parcel from the post room. It turns out my best friend from my old uni had sent me an exam survival package including hot chocolate, sweets and a book. It was the best pick me up I could have asked for. I tried to go back to the MTC to do some work but I was just frustrated at myself from the day’s events and I could not take anything in so I decided to go home and just fall into bed watching random videos on YouTube about asthma and ECG’s until I fell asleep.

Day 3, the final written! I was in such a good mood when I woke up. Today was the last day I was going to have to sit at a desk for a while, and I could not wait. I was still a bit apprehensive as I was worried about what was coming up based on the exam the day before. However, this exam was so much better, I could piece together the puzzle for most questions and others, I just had a good stab at.

Coming out of that exam was a huge breath of fresh air, I was ridiculously happy it was all over. The sun was shining and all of us headed to the Duck after to celebrate the end of writtens. It was a fantastic afternoon and I went to bed with a massive grin on my face. I had stopped worrying about how it had gone and instead I was just basking in the fact the exams were over.

Thursday arrived and this signalled the beginning of 6 days of “Hello my name is Abbie, I am a first year Warwick Medical Student”. The OSCE’s had arrived. We practised the exams on each other constantly, so much so I can probably do the Cranial Nerve exams backwards. This, however, did not stop me forgetting to ask the patients name and date of birth at the beginning of each station (facepalm). I am not sure how the OSCE’s went, it could go either way, the same with the writtens. I am just ridiculously happy it’s all over; I have not stopped smiling. I am looking forward to getting up tomorrow and doing what I want, when I want, or I could even not get up at all! (Though, that won’t happen, I am not someone to spend all day in one spot, I can barely last an hour in a lecture!).

The next two weeks will be about relaxing and enjoying any scrap of sun that comes my way. We have summer ball on Friday which I am really looking forward to and I am popping home to get a bit of respite from uni. The results are on the 24th so I guess I will find out how I did then, just keep your fingers crossed for me guys!

Abbie

Charlie Gallan : 12 Jun 2019 08:32 |  Tags: Abbie Exams ITS Mbchb Revision Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

It’s the final countdown!

So here we are, the last push before exams. I am slowly starting to get bored of revision, it has basically been a nine to five job these past couple of weeks and all I want to do now is to sit this paper and have a break. It’s been going ok revision wise though and I am really enjoying having a group around me whom I can rely on and have a giggle with when I am frustrated.

We have also recently had another open day. It was lovely to meet some of the prospective newbies and chat to them. In hindsight, it has probably given us some perspective over where we are now. I remember being so frustrated about not hearing anything or just wanting to be in the place I am today. A couple of people recognised me from my own blog so that was a bit of a proud moment and nice to know that I am helping people along the way. Jordan and I did our open day presentation and it was nice to get a few laughs and remind myself about the positive side of Med school and not just the doom and gloom about the upcoming examinations.

I packed up my little revision corner the other day and it felt real to think we are finally here. My hobbit hole in the MTC is looking bare and I plan to only revise a little bit after each exam, I can’t wait to not have to open those blue folders again. I didn’t realise how much stuff I had accumulated over these past 13 weeks! It should be interesting trying to get it all home on my bike!

In a turn of comedy, I have given myself repetitive strain injury from all the writing I have done! This does now mean I have to constantly ice my hand up and hope for the best when it comes to next week’s SAQ’s! I have pain killers but the remedy is not something I can do as I revise by writing and scribbling my way. It hurts but there’s not much I can do apart from plastering frozen hot water bottles to my arm the whole day through.

The second years have been lovely this past year with helping us prepare, I could not be any more grateful to them so a massive thank you to everyone! Especially my medic family and student seminar team, you guys are amazing and I am so grateful for everything.

I am reaaalllyyy looking forward to getting these done. I have booked my ticket to the summer ball and I am so ready to just let my hair down and celebrate the end of exams. I am so proud of my entire year group and how hard we have all worked. No one could have done anything more than we did, we have all worked ridiculously hard and put everything we have into these examinations so I really hope we all do well.

Good luck guys! I believe in you, we have got this!!!!!

Abbie

Charlie Gallan : 04 Jun 2019 13:31 |  Tags: Abbie Exams Mbchb Revision Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

First year exams!

It’s hard to believe that in around six weeks, we’ve finished the first of our five blocks of learning for Phase I and had our first exam (I passed!). We’ve covered a huge amount in that time: anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal system, basic pharmacology, and of course we’ve covered a lot in terms of clinical skills. We’ve had the opportunity to practice clinical histories, perform general, abdominal and thyroid exams on each other which is a lot more helpful than just reading about the procedures. It does feel a little bizarre that we won’t cover this stuff again specifically until our final exams at the end of the year, but you just have to make sure you stay on top of revising the topics throughout the next two terms.

My biggest surprise so far is that I’ve quite enjoyed learning anatomy. At the start I thought this would be an area I really struggled with, but it’s been taught really well across lectures and on Friday’s in the Surgical Training Centre at UHCW. Sitting down as a group with housemates to go through the content has been the biggest help; if you’re just sat reading an anatomy textbook it can be pretty difficult to motivate yourself so the best thing to do is to surround yourself with as many people and resources as possible!

One thing that feels a bit daunting is that we now start Block 2 completely from scratch. By Week 5 I was starting to feel pretty comfortable with the body system we were covering, but now you go back to square one to study the new systems from the beginning. It’s a comfort that I passed the formative so I must be doing okay, but I do miss the comfort that I had at the end of the last block. I suppose we’ll never be in a state of complete comfort as medics so it’s probably good preparation for the future!

Matt

Megan Earle : 12 Nov 2015 08:34 |  Tags: Exams Housemates Matt Mbchb Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem