The joys of clinical signs

One of the things that has surprised me the most about studying medicine is how much I enjoy examining patients.

Using the framework and knowledge that you have gathered from past study (plus the little bit of experience and invaluable advice passed on by teaching doctors), you can look at a patient and get some idea of what is going on with their body.

We have been studying this for more than a year, but now that we are wandering around more by ourselves and examining patients, it is great when you find notice something unusual, come to your own conclusion about it, then go to the notes after the examination to find that you were correct!

Usually the hospital patients are sick enough to have quite obvious clinical signs, which really helps.

Of course, the qualified doctor who initially examined the patient generally has noticed a LOT more than we have (we are only second-year medical students, after all) but it is still a thrill to see so much of what we learn in theory come into play in real life, in individuals who you can talk to about their experiences.

Bringing study content into the light of reality is the fastest way to make it fascinating.