Rotation 2 - done!

I'm glad the last rotation is over.

I didn't mind the individual areas, but mixing them up like that with no particular goal in mind was very tiring.

Now we have a week of holidays, and Mr TGWTBS and I are flying off to the tropics for a week at the beach. I'm very excited. :D

My next rotation will involve catching babies, and I'm looking forward to it.

I have also confirmed my elective placements for the end of the year, which should give me a much clearer idea of what I want to do. Half will be in radiology, the other half in psychiatry.

Better

Today was brilliant, and made up for the rest of the week. I got the chance to do a lot of things. I need to work on a lot of skills if I want to be proficient in certain things, but as I am unlikely to be an anaesthetist (or ICU specialist or ED physician), these aren't vital to my future career.

I'm grateful for the chance to have a go at improving these skills, and grab the chance when I can get it. God knows when I will need to use the in the future, and I would prefer to be as skilled as I can.

Running also helps clear out the cobwebs. I am not physically tired, and it is fascinating that when you go for a run, the mental exhaustion just clears away.

The remaining days aren't looking so bad, after all.

Enough, already

I am so exhausted right now. I feel like I just want to lie down and sleep for months.

I am happiest when I'm busy and have a list of things to do, but right now I just get to sit back and watch the anaesthetist do most things, and when the surgery is happening, I am pretty much watching somebody watch somebody else, which is the most exhausting kind of watching of all.

I would jump in and assist the surgeon, except there are third-year medical students on prac who should be doing it before me.

I would jump in and help intubate or put lines in, except there is a paramedic student there who takes precedence. I can sort-of see the point of this, except she is only in her second year out of four and is not very keen to touch a real patient, and I am in my last year and almost a doctor and will be expected to be able to be competent at managing airways in six months. Sorry, please forgive my frustration.

We are in the last week of an eight week rotation, in which we have been changing areas every week or two. This is thoroughly exhausting, as we have very little idea of what we are supposed to be doing apart from turning up every day. There are no lectures, the only teaching we get is from the staff we are working with on the day, and to be honest it feels like such a token exercise, which is a bit of a concern considering that this is the only critical care rotation that we get all year.

I would love to go to a lecture or three rather than take myself through a set of slides that may or may not have anything to do with what I am learning. I don't deal well with not having goals. I am very goal-centered.

Three more days, then I go on holidays, and then I have my Obs&Gynae rotation. I am looking forward to digging into this rotation, figuratively speaking. Bring on the babies!

The dreaded lurgy

There really isn't a lot to talk about medicine-wise, except that I have managed to catch an URTI from the doctors. I'm not sure which doctor, as they were all coming into work as sick as dogs (which doctors are pretty much expected to do). I have taken a little time off to get well.

Normally I push myself to go in and then have to pike after a couple of hours, but I am making myself stay home and rest for a day or so in the hope that I will get over this silly thing faster.

The really sad thing is that I am going to have to miss the 8km Mother's Day Classic fun run. :( Oh well.