The old website description

Almost a doctor - a phrase I seem to use a lot. Well that and "I'm training to be a doctor."
This blog is a collection of musings relating to the medical world as well as the world outside of the med student bubble.

I decided to make the description into a note about the fact that this blog isn't related to the brilliant amlostadoctor.co.uk website, I didn't even know it existed until after I'd made this blog!

Meeting a drug rep

I'm going to be meeting a couple of drug reps over the next couple of weeks as part of the unit I'm currently studying. Obviously can't say which ones but suffice to say they're from two of the big companies.
It'll be an interesting experience as I'm not wholly convinced by their methods of marketing, the credibility of some (only a fraction) of their research, the unwillingness to support global initiatives unless they are guaranteed to meet their bottom line, and some of the press.
However, I'll put all that aside for the sake of fairness. I'll listen to what they have to say with impartiality. Then I'll make my decision about them.
I'll also be speaking to some doctors about their impression of the industry, so that will make for some interesting conversations.
Finally, I'll pop some links in the comments or on another post to interesting stuff I find.

x 

A Confession

Back in May I said I was going to write several new blog posts over a few days...I didn't.

I had too much going on to really commit myself to writing multiple posts. I lost two grandparents in the space of a month and since then I have found out that I will have to repeat the 3rd year (which I am appealing due to the circumstances at the time of the exam).

On the positive side, I have now got engaged! I'll spare you all the details of how I did it as I've told the story too many times, but I am willing to in the future if there are requests for it.

This time I mean it when I say I'll write several new posts, I have most of them in draft form so it's mostly a case of tidying them up and posting them.

Next post soon...

Now why do I know that name?

So I was on placement in the GP practice seeing patients off the doctor's list, completely my choice of who I saw (give or take), when I came across a name that rang a bell.
"I'll see Mrs X" was my enthusiastic comment to the doctor, and as per usual he was happy to let me do so.
When I called up her notes when I sent for her it all came flooding back, she was a bipolar patient who could talk for England! But I'd got on with her last time though I doubted she would remember me.
We talked about nothing in particular for nearly 20 minutes then instead of my usual memo to the doctor to come in to see the patient I actually went and filled him in on the gist of what had been covered.
"I was just sending you a message" he told me as I walked in his room, "but you can read it later!"
We went back through to see the patient and he somehow got some of her problems addressed and sent her on her way, a little bit happier than when she arrived.
The message however, read as follows...
"You can stay and chat with Mrs X all day if you want but I'm in need of a cup of tea and a biscuit. If you get bored try and send her on her way but if she insists on seeing me then tell her to wait in the waiting room and I'll see her when I've got time!"
Didn't even offer me a biscuit!


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Night time at the hospital

Hospitals are a funny place at night. There's virtually no staff as you wonder the hallways, making the whole place have an eerie deserted feel. It's quite nice in an odd sort of way. There's no crowds of people to try a slip past down corridors, but you can hear your own shoes echoing and if you're talking to someone as you walk it feels as though the whole world can hear what you're saying. One of the most striking differences is the wards at night. About 85% of them have the lights for the bays turned off which makes it very obvious when there's a doctor in with a patient as the light is on by the bed and the curtain is drawn round, and you can hear a low pitched mumbling.
On the medical admissions ward you feel kinda guilty when you have to go and clerk a patient in the middle of the night as you've just got round to them because you have to turn on their light and wake them up. And as they're new into the hospital you have to do a full clerking, bloods, often a cannula and examination which is quite time consuming. The later in the night it gets the more awkward it becomes because it's hard enough trying to sleep on a ward without someone going on in the next bed!
However, from my limited experience of night shifts I can say that I enjoyed them but I can appreciate how hard they can be, especially if you are an early bird. Good luck to all staff who have to work nights in a hospital.
The most surreal and yet amusing experience of a night shift......going home as everyone gets up. You get to see the hospital waking up and beginning a new day; breakfast being bought round to the patients, lights coming on in the wards, and bleary-eyed staff wandering in to start their day.

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Hello blog, long time no type!

It's been quite a long time since I last blogged (virtually 4 months) and a lot has happened since then.
It's been a pretty tough weekend but I think with the support of my girlfriend and everyone else around me, I should be okay. That aside there's loads of stuff I'm gonna blog about over the next few days as I've got some compassionate leave to get my head together!

Anyhow, next blog coming in only a few short minutes (or hours depending on when dinner is ready)...


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The beauty of mobile blogging

Haven't blogged in a while, couldn't think of anything to write about.
Sat on the train at the moment and realised what the beauty of using my phone for blogging is.
If I think of something, I can write it down straight away. As it turns out there's another benefit....
You can write about really irritating people only a few feet away. Like the family across the aisle, the elder child is pretty rude to his little sister and I think there might be a mutual hatred between the parents. And they bribe the kids which is counter-intuitive.
Ignorance is bliss!

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