Farewell Auckland, it's been a blast!

Ok, just a quick post today from the airport as I'm boarding my flight in about an hour.

Just to tie up a loose end from my last post, unfortunately the patient did pass away later that evening which sucked for everyone involved. One of the hard things about working in healthcare is that no matter how invested you are in the care of a single patient you have to know when to let go of all the emotions you had surrounding the case. I'm not advocating becoming a robot with no empathy, just merely that it is important to be able to detach and distance yourself from the crap you see on a day-to-day basis. As one consultant put it to me once, "To be a good doctor you have to have a thick skin. You can still empathise with those that you meet but you need to be able to draw a line between your personal and professional life. It's even more important in paeds."
And to answer people's concerns, I'm ok after what happened. I reflected on what had happened, talked it through with others and learnt more about myself and my chosen profession.

Now moving on. I'm gonna write a more detailed post about my last couple of weeks once I'm in Perth but here's a quick run down of the last few days and my highlights from my time here...

Last few days:

• Went to Hobbiton - awesome!
• Cycled round Waiheke island in the sunshine - great time with great people
• Went wine tasting on Waiheke, where the owner gave us each a complimentary extra glass each on the house
• Visited the museum - educational
• Climbed Mt Eden - stunning views
• Ate at an amazing Mexican restaurant

And now, my highlights from New Zealand (in no particular order):

• Travelling around a beautiful country
• Visiting Bay of Islands, swimming in the cold sea at Paihia and sand boarding down the dunes at 90-mile beach
• Visiting Hobbiton
• Going on a patient transfer to Christchurch
• Meeting awesome medical students from around the UK and beyond
• Getting to know (and shadow) some fantastic doctors
• Meeting some wonderful NZ natives, both at Starship and around the country - and one or two people in particular
• Drinking with a Maori in Paihia and talking about his culture

There's probably way more stuff that I could list as highlights, but these are the things that truly stood out for me over the past 5/6 weeks.

Now unfortunately I only get 30mins free Wifi and I also need to get some food before I fly so gotta wrap this up. So I'll end with this...


New Zealand, it's been an absolute pleasure being here for all this time. I don't want to leave but I know I've got to - for now. This is by no means goodbye, just a catch you later!