The coming week is Exam Week once again. As is now traditional, I will comment on each exam I sit so that you have some idea how I’m getting on, and to give me an opportunity to vent my spleen. I’m quite nervous about these exams, as I’m very unsure of the kind of questions that’ll be asked, and hence unsure of whether or not I will know the answers. But I suppose we’ll see how I get on. I have one exam on each of Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So I’ll let you know what happens as I go along.

Yesterday, I went on a little visit to James Cook hospital, to find out all about next year. Very interesting, except for one minor point. They have a ‘virtual’ patient, which is basically a dummy (much like those you practice CPR on) which is very technical and can be made to do loads of stuff, like breathe and have irregular heartbeats and so on and so forth. Very technical. Obviously, the idea is that they can give you this dummy in an exam, because they don’t always have nearly-dead emergency patients to hand….

The worrying thing is, this dummy can be made to talk. Now if I had an OSCE with some stupid dummy, and said something along the lines of ‘Hello? Can you hear me?’ and it spoke back, I would either be shit-scared or pissing myself laughing. Either way, it isn’t conducive to exam success.

In other news, a week on Friday is the annual Full Monty night, where the more insane medical students declothe themselves in front of a room full of people. Looks like I had fun last year. I’m sure it’ll be interesting again this year.

My lectures this term have been more dull that sitting watching somebody watching somebody else watching paint dry. But there’s only three complete days of lectures left now. The minor problem being that they’re spread out over eleven days. But never mind, at least I won’t be over worked like normal. I might even find time to post on The LBSC.

My housemate’s boyfriend is here now, which is okay, but I do feel like some kind of outsider. It’s the happy couple…and me.

I finished my placement at Connexions today, which can only be a good thing. Now I have to write the whole thing up. I have 20 pages of notes (around about 11,000 words), from which I have to make a 3,000 word report. It sounds like it should be easy, but it’s not, because the notes aren’t really that helpful. But I’m putting them in an Appendix (Appendix B, if you’re particularly interested), so it looks quite good.

Originally posted on The LBSC

I went to school and college and (for a while) work with JRC. I’m now studying medicine at the University of Durham, in Stockton (confusingly), though from 1 September I will be based in (take a deep breath)…

• James Cook University Hospital (Middlesbrough)
• University Hospital of North Tees (Stockton)
• University Hospital of Hartlepool
• Bishop Auckland General Hospital
• Darlington Memorial Hospital
• St Luke’s Hospital (Middlesbrough)

So if you’re going to be ill, avoid those areas.

At the weekends, I live in a pineapple under the sea

Originally posted on The LBSC

I have been virtually netless for the past couple of weeks, so pity me. I’ve also developed a nasty habit of naturally typing the word ‘soon’ as ‘sooooooooooon’.

Driving up to Gateshead last weekend, I passed a sign for Consett, which obviously filled me with a warm LBSC glow.

I actually quite liked Oliver Letwin’s speech, if only because he was the only high-ranking politician from any of the parties this year (and in recent memory) to address Conference without simply reading from an autocue. Good for him. And his hand movements were hilarious.

It’s nice to know that Jack doesn’t have to get up early, considering that my lectures start at 9am most days, and 8am on some bad days. Having said that, this term should be very enjoyable, since it is popularly known as the ‘naughty’ term, alluding to the fact that we spend this term studying the ‘naughty bits’. So far, we’ve really been focusing on the breast. And I’ve seen someone with four nipples. How many people can say that? Apparently, it’s very common to have superfluous nipples.

I thought I was reasonably well informed on matters of male and female genitalia, but from the little we’ve done, I’ve already learned more than I expected. At the very least, it’ll be a fun term to revise in groups…

I meet my babies on Monday night, so that’ll be exciting. And the NTL man cometh on Wednesday to install t’interweb.

Till then, I bid you farewall…

Originally posted on The LBSC

I still don’t know who my babies are. They must be well overdue by now.

As a response to Jack, I went through my whole first year without a saucepan. It’s really not needed. Just whack things in bowls and in the microwave, much easier. A good baking tray is essential though. Come to think of it, I don’t think I actually ate beans during my first year, either. But there ya go.

It turns out that udder oitment can give you acne. So if you, erm, like cows, then don’t go rubbing their udders on your face. Or something.

I still have the best part of a month left of my holidays, so I expect I really won’t be doing much that requires posting.

As an update on my housey-housey (oh, how I miss Mr Evans and Ms Roslin in a morning – acutally, I really don’t) it is pretty much finished. I’m in the downstairs bedroom, which is at the front of the house and so incredibly handy for being nosy at the neighbours (especially since the window is fitted with funky one-way glass like in the Big Brother house – and a ‘stylish’ net curtain). The bathroom is finished (finally). The kitchen sink drains directly into the back yard, which is possibly problematic. And the stairs are unfeasibly steep, but as I have no reason to go upstairs that shouldn’t be a problem. We also have a very comfortable leather suite. And two fridges. So if you’re ever in the North-East and want to drop by….

I went in Homebase the other day, and found that I didn’t get that sense of dread that I’ve always previously felt. I was served in Tesco by a friend from college too, who told me that she’d been offered a job at Homebase (before the one at Tesco) but turned it down because of how bad I’d made it seem. I think the mental scars are healing, a year after I left.

Oh. and I don’t think you’d be able to fit an ASBO on your face. Nor is David Blunkett a qualified tatooist (at least, I hope not).

In the saddest of possible admissions, I’m off to read the BMA News now. Good bye.

PS – I also have GMail invites. Email me if you want one.

Originally posted on The LBSC

I too am nervous about next Thursday – A-Level results day – as it’ll determine who my babies are! It’s beginning to dawn on me that referring to them as ‘babies’ is probably not the best strategy, so I should use their proper title. Except I don’t really know what it is.

To politics: Howard’s education policy – I quite like it. Clearly issues need resolving, but I don’t see why disruptive pupils should be allowed to hinder the life chances of more willing pupils? I, personally, would like to see the widespread reintroduction of streaming in state schools, with more vocational courses more widely available to those who want them. Howard’s expullsion plan clearly needs to have the extra support of an educational alternative.

Their health policy isn’t quite as good – offer a choice so that people flock to ‘popular’ hospitals, leaving less popular ones almost empty so that government figures can look good by reflecting minimum waiting times as the empty hospitals, and ignoring the overcrowding at popular ones: “If you need a hip replacement, under this government you need only wait ten days, whereas under Labour you had to wait six months”.

To the police, then: I think Jack will find that Labour have closed more local police stations in their seven years than the Conservatives ever did – including the two closest to my house (one of which is now a funeral directors, in the most obscure location). I’m now a good twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes away from my nearest police station. And, incidentally, a good hour away from the nearest A+E that accepts children. It’s not as if I live in the middle of nowhere, just in case you’re wondering.

I also note that Mr Blair wants the children of criminals tracked from an early age to prevent them from following in their parents footsteps. I think this policy is absolutely appalling – it assumes that the children of a criminal will have the same value system as their parents. This may be a statistical likelihood, but children should not be subject to increased stigma and ultimately distress by being treated differently like this. The parent may have been forced into criminal action by extenuating circumstances… whilst this certainly doesn’t justify the action, special treatment of their children is equally unacceptable.

The only thing Labour have got largely right it what they’re traditionally good at – support for low income families. Their policies on this front are largely admirable, certainly moreso than those of the Conservative party.

The Lottery argument is completely absurd. So stupid, in fact, that it doesn’t even deserve discussion. I still stick by my belief that the vast majority of criminals – perhaps all criminals – are not ‘bad people’, and so shouldn’t be treated as such. I’d like to see widespread reform of this country’s penal system, but that’s probably just my liberal ideals slipping through, and it certainly wouldn’t appeal to middle-England.

Anyway, I’m unhappily suffering with ‘flu at the moment. Given that it’s supposed to run for about seven to ten days, and I’ve been feeling half-dead for about a week now, I figured that I might start feeling better by today. No such luck. And I’m off to London tomorrow, so if you happen to be on the same plane as me, look forward to a period of ill health, because I’m not cancelling my trip for the benefit of the other passengers. I’m just not that generous. Hell, if they suffer badly they can have the blood I donated the other week (see, I’m really a nice person).

Until next time, I’m off to sniffle some more and find some LemSip.

Adios.

Originally posted on The LBSC

Given that I haven’t posted in several weeks, I know how terribly worried you’ll all be for not knowing what’s happening in my all-action exciting superlife.

Well, I finished the uni year and passed (hoorah). My house for next year is just being finished off (according to an email from the letting company, it already is finished but they are just making it ‘lovely’). And I’m at home doing very little.

The theory goes that I should get a summer job, so that I earn money to fund next year. But I really can’t be bothered. However crap an excuse that is, and however much I’m being nagged to get a job by mum/dad/friends, I’ve avoided it successfully so far. Which means lots of lie-ins.

I’m spending my days typing up all of my notes from the first year… nearly 200 pages so far. I’m also apparently viewed as the family taxi service, and so am running people around everywhere. And doing occassional bits of housework. So, to summarise, I’m not really doing anything. Except watching Big Brother. And it’s SO good to have a proper rest.

I have a trip to London planned for next month, and I might be planning one to Stockton to see my new house at some point. I may also be forced to earn some money at some point (maybe JRC will just pay me for, erm, “services rendered”)

So that’s what’s happening at the moment.

By the way… All the Gmail invites have gone now! Better luck next time!

Originally posted on The LBSC

I can happily report that I’ve passed my first year of medicine with two satisfactory grades and one merit.

Hooray for me.

Originally posted on The LBSC

Much celebration here in Stockton! I have no viva, which means that I’ve either passed or completely failed the year. Given that I’ve done well in all the assignments, it’s pretty unlikely that I’ll be the person (there’s usually only one or two) who’s failed.

So I’ve almost certainly passed, so I’m off out to celebrate (at 8.15am, which seems strangely exciting).

Yey.

Originally posted on The LBSC

It wasn’t fantastic, it wasn’t too bad either.

But it WAS the last exam. Hooray. Other than one or two small commitments, I’m now off for four months, till October. Provided I’ve passed, of course.

This makes me understandably happy.

Originally posted on The LBSC