Georgia's Elective Diary - Part 1 (The Final Year Begins)
Tonight marks the end of my first week as a Trainee Intern, and my first week on elective at the Adelaide Women's and Children's hospital.
Lets start with the Academia. This week I've attended 17 surgeries, including some that I'd never have the opportunity to see in Wellington. I've found making a list of procedures helps to remind me just how much I'm still learning, and helps me to remember that I am here for some purpose with the sudden lack of objectives to sign off in my book. I've also remembered how difficult basic things like learning people's names are, learning my way around a new hospital, or even just learning the route to and from the hospital can be. Thank goodness for smart phones (and especially to those handy little battery packs for when my iPhone dies on me halfway through the day!) I was almost relieved when the Consultant addressed me as "Georgina" the other morning during ward rounds, I wasn't the only person to forget names.
Being a medical student overseas also has its own host of unique learning opportunities. Turns out most schools worldwide don't have a final Trainee Intern year, and so the Scottish student on the same team has yet to sit his final exams (WIN - its the best feeling not having the exams of doom looming over me anymore!) however, this also means that many of the registrars and consultants don't know the exact purpose of my trainee intern year, and I'm definitely noticing a reduction in responsibility and tasks as compared to during 5th year back home. I'm definitely being included on the team though - even if it is just grabbing the chart for each patient at ward rounds, and flicking through it until I manage to find the holy grail "24 hour Obs". It didn't click for me until I saw it that a different hospital could have such vastly different patient charts. In theatre on Monday Lorde started playing over the speakers and the consultant turned to me to say "Georgia, I just thought I'd include some New Zealand music in my playlist to make you feel like you're at home!"
I always seem to forget the importance of anatomy until I'm standing in a Paediatric Surgery. I probably should have clicked at the fact that our Regional Clinical Anatomy Lecturer in 3rd year was a Paediatric Surgeon, but apparently not. This week I had was once again swiftly reminded of how much I've forgotten when asked to name the contents of the spermatic cord. When the clues get as obvious as "if you were an anatomist and asked to name a nerve that supplies the cremaster muscle, what would you name it?" those anatomy sessions in the dissecting room seem such a ridiculously long time ago. Today the conversation turned more to clinical indications - to my advantage - and a simple "what are the indications for doing an orchidopexy" which I was manage to provide answers for, lead to the consultant educating me on all the recent literature on this topic with no further question, luckily no more pulling teeth on the contents of the spermatic cord!
Outside of the hospital and things are a bit of a mixed bag. I am absolutely adoring being able to walk to work everyday again, and the walk along the Torrens River is so picturesque and refreshing at 7am that I don't think I'll ever want to drive to work again (although that would of course change if the weather weren't so nice). The only downside is theoccasional frequent pigeon, parrot, or other large terrifying bird that decides to swoop at me, or the screeching kookaburras, (which Dad could hear through the phone all the way in Wellington). Did I mention I don't like birds? (this website shows most of the birds I have seen on my morning and afternoon walk). Of course I have to mention the weather - and with highs above 20 degrees everyday, why wouldn't I?
Accommodation, to put it nicely, could be better. I won't dwell much on it any more except to say that I don't really think its worth what I paid for it, but these things are always a learning opportunity. I'm really happy I have family in the city that I can go visit when it gets too much - and who can resist the cuteness of a 1 year old?!
Lets start with the Academia. This week I've attended 17 surgeries, including some that I'd never have the opportunity to see in Wellington. I've found making a list of procedures helps to remind me just how much I'm still learning, and helps me to remember that I am here for some purpose with the sudden lack of objectives to sign off in my book. I've also remembered how difficult basic things like learning people's names are, learning my way around a new hospital, or even just learning the route to and from the hospital can be. Thank goodness for smart phones (and especially to those handy little battery packs for when my iPhone dies on me halfway through the day!) I was almost relieved when the Consultant addressed me as "Georgina" the other morning during ward rounds, I wasn't the only person to forget names.
Being a medical student overseas also has its own host of unique learning opportunities. Turns out most schools worldwide don't have a final Trainee Intern year, and so the Scottish student on the same team has yet to sit his final exams (WIN - its the best feeling not having the exams of doom looming over me anymore!) however, this also means that many of the registrars and consultants don't know the exact purpose of my trainee intern year, and I'm definitely noticing a reduction in responsibility and tasks as compared to during 5th year back home. I'm definitely being included on the team though - even if it is just grabbing the chart for each patient at ward rounds, and flicking through it until I manage to find the holy grail "24 hour Obs". It didn't click for me until I saw it that a different hospital could have such vastly different patient charts. In theatre on Monday Lorde started playing over the speakers and the consultant turned to me to say "Georgia, I just thought I'd include some New Zealand music in my playlist to make you feel like you're at home!"
I always seem to forget the importance of anatomy until I'm standing in a Paediatric Surgery. I probably should have clicked at the fact that our Regional Clinical Anatomy Lecturer in 3rd year was a Paediatric Surgeon, but apparently not. This week I had was once again swiftly reminded of how much I've forgotten when asked to name the contents of the spermatic cord. When the clues get as obvious as "if you were an anatomist and asked to name a nerve that supplies the cremaster muscle, what would you name it?" those anatomy sessions in the dissecting room seem such a ridiculously long time ago. Today the conversation turned more to clinical indications - to my advantage - and a simple "what are the indications for doing an orchidopexy" which I was manage to provide answers for, lead to the consultant educating me on all the recent literature on this topic with no further question, luckily no more pulling teeth on the contents of the spermatic cord!
Outside of the hospital and things are a bit of a mixed bag. I am absolutely adoring being able to walk to work everyday again, and the walk along the Torrens River is so picturesque and refreshing at 7am that I don't think I'll ever want to drive to work again (although that would of course change if the weather weren't so nice). The only downside is the
Accommodation, to put it nicely, could be better. I won't dwell much on it any more except to say that I don't really think its worth what I paid for it, but these things are always a learning opportunity. I'm really happy I have family in the city that I can go visit when it gets too much - and who can resist the cuteness of a 1 year old?!
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