Okay! So I'm getting into that chilly zone of exams again. With Pre-Univs round the corner & Univs lined up as a Happy 2009 gift in early Jan, its high time that I start studying seriously.
But the so-called 'Final Year' that was supposed to be the toughest (yeah!I know it IS!!!) & the most exhaustive period of Med College, somehow flew by! I wonder if I actually got to learn anything new this year!
I still cannot differentiate between a bronchial & vesicular breath sound.
I still get my vertex & breeches mixed up!
I still see a nothing more than a tiny scrawl while reading an ECG. (Okay, maybe I can tell you where a ST elevation is, but that's only when I'm told beforehand that its a MI ECG)
I still don't know the the Glasgow coma scale.
I still can't get an IV line in!
I still can't auscultate & recognise a heart murmur on my own!
Although there are some things that I can do, too (tho they're really numbered):
I can tell you what a 'strawberry tongue' is.
I know a lot of things eponymous with 'Charcot' in medicine :)
I know the triad of congenital rubella syndrome.
I know what 'Battle's sign' stands for.
I might not know the exact components of Brown-Sequard syndrome, but I do know how it was discovered :P
I know what Pickwickian syndrome is.
I know the story behind Ondine's curse.
I know what a Keel operation is for. (It may be obselete, but who cares. The examiner will pop the question anyway!)
[One thing that I realised this year is that somehow, I'm good at just one thing. Eponymous syndromes & signs!! & the rarer the better. :) Of course, these aren't gonna come in use in any time during my medicine career. But then, these are about the only things I can learn with low input. Wonder if someonw would hire me where I just have to tell the components of named syndromes. Man, I would love that job! :D ]
I know for sure that however much may I love Med College, I ain't no match for "FINAL YEAR"! It calls for continuous studying, with lo-ooong hours of cramming & rote. Well, my butts aren't prepared for that kind of sitting! So then, I might face a tough time just trying to pass some of the subjects. * Do pray for me!!*
& know the final year's almost ended, with me just worrying about finishing the syllabus. With the exams at a really scary distance, I'm still not one with even the first read of books! Haven't even purchased Psychiatry & Anesthesia ki books! :(
Well at this point of time, it seems kinda stupid for me to be still sitting here moping about the epic-course & my tiny pool of knowledge, when I should be studying surgery. But hey, this was a great way to let off steam.
Right, I might as well get back to reading how to amputate a limb now. :/
*Plus one more thing on my mind right now: I HATE OBS!!!!!
:-) yippie...great 2 learn than this is a world wide phenomenon Sr.!! Hi hi...fortunately i've time left 2 reach de final year...that means...time 2 correct...but what 2 do yaar...this correction will b done a week before de final exam hi hi..!
ReplyDeleteSo CHEERS! N best wishes :-) prayers wid u
heyy! ... u sound to me so much like me that i have stopped liking you :-/
ReplyDelete:P .. no no kiddin! may u never descend into shruti-hood ..always stay at least a notch higher! ...
A lot of this jargon was of course all greek, latin to me .. well.. m guessing a lot of it IS actually greek n latin ;) ..but i totally know the sentiment .. n i knowwww what u're going thru ..
what to do .. aargh .. life sucks na ... why do all our haha-hehes .. have to be adulterated with facts n factoids tht yield no direct pleasure .. and in fact, steal into our actual leisure time! :(
neway .. now this is serious .. u have GOT to study .. m banking on u .... n study n learn the following damn well!!::
1. how to cure a chronically ill lazy unrealistic-optimist-cum-cynical-pessimist
2. how to cure lethargy/books/work induced sleep to ... limited, regulated legitimate rest..
... n a few more, which i will tell u as n when i keep discoverin my ailments .. see arps, u've GOT to do this .. i cant go to paraya docs with these very personal n private health problems .. get it! ...
:D :D ...
chal, god bless .. do well ..
cheeeerios :)
Shruti F.
hey great blog. i'm at the same stage of med school as well.
ReplyDeletewhy don't you check out my new blog.
www.thugmed.com
Hi! I came upon your blog randomly a few days ago and am so glad I did! I'm a college student in the US who has decided to go to med school in India. I'll actually be in Maharastra, but I'm sure everything you write about is pretty universal in all Indian med schools.
ReplyDeleteI was kind of at a loss as to what Indian med school culture would be like, but your posts really made me feel better about it all.
Just wanted to say thanks for writing this blog 'cause it gave me a little window into Indian med school life that I really needed!
So, thank you! :D
I know you're really busy with all your studying for surgery, but if you ever get a chance, I'd appreciate any random bits of advice you'd like to throw at me. You know, anything about first year in med school, how NRIs are treated, ragging, things you wish you would have done/things you're really glad you've done, or anything about med school in general.
Seriously, I'll appreciate ANY advice! :)
Thanks again,
Gauri
op..long time since i replied,eh...
ReplyDeletebeen busy..like i said..STUDYING..
anyways... here goes...
@kochu:
yeah! better realise the worth of final before u're too late...
it'll help to get some of the course done in pre finals...
but haan...yaad to wohi rehta hai jo exam se ek din pehle padha ho!! :)
@ shruti f:
ReplyDeleteloved that comment from you!! :)
but yaar... you remember my condition a day before exam, right. well, the only diff now is that, it has extended over a period of 2-3 months. its 3 months of slogsville!!! :( can't help but crib!
actually all this padhai is a li'l overwhelming! how they expect you to know so much abt eact subject, when you're not even gonna use half of that knowledge anyhow, is incomprehensible!!
chal... gotta do what i gotta do!
can't leave my generations' health in the hands of an incompetent dr.. so will have to work hard to be able to take care of all ur chickenpox & psychoneuroses!
:)
tc.
btw: all i say these days is kinda paradoxical... but its all becoz of my confused state! :X
@gauri:
ReplyDeletehey.. its always good to see a fellow med (or med-to-be, in your case)..
& yay!! my blog could actually work out in a positive direction...towards helping u create a picyure of what an indian med scenario is like.
tho i might not have done justice to the college life here, coz most of my energy is directed towards highlighting the sense of worthlessness as a med student.
but hey, you get to learn all the practical procedures in internship.
& some of the departments (depending on which ones are good at ur colg ) too work towards helping u get all the facts & ideas right. so that by the end of final yr, u have a know-how of a LOT of diseases & conditions at hand.
med school can be fun if u enjoy human bio... :)
would be happy to help u out with any bits of info or advice u need.
have a good time becoming a doc!
tc:
Hey, thanks for the reply.
ReplyDeleteSo since you were kind enough to say you'd help me, I have a few questions for you. They might seem really stupid at first, but you have to remember I know absolutely nothing about med school there, so bear with me please!
1. Do you or the teachers use computers for the class notes? Does the teacher use power point presentations, or is everything written out by hand on a chalk board? Are the professors easy to talk to? Can you go to them after class and ask them questions?
2. Do you have internet access in your hostel, or do you have to write from internet cafes?
3. What is your hostel like? How many girls live in one room, how many girls share a bathroom, do you have showers or water buckets?
4. Do you have homework assignments every day, tests every week, or just the final exam? How are you graded?
5. What's the ragging situation? I had never heard of anything like it till I decided to go to med school in India. I don't even know how serious a problem it is for girls in med school and since I'm an NRI (and possibly older than everyone there) I'm kind of worried I'll be ostracized....What do you think? Be honest please!
Thanks so much for your help!
Gauri
@ Gauri..
ReplyDeleteHi..
For a better insight into answering ur questions, it'd help if I know what college ure going into. The situation's a lot different in a govt & private college here.
& my mail's arpita1586@yahoo.com
It'd be better communicating this way.
As for some of your questions:
At our colg, the teachers mostly use chalk-board, tho a lot of them also have powepoint presentaations for the lectures. But believe me, the actual blackboard lectures are better.
Most of the teachers won't mind solving your doubts & questions. You just have to be sincere enough to go after them. They'll be happy to help you out.
As for internet, we don't have a wi-fi at our campus. But u can always get one of those "net connect" cards, if u don't have access at your hostel. (I have a reliance one, & its slower than anything!! :( )
For the room thing, you generally get a room for yourself. (& the private colleges have an option of getting a better room for yourself by paying a li'l more)
Ragging shouldn't be much of a problem. Its banned at most places now. A little 'introduction' & sorts may be there, but there won't be any physical abuse for sure!
@ gauri..most of the replies that i gave, were based on the situation in a typical govt college. It might be totally different in the college you're going to.
ReplyDeleteWrite in for any other info that u might need.
Tc.
I can tell you what a 'strawberry tongue' is.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of things eponymous with 'Charcot' in medicine :)
I know the triad of congenital rubella syndrome.
I know what 'Battle's sign' stands for.
I know what Pickwickian syndrome is.
I know the story behind Ondine's curse.
i wud luv to know the answers if u have time....:)
all the best mate... for yur exams!
atleast u know the eponyms...my cerebrum repels them.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad im not a med student.
ReplyDeletePhewww..
Poetry
hey arpita! it's gauri from the posts above. :) I'm finishing my third year of medical school now in India, and so far it has been a blast.
ReplyDeleteI just randomly remembered your blog today and hoped you were still writing! I wanted to say thanks for all your help. I did a little reading and see that you got the elusive 99 and are going for a residency in pediatric neurology?! That's awesome! Keep it up! I'll try to catch you on your old email, just in case youre not checking this blog anymore.
I have some questions on when you decided to take the USMLE's. Did you take step 1 and step 2, one right after the other? And were you able to do internship as part of your residency in the u.s?
Thanks again for your help, and good luck for the future (not that you need it!) ;)