A year of clerkship

I just wrote my paediatrics exam. It is the final exam of my clerkship.

Officially, the medical school has done all the clinical teaching that it's going to do.

I remember starting my first day of clerkship in January. It was in internal medicine. I was absolutely lost on the ward. Lost in a sea of procedures, dictations, charts, notes, exams, lectures. I was given my first patients that afternoon. I spent a good part of that same afternoon doing an in depth neurological examination on someone with pneumonia.

Later on that month, one of my patients died suddenly from a massive stroke. I used to perch on the corner of her bed and we'd have nice little chats. She was quite a peach to put up with my daily questions regarding her bowel movements. It is easy to take the privileges granted to medical students for granted.

What happens in a year of clerkship?

I've lived in five cities (Hamilton, Vancouver, Grimsby, Brantford, Toronto).

I've cared for kids with strokes, adults with strokes, middle-aged blokes, wheelchair-bound grannies, pregnant ladies, premature babies and everything in between.

I've lost two bicycles, two stethoscopes, and a pager.

I've auscultated, poked, percussed, palpated, sutured, stapled and listened, listened, listened.

I've rollerbladed to the hospital, to the library, to play soccer, to the grocery store and back again.

I've slept little and ate less. I've studied more and known less.

It's an odd year. I've come so far, but am daunted by how far remains to be travelled.

Karma

I wonder if such a thing as karma exists. In stories and in movies, the evil-doers always get theirs in the end, but I wonder if this is actually the case? Real life seems to improperly reward good deeds inadequately punish bad deeds.

Ideally, one would do good or bad independent of concrete reward or punishment. Do good for good's sake.

I don't think ANYONE would ever do any good if there weren't ever any reinforcement. Most of it is probably unspoken. Being nice to people usually does result in people being nicer to you.

But, I've noticed every so often that life itself does interesting things to reinforce its lessons. Odd things happen, co-incidences occur. I suppose it could be called karma.

Toronto!

I've been in the T-dot for the past week. I'm doing a placement in a community pediatrics office.

I reeeeeaallly like the kids. It makes me kind of sad that all these awesome little kiddies will eventually grow up to be teenagers... or adults. yuck.

There was a patient the other day, who called because she was unable to get her 5 year old son to take his antibiotics. The antibiotics come in liquid form and are banana flavoured. It seems odd to me that this is actually a problem. It really makes me realize how differently people are raised. It is almost outside my realm of understanding that a parent would actually need to call a doctor about getting her 5 year old to take his medication. Spank him already! haha, I joke. I don't approve of spanking. Or do I? Must admit, I am somewhat undecided.

I remember I got strep throat once when I was around ten. I told my dad that the antibiotics (which were tablets, NOT fruit-flavoured syrups) gave me tummy aches and gas. He said that it was MY problem if I wanted the strep throat instead of the antibiotics. I ended up taking the pills.

Living with the sister has been quite lovely. She makes my lunch every day. Her place is VERY cold. It's so that I have three blankets, and I still wish I had a scarf so my neck wouldn't get cold.

Also, it was my sisters' birthday yesterday! Happy birthday girls!