The Final Stretch

I can't really believe I'm typing this but I'm on my last module of year 1! How crazy is that?! It seems like just yesterday that I was the one attending the offers open day and nervously meeting new people yet now I'm the one giving advice! 

Our last module is endocrine and is the shortest module of the year. Don't let this fool you though, there is tons of information packed in on top of revision for exams (which are in five weeks eek!) 

I've been trying to figure out the best method to revise and just bought some coloured pens which (as silly as it sounds) have really revived my revision! My boring old notes now look beautiful and colourful...which hopefully means I'll remember them! I'm trying to make little summary pages for each main disease or pathology ready for the MEQs (modified essay questions) and am really focussing on pharmacology which seems to be my weak point. If anyone has any useful revision tips let me know! 

Hope everyone's exam/GAMSAT/ukcat prep is going well :) I'll leave you with something I'm trying to work on myself - No matter how stressed you are, just take a minute to think and remind yourself of all the things you have achieved so far! You can do this! 

Work Experience

I've had a lot of questions about work experience needed for medicine so thought I'd do a quick post about it.

Most med school open days will give you some indication of how highly they view work experience/volunteering in their application process but sometimes it can be difficult to tell how much you really need.

First of all, I would say that quality over quantity definitely applies here! No matter how much experience you get, if you have nothing to say about it at interview it is useless. 

When I first started voluteering (I probably fall into the too much volunteering category), I had something on every day of the week - scouts, buddy reading, care home help, stroke club etc - and used to attend and participate enthusiastically BUT I never really thought about what I was doing or what I was learning! BIG MISTAKE! It was only once I started reading interview prep books (which I highly recommend) that I realised I needed to be able to apply my volunteering and work experience to my answers.

A good tip I got from someone is to keep a mini diary - each time you go to your volunteering or work expereince sit for a few minutes afterwards and think about what you did. Jot down anything important. If you had a leadership role that day, write about it! If you had to deal with a difficult situation, write about that! Anything that you can talk about in interview, make a note of it! It will save you a lot of time and effort later on :) 

In terms of how much to do and what stuff to do- it really is a personal choice! 
Personally I think its great if you have something continuous for a longer period of time to show dedication. So for example I helped at a care home only around twice a month but did it for four years. Anything longer than a few months helps to show that you arent just doing it to look good on your application, but because you genuinely want to be involved! 
A variety of experience will be beneficial for future experiences with patients, but if all of your experience focuses on one thing (such a children) then this is also fine. Especially if you want to go into paeds! :) 

At the end if the day, you're going to learn a lot more from something you enjoy and are passionate about than something you view as a chore or a means to an end! Make the most of it and learn as much as you can about yourself and others from it.

First OSCE

Hey guys, I've been so super busy oh my gosh!

So Christmas was lovely but I spent the majority of it either working as a HCA or doing uni work!We have officially finished our third module now and are changing PBL groups next week! :O

I have another set of formative exams, including my first OSCE (practical clinical skills exam) which will involve five minutes of respiratory examination, five minutes of cardio examination and a ten minute history taking session. After a lot of practice with my friends and family, I'm feeling pretty confident for this so fingers crossed!

In terms of my new PBL group, I'm going to be so sad to leave my current group who have been AMAZING...but it will be good to see how other people manage PBL and integrate with some different people. Having found out who our group members will be I've realised that I'm going to have to get over my shyness and lack of self confidence otherwise I will never be taken seriously!
It occurred to me last week that I add 'maybe' to the end of all my statements in PBL- something I really need to stop!! All this does is make others doubt me and leads to a lack of respect for my opinions and answers... not good in medicine!

I hope you guys have all heard good news from med schools if you've applied and good luck for any interviews!!

Christmas cheer.

So that's it! My first term at medical school is FINISHED!
It has been amazing and busy and so interesting, but I really do need this break. After the constant stream of work and preparation for each week, I can't wait to just have some time to spend with my friends and family. I do have some revision and a reflective essay to write, but I feel that despite this I will be able to work a bit (student life really is expensive) and just relax :)

I hope you guys have been getting some good news from medical schools and have interviews to prepare for! Have a wonderful Christmas :D

Life Savers

Last night I worked a shift on 'Step down' which is where patients are sent if they aren't sick enough for ICU but are too sick to go to a ward.

At first the shift was pretty horrendous, the nurses were too busy to really explain what I needed to do and so until I found out what was expected of me I felt very much like a spare part...

But then something great happened... an F2 turned up. An F2 who used to be a GEM and who was so enthusiastic about her job and medicine that she spent a good portion of her night teaching me!
Honestly, I was thanking God all night for her appearance (Step down units really aren't a HCA strong place- there isn't much I can do when the patients are that poorly)!

This F2 allowed me to watch her perform examinations, explained ECGs to me in the most simple, perfect way, explained all the blood tests and liver function tests and then taught me how to take blood! Not bad to what I thought was going to be a write off of a shift!

Doctors who have that much enthusiasm and love for their job are the people who inspire me to work harder and be the best I can be, especially when my GP tutor spends all her time telling me she wishes she'd done dentistry! Medicine is a vocation, and meeting doctors like this F2 give me great faith in my future profession and our healthcare system :) I only hope in 4 years I will be like her and have the ability to inspire and teach a HCA in my position.

Life is zooming past...

Wow! I've been so crazy busy that I haven't updated this blog for weeks!

So I had my first GP visit forever ago and have my second one next week (super excited).
The first one was great, the GP I was supposed to be with was off ill so I got re-assigned to another GP at the practice who turned out to be amazing! In the past on placements I have been placed in the corner and forgotten about but this time the GP made every effort to include me in the consultation and allowed me to practice ear examinations and some chest auscultation. Even though I hadn't yet been taught these skills, the GP explained them so well that I felt like I could actually see/hear what i was looking for and actually managed to find the wheeze in the patients chest...score!
The amazing thing about this GP visit was that every single patient (apart form maybe two) actually had the same diagnoses as our PBL topics! Because of this I felt like I could actually discuss the cases with the Dr without looking clueless- a big advantage!

Also since I last posted I have completed my first formative exam....and passed! :D Our exams are done as multiple choice questions (MCQs) and modified essay questions (MEQs) with the pass mark in both being set at 60%. I hadn't really known what to expect question or marking wise so came out of the exam feeling less than great about my performance, but after two weeks of waiting found out that I achieved 73% overall!
In my undergrad degree I would probably have been very happy about this, and still am but feel I could have achieved more if I'd looked at more of the diagrams in the lectures.
From this I've decided to stop writing up notes and have started typing them so I can copy+paste pictures in...hopefully this will help for my revision in this next module.

Time is just going so quickly at the moment, it's crazy to think I'm already halfway through my second module as a medic but I'm enjoying life so much that I'm not even thinking about it!

I hope people's GAMSAT scores were what they wanted, but if not, I know of at least 6 people on my course who had to sit it more than 5 times before they got what they needed - so don't be too disheartened!

First week is over!

My first week as a medical student is finished and what a week! We have had so many introductions to modules, PBL (Problem Based Learning) and the library services it's unreal. Oh and not to forget the meet ups, nights out and fancy dress party...

I have now met the majority of my course mates and everyone seems lovely (obviously, or they probably wouldn't have a place...). Not only that but everyone is up for helping each other and explaining things without making the other person feel inferior. I have adopted three housemates and so already have a brilliant friendship circle and a place to stay after nights out- very handy! After three nights out I'm very used to sharing with one of the girls or slumming it on the sofa. Now that fresher's week is effectively over I think we will all settle down a bit and give my liver a much needed break! :)

Our course begins properly on Monday with our first workshops, lectures and PBL sessions, which I am very much looking forward to, despite still being a little unsure as to how exactly it is all going to work! I recently read a very good article on survival tips for PBL (12 tips to surviving PBL by Bate & Taylor, 2013) which was fully referenced and gave a number of brilliant ideas and things to ensure the group get the most out of each session. Trying my best to keep in mind all the tips and hope that the other 6 members of my group have read the same article. Both my group and facilitator seem very enthusiastic about the PBL section of the course and each member has come from a different background leaving us with a wide variety of strengths and expertise! The fact that we have agreed to bring cake every Friday makes it all seem 100x better aswell. I'm sure I will write much more about PBL once our sessions get underway!

The next time I post you will most likely have sat the GAMSAT so good luck and don't panic!

First Impressions.

Since my last post I have bought my car, sorted out my parking space and have found out my tutor, mentor and PBL and clinical skills groups! Everything's coming together so quickly!

So a bit about what I know so far... My PBL group is the only group with 7 members as opposed to 8 which I'm hoping wont affect how much work we have to do! One of the people in my group is a guy who I had met at the meet ups and I am so happy I'm with him as he is from a science background like me! Hurrah- someone to help me explain things to those who may not know!
Our clinical skills group contains 22 people so I'm unsure how that is going to work, whether we further divide ourselves or not but I'm sure the Uni have that all figured out.

Over the next two weeks my schedule is full of meet ups, BBQs and nights out to meet not only my year group but the 2nd years as well. Compared to my previous degree, I'm already amazed at the cohesion in our group and how helpful and willing to share information people are! This gives me great hope that we will all be great friends and work together to achieve our dream!

I can't wait to meet the full group and make some new friends. Lets just hope I make a good first impression! :)

The Countdown.

3 weeks to go...

I FINALLY received my official confirmation of my place for Graduate Entry Medicine yesterday! No more hoops to jump through, i'm most definitely going to be a Medical Student..woohoo!

I just got back from my holidays and now realise that my to do list is getting longer and longer by the minute! I still haven't found a car, I have no idea where I'm going to park this non existent car and I need to buy all my supplies for uni including a new laptop and lab coat! That said, I'm just so super excited to start now!

I received my student number and email address today, along with all the freshers week information. There are already at least 15 clubs/societies I want to join. I'm going to have to short list them I think as I doubt I will have that much spare time, however there are some things that are already in my top few, such as the Catholic society (there wasn't one at my first university so I'm excited to meet some people my age who share my beliefs!) and the climbing club! There is also a Kettle Soc which I had never heard of before but considering my addiction to tea I can't wait to find out more!! Also because I'm such a keen bean I have already ordered a University hoodie... does this make me a bit crazy? I hope not!

I hope everyone's UKCAT went/are going well, and I hope the GAMSAT revision isn't becoming too much yet! Just hang in there and good luck :)

So I'm a Graduate!

So yesterday I graduated!  I am officially one of the first to graduate from the University of South Wales and couldn't be more proud!

After the ceremony and all the photographs had been taken it was quite surreal to realise that I would most likely never visit the university again and that that chapter of my life is well and truly over...

My first university experience has been one filled with amazing memories and people who have helped me through the three years and taught me about life and myself. From meeting some of my best friends in freshers week to studying for finals together, university was always about teamwork and living life to the max! I will cherish these memories forever. :)
In addition to this, I have an incredible base of knowledge ready for Medicine in September! I don't think my course could have better prepared me for what it's like to study under pressure and succeed.

Thank you to everyone who helped me in my achievement and I can't wait to do you all proud again!

Graduation

So tomorrow is my GRADUATION! How exciting is that?

After tomorrow I will officially be a graduate and no longer a student (or at least until September!). I have no idea whats actually going on tomorrow as we have been told very little, just to arrive an hour before the ceremony. No information on where to collect gowns, caps or tickets! I very much hope it is sign posted or I find a friend to wander around with. I'm so excited to see all my friends again and to get that all important certificate.

Wish me luck and pray I don't trip on my way up! :)

Volunteering

Hey guys,

So this post is all about volunteering for your medical school application. I have done probably more volunteering than need be but it all paid off in the end! Quick list of the things I have done since school to give you an idea of the types of thing to get involved in: buddy reading, peer mentoring, cubs and scouts, youth club leader, old people's home, school band, St John ambulance, British Red Cross, stroke club, and finally working with disabled people.

Now I didn't NEED to do all of this volunteering, one or two things over a long period of time show great perserverance, dedication and compassion. The reason I did all this was just purely for my own enjoyment and my love of helping people! This said, volunteering is essential if you are going to apply for medicine. This doesn't mean you should just turn up at something every week for two years, it means you should find something you truely enjoy and look forward to. This means that when it comes to interview or your personal statement you will be able to show actual enthusiasm and passion for what you have contirbuted to and not that you've just done it for the sake of your application.

When it comes to your volunteering it's a good idea to keep a note of what you have done and how this has affected you or what you learnt from it. This way you are already reflecting on what you have done and can use this at interview. Even if it something menial such as helping a younger student learn to read, think about this helped you to communicate and improve your empathy. Everything you do can be reflected upon!

So guys, go out and ask at your school, Uni, Church or community group and find something that really catches your interest. Anything counts, it doesn't have to be in a care home or hospital. Once it relates to people and you are helping, then it's perfect. Start early, you don't want it to look like you've just done three months just before submitting you application, it needs to be long term. Make the most of what you are doing and really get involved with the people. You never know who you may meet or what difference you will make. And as a bonus itwill significantly improve your medicine application! Enjoy!

Getting there slowly

All of my previous posts have been written on my iPad and it is only now that I'm using my laptop that I have seen how to actually put post titles! I'm afraid I'm very new to this blogging business and so apologize if there are any other obvious mistakes or things I'm missing!

The reason I'm actually using my laptop now is because I have (finally) sorted my room out and unpacked everything from university :D I think I previously mentioned that I was house hunting with a group of future coursemates, but since then I have decided to save money and live at home (I live very close to the campus I will be studying at). Due to this, I thought I would spend some time rearranging my room and sorting everything out to make it ready for September! I'm actually quite proud of how it looks right now as I have managed to arrange my desk and bookcase so I effectively have a little study corner with everything I need for revision/ university work separate from my bed etc.

This means I have also finally sorted all of my work from my Medical Sciences degree into folders ready for quick reference if need be in the coming year! I feel incredibly organised right now and can't wait to fill up my shelves and folders with work in September!

Advice needed

So I've got my stethoscope ordered, I have gazillions of textbooks from my previous degree. The only thing now is what do med students wear??

So for lectures I assume its just normal clothing but for placements etc? When I was in school and for uni placements I always wore black trousers and a shirt but is that still okay? When I'm at work all the med students and doctors I see are in chino type trousers and smart tops so should I go on a shopping trip? :D

Any advice would be appreciated!

My journey so far...

Okay so I feel I should explain a bit more about how I got to where I am... Grab some popcorn because this could get long!

I've wanted to be a Dr since I can remember (cliche I know) and so all my work experience etc throughout school was always geared towards this. Then I got into sixth form and didn't get the predicted grades. After much  panicking over what I could do, my mum and I discovered the medical sciences BSc at the University of South Wales. So I got the grades to go there and the rest is history. In my final year the top 12 of us (this included me!) on our course were able to participate in cadaveric dissection with the first year medics at Cardiff. This was hands down one of the best experiences if my life. Despite it being very difficult at times, I learnt so much more than I could have from a textbook and couldn't be more grateful to the donor and her family. All in all, third year was pretty tough, but with a lot of faith and hard work I coped pretty well and have come out with a first class honours! :D

So by the way, I also did TONS of voluntary work such as cubs/beavers, in a care home, a peer mentor, at my church youth group...and my favourite of all (which I still do) a club for adults and the elderly with learning disabilities. My voluntary work helped me soo much at my interviews and just generally as a person. I feel everyone should try and do some voluntary work, just to realise how fulfilling it is to help someone with no guarantee of anything in return. Just seeing some of the people at my volunteering smile or hug me in greeting instantly lifts my mood and makes me grateful to be a positive influence in other peoples lives!
I have also worked as a HCA for the last four years which I can't credit enough for showing me exactly what hospital work will be like! Sometimes its a hard slog, especially if doing a 1-1 (exactly what it says on the tin...you look after one patient for the whole shift) and they have dementia. You can imagine how that ends up :/  But all in all it's so rewarding to know that you may have done something that makes one patient a bit happier or less anxious about their situation! :) I'm sure I will post about work in the future...

Back to the med journey... I sat the UKCAT and GAMSAT exams last summer which was not fun at all but thankfully worked out really well! The GAMSAT exam lived up to my expectations of the worst exam I would ever sit,  with the five hours of hard thinking, but using the Gold standard GAMSAT book had prepared me well and so I left feeling shell shocked but not devastated. In contrast, the UKCAT exam seemed to fly by and I left wondering whether I had just dreamt the whole thing! Excluding the maths section, I quite like the UKCAT exam- especially the codes at the end. I got an average of 730 on the UKCAT and (somehow) got 61 on the GAMSAT! With these scores I applied to Warwick, Cardiff, Nottingham and Swansea medical schools all for the four year Graduate Entry programmes.

After what seemed like forever, I received three interviews (Warwick rejected me) and was over the moon! So I got my suit dry cleaned etc etc and went for my interviews, feeling as nervous as anyone else there! Some of the questions were very straight forward, whereas others I was so unprepared for it was almost funny. In my Cardiff interview they actually had to tell me to stop talking because I was answering questions before they even asked them haha! And after a sickeningly long few months....I managed to get three offers! I couldn't believe it when my UCAS track updated!

After a fair bit of deliberation, I decided to choose Nottingham (based at Derby) as my firm choice and am so super excited to start! I recently went on a meet and greet day and everyone seems amazing! I met four lovely girls who I'm planning on living with this year coming (note the house hunting!) and am confident we will get on brilliantly :D So basically I am at the stage where all of a sudden my dream has come true and I am just trying to enjoy the summer before I get stuck into Med school and all the chaos that will ensue!

Hello!

A few introductions to start off with, my name is Isabelle and I am going to be a Graduate Entry Medical Student in September at Notts! I've just finished my degree in Medical Sciences and am eagerly anticipating Graduation! :) 

I love reading peoples blogs and so thought I'd have a go at writing my own about my journey through medical school. My posts most likely won't be very medically related until September but I will try to make them relevant! 

At present my life is taken up by my work as a Healthcare assistant plus enthusiastically adding future course mates on Facebook and trying to arrange meet ups/house viewings and generally being very exciting about whats to come! I fear my soon to be course mates think I'm majorly OTT and much too keen but I can't help it...  Plus my parents ordered my graduation present earlier- a hot pink stethoscope eeek! :D Everything feels likes it is finally real now! 

Thanks for reading, and I hope it gets more interesting :) x