X-Ams. almost X-Mas. But rubbish.

Sooo, as previously mentioned, January is Exam season...woooo! Way to bring in the new year...Generally, until 3rd year you get the Semester Test and the Progress test. From 3rd year they see you as being competent if you don’t kill or terminally damage someone whilst on placement...Then you just sit the progress test and do the clinical skills (OSCES)
The semester exam is going to be the easiest we ever are going to take- technically they shouldn’t have given us anything impossible. The head of year 1 and 2 posted this on his blog (yes, he thinks he’s down with the kids...)
'For everyone who has worked hard this semester, the exam should be manageable. For everyone else, Good Luck'. Jammy bugger.
So I spent my new year filtering my notes, realising I had merely skimmed the depth required, and as for the breadth...don’t even go there.
That’s the thing with PBL; you just learn what you think you need to. SO if the case is about cystic fibrosis, a lay person would think that learning about cystic fibrosis would be the right thing to do...in fact its very much the WRONG THING.
You should learn about the genetics of passing it on, plus other examples of recessive disorders. The mechanism of passing it on. The physical mutation and others like it (deletion of a phenylalanine molecule...FYI)
Then you would learn about how molecules transport themselves/ are transported across membranes, the muco-ciliary escalator, the anatomy and physiology of the lungs. About opportunistic infections, which are most common?
About the pancreas, what meconium ileus is. What failure to thrive is...what would you give to supplement the diet? How would you manipulate the mucus out of the body....the psychological effect of having such a disease...what are the restrictions? Can a child go to school?
And on. And on. And on...
So, there were 8 of these cases to learn. Plus anatomy. And microbiology (yes if you don’t was your hands you will contaminate other things you touch. well done. have a merit) and the vile thing that is e4MED. This unspeakable infliction is in fact online statistical analysis of medical studies. Fascinating.
I have to say my worst experience last semester was sitting through 2 hours of e4MEd with the hangover from hell. Never. Ever. Again.

The semester exam was sat all together. I hate exams, I hate those people that swan in, biro behind their ear, and leave 20 minutes in, with that know all smirk, face saying 'you fools, only 5 questions in..'
This exam wasn’t at all like that. Body language said it all... people were really struggling, heads in hands, despair as we all wished we'd read the foot notes, that we had looked at the femoral triangle once more..(I’m sorry, what even IS the femoral triangle?)
Usually people stand around discussing what they put for question 57. This time, no. Within 3 minutes the place was like a ghost town, everyone ran away to mourn the loss of their summer holidays to resits...
Fair enough, the exam was a sneaky beast- we were specifically told that we wouldn’t be dealing with clinical content, and as far as i’m concerned having to decide which example women with breast cancer can have Tamoxifin or Herceptin is about as clinical as it gets....
But whatever. It’s done now...we just wait.........................