So far, so good

One thing I certainly had not appreciated before starting med school is just how syncretic medicine is. In December we were fortunate enough to spend a week on the wards before Armageddon 3 hit and it was wild. I actually found that walking around, constantly talking to colleagues or patients and having to think with all my (limited) might all day long was exhausting af. When I could, I had to rush off to my room and sneak an afternoon power nap in just to make it through the day without pouring RedBull in my coffee. Make no mistake, plenty of both were consumed, but separately. I think this was made harder, at least in some part, by the fact that we've all spent the majority of the past year not going anywhere and not talking to anyone, so there is a stamina to be regained for sure. Still, it was the most stimulating experience I've had in a work environment so far and it was a lot like what I imagine going around high on cocaine feels like. Also, we got to practice some examinations on these oddly functional simulated patients (read robots), which was pretty fun and provided material for many memes👇. 

Come January with its mock exams and I was pretty stressed, but, with the new term upon me, it almost feels like I never got off the rollercoaster at all. Difficult to comment on how medicine differs to my previously stable job when the classic January blues are somewhat exacerbated by lockdown 3 and the overall grim state of NHS, country and world right now. You know sh*t has hit the fan when exams are the least of my worries in this whole paragraph.

One highlight was that I spent a week in GP placement at the beginning of January and got to talk to so many patients, taking histories, discussing their ideas, concerns and expectations, and gaining confidence in the art of the trade. It was pretty exhilarating. 

I have no more answers right now, but I still try to encourage people wondering whether they should apply to grad entry medicine at *whatever age they think is too old to start med school but isn't* in the YouTube comments section of random videos, because it's been a great use of my time so far, which has to count for something, right?