Save the NHS

I went to my first protest today, for one of the most important current issues in the UK right now- junior doctor contracts. The new contracts will compromise patient safety, discriminate against female doctors wanting to start a family, discriminate against different medical specialities... The new contracts mean the beginning of the end of the NHS.

So, medics decided to protest. We had to make our voices heard. The atmosphere was amazing. The hundreds of people that turned up tonight managed to make a difference, and I am so glad I was a part of it.

What's happening to my future?

I feel sad, incredibly sad. Everytime I think about the junior contract changes, or see any evocative writing in social media by doctors, I can feel tears fill my eyes. Sounds dramatic, I know, but please let me explain to you why I feel this way.  

Working to become a doctor doesn't only start at university. It starts in early teens. First, we have to get good GCSE grades because medical school admissions take GCSE grades into account. GCSEs starts from 13/14 years old.  Then, we have two years of A-levels. During which we have to get straight A/A*'s, because of the competition for med school entry. Outside studying, we do extracurriculars, part-time job, sports, music, work experience, volunteering, to make us a desirable candidate for medical school (and of course we enjoy them too). If we are one of fortunate ones who got a place in a medical school, then we can start the 6 year university course of medicine. So far, that is already 10 years of dedication. 

After we graduate, we work even harder in the hospitals. Early mornings, late nights and weekends. Missed family events, weddings and hardly any holidays. When we aren't working, we have to study for more exams for our career progression, some also do research work at the side. All of this is tough, and we get stressed and depressed, but we get through it all. We probably all secretly have a relish for it. All of this is worth it. To see someone sick and frail become healthy and strong again because of what you did is an amazing feeling. To have that person's family thank you for your hard work, and see their happiness is fantastic. 

But now... Is it all going to be worth it?

New Junior Doctor Contracts

I am so angry. Absolutely fuming. Why are doctors in England constantly under attack by the government?

No, I am not a doctor yet, just a medical student, but in under two years time, I will be the one affected by the new junior doctor contracts.

After 6 years of hard work, after 6 years of debt, there will be more years of hard work, more exams, more training courses, and even more money spent on those things. Of course I knew about that, I accepted that. But what I don't accept is the government insinuating that we are lazy, greedy, money grabbers.

Firstly, the 7 day NHS debacle. The NHS is already working 24/7, giving everyone, everyone access to free healthcare. While junior doctors, registrars and consultants work day and night to deliver that service. The 6000 deaths are NOT due to a '5 day' system. This is the paper the conservative government based their movement on, which then caused sensationalism by the Daily Mail. Utter rubbish.

The conclusion states that 'admissions at the weekend is associated with increased risk of subsequent death within 30 days of admission. The likelihood of death actually occurring is less on a weekend day than a mid-week day.' From this conclusion, I cannot fathom why the government thought having a 7 day NHS would solve the problem in the death rate variance.

If you want a more detailed breakdown of the results from the paper, check out this blog.

So after all the social media rage over the havoc Jeremy Hunt has fueled, now comes the new contracts for junior doctors starting from 2016. All with the aim of a 'better and safer' NHS. And these are the facts:

First Day Back!

Smart clothes, stethoscope, pen, notebook, ID. Okay, those are the bare essentials. Double check. Okay. Good.

First day back on the wards! I was quite looking forward this. The last two weeks in the lecture theatre was almost torture. Also, since I have done clinics already last year, everything was a bit more familiar and less nerve wracking this year. Some things never change though, I waited for a good 20mins for the ward round to start. As a medical student, you gotta have patience to wait around for the doctors.

As a new year begins, I promised myself to study harder, eat healthier, wake up earlier, and work out more. It's worked out pretty well so far. (Well it has only been one day) I managed to drag myself out of bed by 6.15am. Then got dressed and worked out, took a shower. I proceeded to make my breakfast (toasted seeded bread with smashed avocado and poached egg) and to finish preparing my lunch. I even had time to put on a little bit of makeup and still walk to uni. A pretty big win in the morning! Now I just have to keep it up... I am feeling pretty sleepy already though and it's only 7.38pm...

I think I had more expectations for today. However, things quickly settled into routine. Ward round, lunch, library, teaching, then home. Pretty uneventful day! Tomorrow I have nothing scheduled- just clerking patients. If this was last year, I might have just not gone in, but as I have promised myself, I am going to work harder. Hence, I shall do what the timetable says and clerk some patients. Very elderly patients, possibly with hearing problems too. More of a challenge to talk to and examine. But they can be very sweet and adorable.

Right, I promised myself, so I must get on with it. You have permission to slap me (softly) if you find me slacking. Off to studying I go now...

Baozi Inn in Chinatown

I went to one of my favourite restaurants in Chinatown with a friend last week. I loved their Baozi, a bigger version of a dumpling that is steamed, but they changed their menu and they no longer served any baozi! Why call it Baozi Inn when you don't serve any baozi anymore?! It was a bit disappointing for sure, but the food that we did order was still very tasty.

Writing a Good Personal Statement for Medicine

As mentioned in my previous post, your personal statement is the most crucial thing in your UCAS medical school application. Writing a good personal statement (PS) is almost an art, you want to be original but not outlandishly weird, you want to seem intelligent and confident but not arrogant and cocky, and there is the character limit. It seems like all the cards are stacked against you, but don't stress! I've come to the rescue! If you are struggling to write your personal statement for your medical school application, you've come to the right place. I've got some very important tips and advice for you.

Now you are probably thinking why you should listen to me, right? Well, I've written quite a few formal personal statements in my time. Two for my medical school applications (as I applied twice), one for studying an integrated bachelor's degree in Neuroscience (one the most competitive courses at my university), another for studying a bachelor's degree in Anatomy (we had to write another second PS for our back up choice), aaaand one for a PhD application.

Was I successful in all of them? Yes.

I got 3/4 medical school interviews (I didn't get an interview from Oxford, but they didn't place very much on PS's for interview selection). I got a place on the Neuroscience BSc degree, which was decided on the personal statement alone, no interviews! I also got an interview for my PhD application, and I know people who were rejected just on paper.

So I hope I have convinced you that my advice is worth reading. Obviously, your personal statement is not the only thing that will determine your success. It is one of the means to get you an interview. For other things, please read my post on Medical School Applications.

So, let's dive in...

Top Tips for Getting into Medical School

*Disclaimer: this blog post is aimed at students applying for medical schools in the UK*

How do I get into Medical School?

This is a question I have asked myself a few times in sixth form. A questions with unsure answers, especially as I was applying for medicine for the second time back in 2010. Now thinking about it, it all seemed much simpler.

If you are currently thinking about becoming a doctor, and would like to go study medicine at university (how else will you become a doctor right?), read on for my Top Ten Tips. Advice from someone who has tried twice, so I know what to do and what not to do.

Too Many Lectures!

Two more days until we go back on the wards, THANK GOD. I cannot take anymore lectures.

For the first time this week, being at university hasn't induced me to sleep. We had small group teaching sessions on bedside assessments, palliative care, ear examination and ophthalmology. In small group teaching, I was actually engaged and felt like I was learning something! Whereas for the last two days, I was sitting in an artificially lit lecture theatre with no windows (sunlight = happiness, heard of seasonal depressive disorder?), in front of my iPad, which was for note taking but really became a procrastination tool, and unable to listen to anything with attention. I wanted to listen dutifully and make impeccably clear notes, but that just did not happen. Maybe I wasn't interested in the content (psychiatry, yuck) or maybe I just have a short attention span. The exact same thing happened last year, but I passed and came in 4th decile, so the lectures are obviously not pass/fail. Well, I have to tell myself that to make me a little bit better when I'm sitting next to my friend who is typing away on her laptop diligently...

Today was so good though. I felt so happy that I saw the optic disc through the ophthalmoscope. I only really managed once before on a patient whose pupils were dilated medically. They say practice makes perfect, but an ophthalmoscope costs over £100! I inherited one from my boyfriend's grandma, but I blew out the bulb by putting the wrong battery in it... Then I tried to find the correct battery online, but the model of the ophthalmoscope was so old. Also, it still costs so much and a new bulb costs £70 too. Learning medicine is so expensive, my stethoscope alone cost me around £60!

So tomorrow, we have one 3 hour lecture in the morning, then a couple more one hour lectures, followed by a super short lunch break and then another 3 hour lecture in the afternoon (on psych again, yucky yuck yuck)! I am not looking forward to it. I am going to go to Chinatown after lectures though- the company and the custard buns will save me!

Start of Term

Hello, my name is Aijing and I am a fifth year medical student... I am looking forward to using this phrase over and over again starting from the next couple of weeks. Four years of my life has gone by studying medicine, and two more to come until I become a doctor! 

This week has been a 'limbo' week. We are eased into the year with four days of 'Introduction and Orientation'. I think there might have been one or two useful lectures. They were about migrants' healthcare rights, which is actually quite a current topic righ now. Other lectures were interesting(ish) but having them back to back right after summer was not appealing, no matter how interesting. They weren't particularly factual lectures too, so overall I was slightly annoyed at medical school for putting this week in as it meant one less week of summer.

All the useless lectures had one good thing though, it meant I could socialise in the evenings rather than studying! I hung out with my friends every night and went back home for the weekend. I went round one of my friends on Tuesday and we made huevos rancheros (sorry if it's spelt wrong!) for dinner. Food was so tasty but I managed to break their tin opener and kill one of their pans. I felt so guilty! On one of the other evenings, someone cooked rather than me, with less disastrous results. He made thai chicken curry and it was delicious.

Cyprus Holiday Part II

We drove to the mountains one day and saw Toodoro and went along the walking trail that lead to a waterfall. The waterfall wasn't spectacular, but that was probably due to the dry summer. A lot of driving was done on that day. The next time that we used the car, one of the tires started to go flat. All of use was slightly concerned that a tire might have been punctured by the driving from the day before. This caused quite a lot of stress on my parents, and some very expensive phone calls to the rental car company. Fortunately, we found a garage and it was actually a valve problem due to neglected maintenance on the wheels. Phew. Not our fault.

Cyprus Holiday Part I

Sun shine, sandy beaches, and clear ocean waters. These words describe my Cyprus holiday perfectly. After travelling actively in Croatia for a week, a do-nothing-beach-holiday was just what I needed. I went there with my parents and my boyfriend, while there was some friction between me and my parents sometimes, the holiday was still enjoyable.

We didn't get up to much on this holiday, but it was still quite eventful. Most of the time was spent at the beach. The Hotel we stayed at had its own beach, so it was literally only a few steps down to the ocean from our room. The water was so warm, it was like having a bath! We did a lot of snorkelling, which caused me to have a rather stripy, unevenly tanned back...

Into the fish!