About time.....*ahem* YAHOO!!!! *spills confetti* So glad it's all over....for now. *grins*
But what about the endocrine system? How is it like in general? Well, let's just say it's been Slooooow, shall we? =p
Don't get me wrong, encodrinology is in fact an interesting system. Very "multiorganic"- everything is related in some way or another (eg: diabetes). Heheh. You don't get that very often in pre-clinical studies. Trust me. =)
Somehow the plenaries were given at a rather "snail-like" pace. Perhaps our fast-paced world's finally at a stand-still. Or perhaps I took things pretty lightly lately. I don't know. Can't really pin-point the exact cause of my 'slackiness' which is currently at its peak.
Before you can say "You should see a doctor" (or something of that sort), I also like to add that a large portion of Sem 4 students felt precisely the same way as I do. Unusual? Strange? I guess.....
Perhaps this is some "post-EOS3 syndrome" endemic in Sem. 4. Perhaps this is still the time where the "exhaustion phase" kicks in.....perhaps we have been drilled right to the core during our pre-EOS 3 days till we become somewhat 'immuned' to exams? Hmmm, I still wonder.....
On the lighter side of medicine, a few Sem. 2 students asked Tim and I to be "test subjects" in one of their short Clincial Skills Unit (CSU) sessions a couple of days ago. No, we need not bare all/tops for everyone to see (as some of our more 'unfortunate' counterparts had to do during clinical sessions). They only needed our arms.....to sharpen their blood pressure-taking skills.
So why call us, and not other juniors, one might ask. Three reasons: 1. Tim and I were the first two people they saw outside CSU 2. They had practised on their counterparts till their arms turned red/purple *gulp* 3. They felt their practice was stil inadequate...*hint hint: perfectionists*
And so we obliged (heck, we were waiting for our CSU session to start then, and there was like....45 minutes to kill??)
Tim was their first simulated patient. So far, so good.....
When it was my turn:
Student 1 (S1): *introduced himself/herself, then proceeded to ask me standard questions* Have you rested?
Me: Yes
S1: Have you taken your breakfast?
Me: *nods head*
S1: Had any coffee or any alcoholic drink then?
Me: Nope.
S1: Do you smoke?
Me: No.
S1 proceeded to take my heart rate and respiratory rate. Then my blood pressure (BP) was taken. A short while later.....
S1: *hesistantly* Errm.....your BP's 140/90.......
Everyone: HAH???
Me: *eye bulges, jaw dropped* Wah.....that high meh? Stage 1 hypertension (HT) already la....
Tim: *joked* Wah, how did you survive HT in med. school without antihypertensives wan?
Another student (let's just call him/her S2) promptly took my BP. Later:
S2: Around 125/75.
Me: Phew. (turned to S1) Want to give it a shot once more?
S1 resumed his/her position and took my BP again.
S1 (after BP check): Now your reading's about 115/65!
Quite a wide range of answers, eh? =p Perhaps they really need more practice (but I'm really happy from the enthusiasm they showed us in the CSU room lor...they would make pretty good doctors someday *grins*) Or perhaps I have some form of "White-coat Syndrome". How ironic.
And yes, my arm turned blue-black the following day.....heheh. =D
