The monkeys make a lot of noise in the night but don’t enter. Still, it makes sleep difficult and I struggle to get out of bed once the alarm goes off at 07:15. Shower, breakfast, ward 01, joining Lisa and Lara on a ward round with the head of the department. Most of the beds are empty like last Monday so they must be having a Casualty night soon. David joins after a couple of patients are seen. The round is completed fairly quickly and so the four of us go to ward 36, a second paediatric ward, to see some more patients.
I take my camera and find opportunities to take some photos here and there. One of an old, dusty incubator for newborns. Another of a dirt oxygen tank stored in a back corridor. David examines a young boy who tries to squirm away from him. Dave shows him his stethoscope and tries to make it all seem less frightening. The boy’s mother distracts him with some glittery stickers and Dave is able to examine him. He says there is little to find, which I am pleased about to be honest, as I figure he was one more examination away from getting angry or bursting into tears.
We move to the next bed where there is a young boy, perhaps nine or ten. One of the house officers from ward 01 joins us and tells me that the boy’s main presentation was a fever. I gain consent for the examination and find that he is boiling hot to touch. His heart is racing and is clearly unwell. He still manages a smile here and there however. I listen to his lungs when Lara tries to get my attention. She asks if I would like a picture taken for my elective presentation. The house officer translates and we get consent providing that I am able to hide the boy’s face in the image. I put the settings to automatic and briefly teach Lara how to use my camera. I resume the examination as she takes a few pictures. I thank the child and his mother as we leave the ward, realising the time, the post-round teaching will have started.
Lara opens the door to the teaching room slowly and it is crammed with students in their white coats, and who is leading the class? …. it’s the doctor with grey hair and glasses, the one who asked me to define the word define… he is the worst of them all. We find some spare seats and listen in. He seems to be telling a student off, what a surprise… She didn’t present the case as he likes, and he keeps labouring the point. I read my Oxford Handbook hoping the time will pass quickly. Eventually, the doctor makes for the exit and the students stand as a sign of respect to him. I grab my bag and leave feeling drained.
There is a little rain on the way home but it is actually quite nice. I watch Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring which takes up most of the afternoon; I forgot how long these films are. Home is just two weeks away.
Ramblings Of A Med Student 