Closing the blog - wrap up

I thought I'd write a post and leave it up for a few weeks letting you all know I am closing this blog! I'm so sorry!

Why? Um, personal reasons. Let's just say I've had some privacy issues lately. I have other areas in my life apart from this blog (shock, huh?) and I figure the best way to control everything and protect my privacy is to basically stop being on the net. There's other things I want to do as well, and I need to downsize, once again, my life to something more manageable. Sort of a spring cleaning of sorts.

I did want to finish this blog with a final post saying that I'm pretty optimistic for my future in med school and that of OUM. My grades are where they're supposed to be, my finances are flowing nicely, and I'm only a few months away from escaping pre-clinical and getting into my clinical rotations.

OUM keeps improving the way they do things and I'm happy with what they're doing right now and the few things they have lined up in the pipe works.

My health has seemed to have survived being back for a term. I have some really exciting things coming up in the next 12 months outside of med school as well, so I'm somehow maintaining this work-life-study-health balance. Things are so much easier when you're healthy.

I've really enjoyed writing this blog. Thank you so much for your support along the way.

OUM has a Facebook page which is an easy way to ask questions, and remember that if you ask, OUM will try and put you in contact with current students so you can ask anything you want to know.

My last bit of advice is to remember that the really big things in life often come with big sacrifices. I doubt I'd want to be a doctor so much if it was "easy". However, the important things in life are rarely the "big" things. Take time to smell the roses, swallow your pride work on relationships, look after your health as a priority, help other people discover their own dreams, and remember life is short and it's a journey - it's ok to make mistakes, change your mind, look like a fool, and try again. You don't get final points in the nursing home or hospital bed for being perfect.

Take care of yourselves.

Week 6

Well I'm in my final case-based week for Renal. Whew. It's actually been ok for me this term so I feel a lot more encouraged. I can't say I'm getting the bast grades in the world but I at least feel it is possible for me to pass with a grade >75%. For me, I think that is acceptable.

I'm also feeling well financially which is such a huge component of studying somewhere like OUM. I thnnk I have what it takes to finish off my pre-clinical module back-to-back and be done with them by June 2014, and then take a few months to prepare for the Step 1. Excitement!

We've been really busy at work this week so I haven't been able to do as much as I want. I woldn't be so worried except for the fact I am planning one being away for the weekend for a taekwon-do tournament so I doubt I'll be able to catch up then. But it's only Wednesday now.

Ok I hae to go learn everything about renal calculi (nephrolithiasis).

Last day of acids/bases (Week 5)

Today is my last day to study for the quiz tonight. It's acids and bases week. I'm at a point where I understand everything to a basical level, no problems, but those tricky questions that require a deeper level of undertanding are probably gonna get me.

I've added a couple new links of the Resources Page for which there should be a visible tab up the top right now (I change the blog layout occasionally to keep things fresh).

That's it. Back to cramming with:

• First Aid for the Basic Sciences Organ Systems
• The Renal System At A Glance
• First Aid for the USMLE Step 1
• Lecture notes
• Lecture recordings
• Skimming readings
• Looking at the clinical vignettes from the case study
• Kaplan vids

Week 5 of Renal

I'm nearing the home stretch of Renal. Well, I'm only just over half way of the 8 weeks, but my case study weeks finish next week.

I have had a massive weekend with the election and my friends birthday and my birthday and been so busy at work so I'm really not looking forward to the quiz tomorrow at all.

So I'm doing some cramming tonight and tomorrow bascially, and crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

I did ok last week but I really wanted to do better this week and now I'm just hoping to pass.

The good thing is - I'mstaying well and my stress kevels are being well managed. I just forgot how frustrating it can be to have to juggle both work and study when study requires SO much time. Oh well, that's my choice and I just have to accept my grades wont be as good as they could've been had I not had to work. But that's my path.

St John Ambulance induction.

I'm nearing the end of Week 4 with some last minute study at work today and my quiz tonight while I'm on-call (so I hope I don't get disturbed).

This week went ok but I felt I lost too much time somehow. Firstly, on Tuesday at work I think I spent too much time talking to my work colleague, after-all, it was my first shift back in 8 weeks. Wednesday it took my just about all day to go and do the grocery shopping (not sure how), plus I had a sleep-in to make up for lost sleep Monday night.

And yesterday I spent all day at the St John Ambulance Induction Training so I can do placements with them as a student doctor. Idid study on the train on the way there but too tired on the way back plus I was sitting facing backwards which make me motion sick! How I function as a paramedic I do not know.

I already spent a day with SJA doing my Level 1 First Aid, which I think is ridiculous considering I'm a qualified ALS paramedic, but anyway. We did CPR and defib again (just the automatic defib device) and made sure we could make our slings look good lol

Well it should all be worth it as I am doing my first duty at the Rhianna concert in a few weeks, and then I can start putting my name down for the MAT team duties (Medical Assessment Team) which consists of only health care professionals (doctors, nurses, and paramedics) and health care students and looks after things beyond the first aid scope.

Personally, I love doing a bit of first aid because we rarely do minor stuff in ambulance and I get perplexed when someone asks me what to do about a simple sprain, for example.

Anyway, I have to go finish my learnings on fluids and electrolytes. I think I'm spending too much time on acids and bases which is next week but somehow popped up on this week's learning objectives too.