Killing 17 birds with one stone - my current study plan

Here's my current plan of attack:

• study all day at work. Also, catch up on rest, sleep, meal prepping, and laundry and work. Also, clean car at work. Also clean boyfriend's car at work. 
• do placements when not at work. Try not to look like you've had no days off. 
• tell placements that placement is your priority. Tell work that work is your priority. Family is actually your priority.
• make sure to go through all the points you jot down in your mini-notebook while on placement in case you get asked the same question again. Looking dumb once is forgivable; looking dumb twice for the same topic is embarrassing.
• cross-reference the topics you need to study for IM exam with AMC MCQ prep material, Tally and O'Connor, and OUM set readings. 
• try not to cry.

I'm making my own hand-written notes and if I'm successful, I'll upload them somewhere.

Back at work

Well I've just had 4.5 weeks off work and have return a few days early to do an overtime shift at a far away branch!

I just got home from Tasmania last night at midnight and got woken by a phone call from rosters this morning offering me an OT shift. I said yes as I am performing (and therefore being paid for) higher duties for this month. I really need to get some cash for med school.

While driving into work I was thinking to myself how I'm really happy to be gong back to work and how much I really enjoy my job. It kinda made me question again why I'd want to change careers with the good money I'm on and all the perks such as the 5-on/5-off rostrer and 10 weeks annual leave, but then again, I need to study something to keep my sanity. Tending to the herb garden just isn't stimulating enough for 40 hours a week.

I didn't realy take any photos in Tassie this time. I just chilled and slept a lot, eat food from Mum's vege garden, and just ate more food. Luckily, when you're a vegan you don't really put on any weight. Phew.

Beach shack weekend

I had a great weekend down at the beach. The BF and I borrowed and beach "shack" off a friend. It was really like a modestly understated home. On the beach. It was a lovely warm-up to the coming road-trip next week.

I had a few drinks and got very merry, but just now I checked out the sclerae of my eyes and they are yellowing again at the bottom. This has me concerned about the state of my liver. It was once like that (at the beginning of the year) but I slowly cleared it up with diet. I think this is the warning I need to steer-clear of alcohol which is sad as getting tipsy can be so much fun. Sad face :(

Only a few days left at work too so now is the fun part of making sure my inboxes are clear (the physical one and the email one), my locker is in order and locked (I keep a spare uniform in there so I don't panic if I'm running late back from my holidays), I have all my gear off the ambulances, my draw and files are in order, and that's about it when you're a paramedic - it's quite simple!

My journey through medical school - the story so far

Above is a picture of all (except my neuro which is at work) my folders from studying medicine at OUM so far.  I have got them together to go through while on deferral before returning later next year.

I'm not sure why I only have one Endocrine folder. Also, I have not yet done GIT (gastrointestinal) but I have a folder there as I was trying to get ahead with some study between terms previously. I'm not sure what's going on with the "extra clinical lectures" at OUM any more since their course revisal.

So what have I achieved in 2 years at med school? 6 out of 10 of the pre-clinical modules. That's right, I'm only just over a quarter of the way through! Bear in mind that - I'm only doing 3 out of 5 terms per year before deferring, and I began my academic year in March (not January) in 2010.

One of my favourite rules of life is that everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much as initially thought. Med school seems to fit quite nicely into this idea.

The good news is - I'm super-keen now to get back into it. I'm totally motivated and ready to focus on this one degree only!....

Well, I can't blog anymore as I am due back at work from my fatigue break. 

Productive day(s)

Well, I just want to tell the whole world how my Chinese Medicine Foundations exam got graded incorrectly and I found myself and extra 20 points on my exam, just by taking the time to go and review it!

It's a pain in the bum at some unis, and some don't allow you to at all which was a major gripe of mine with OUM changing their exams, to review your exam. Well, excuse me for wanting to know what questions I got wrong just in case I ever have a patient with the same complaints but here I am not knowing what I know and what I don't know.

My CM school is quite small, so this week they allow students to drop into the office and have a look at their exams. This is great because you can take notes of where you need to revise so for the rest of the course and career you know what you're doing.

Anyway, I've felt like the biggest dumbass for the past 3 weeks, thinking I only got 51% on my exam! Turns out, I got 71%.Geez. So my final grade for the subject jumped from 64 to 77 or something like that. That's a Credit to a Distinction. I ended up with D's across the board, thank you very much.

Today - just now - I finally submitted my assignment for Herbal Medicine. I quite enjoy this subject on Skin and right now I want to be a dermatologist (if anyone's been following this blog for the past 2  years I've gone from emergency physician, to general practitioner, to paediatrician, to emergency paediatrician, to integrative medicine, and now to dermatology.)

I also saw an advertised job for an alternative health dermatology specialist with a salary range of $80-100k. This is where I'm aiming to hit with a cruisey 9-5 M-F job, not an insane any time of the day or night all weekends and public holidays in any weather job. Of course, if and when I ever become a registered doc I should clear that no worries, but it's good to know my other options in the world of alternative health.  I feel like I need about that much to comfortably pay off my mortgage, to maybe get an investment property (for my retirement), and to take one overseas trip a year (not an expensive one though), and to do be cringing at the thought of bills being higher than expected or stressing because the price of petrol rose 10c. Yes, I am still striving towards a self-sufficient and sustainable life-style.

In 1.5 hours I return back to work. Well, actually I'll probably go in half an hour earlier to get myself organised. I start on-call tonight. Eek. It's difficult coming back. I have to admit, I'm starting to get over the adrenalin rush of paramedics and look forward to the day I am chillin in my clinic. But, I need to go back to work to study - sounds funny. Since having my stressful episode at the beginning of the year, I have been conscientiously practicing only studying at work, and never after work at home and rarely on my days off. This is much healthier and I do a lot of study at work as I know that is my only time to do it. So, I need to go back and get back into it and I'm really looking forward to that aspect of returning to work actually.

Well that's all as I have to go get ready. 

Coconut oil for hair and skin (and general update)

I bought some raw organic coconut oil from the organic grocers the other day. It's the stuff which is solid at room temperature. I bought it to ?cook with ...even though I'm trying for 100% raw...anyway, I bought it and I used it in my hair as an overnight treatment (well, originally I thought I rinsed it out but it needed shampooing out the next day) and it worked amazing - better than any other salon treatment I've ever used, and I used to be a hairdresser. I tried massaging some into my scalp and it seems to have helped my dandruff for sure.

As I was in the bath, some got onto my skin through it rinsing in the bath water and my skin looks amazing too, so I thought I'd put some just on the dry patches on my face, and they looked and felt amazing too. So I thought I'd put it all over my face and neck last night and I woke up with beautiful skin. So this morning I "washed" my face in the coconut oil and I am loving it. I never have nice skin.

I'm also currently using beetroot as a blush (the fresh stuff, not canned) and I love that too. The mixed blackberry and spirulina powder works good as an eyeliner and ok as a mascara. I got these tips from Megan Elizabeth.

Perhaps my skin is looking so good because I'm at the end of my fives weeks off work, I went to Bali in the sun and surf, or that I've been eating 100% high carb raw vegan for a week (minus one big mishap yesterday afternoon which I'm leaving in the past). Probably all of these combined I'd say.

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I've bargained with myself that if I get >1500 words of my assignment written today I'm allowed to go shopping for an outfit to wear this weekend for the BF's birthday. I'm trying to reward myself as bargain for eating well as I can usually study no probs, but on annual leave from work I'm finding it painful to be at the home desk instead of...anything else!

I wouldn't normally buy a brand new outfit for an occasion, especially not form a high street retail store, but the BF requested it so instead of arguing my case I've decided to "let go" of being right and instead by loving.

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Med school update: I've requested a deferral from OUM so I can figure out what I'm doing. I'm still waiting on a letter of recommendation to finally submit my application to IUHS. It's unfortunately all come down to finances. I'm so glad that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel re my finances so it will be a matter of re-grouping and going again. I'm really super-keen, but I can't do what I can't do and I still haven't won the lottery....

I've now purchased the Dr Najeeb videos as they are currently on sale, so I will be doing those at work daily when I go back next week.

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Fitness it on the back-burner right now but I'm hoping it will make a come back soon as the weather improves along with my heath.

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Container house: we have our first one on our land now! Yay! It needs some work but I'm hoping to start semi-living in it shortly when I'm at the BF's farm.

That is all and I better go finish this assignment.

TV versus reality

TV: Dr Meredith Grey gets really upset and all dramatic and brooding about the fact that her patient has the same shoes as she does. She goes on some sort of self-centered rant about her terrible life while her patient is dying.

 Reality: Paramedic notices while cutting off the top of her patient in order to attempt resus that she owns the same top in two different colours that the patient is wearing and thinks to herself that is weird and remembers that horrible incident every time she wears that top.

IUHS app

I'm doing my IUHS application today. I don't know how many times I've stuffed up filling out the application form. I wonder if it's an automatic rejection if I put my surname as my first name and my first name as my surname. Fail.

Anyway, it's a bit exciting. All balls are in motion and are rolling now. I've even applied for the August 2012 intake after going through the tuition fees and dates etc. Jan 2013 is ok too. I'm just so keen to get back into it now.
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I had a fellow student at TCM school describe some symptoms of a family member and I was amazing even myself the stuff that came out of my mouth. It wasn't exactly something I'd been taught, but the way my mind could manipulate the new information (particularly that I leant in endocrinology) and formulate a reasonable hypothesis based on the information I was given. It really showed me how far I had come, especially being around people new into health care in the TCM course.
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And then yesterday we had a major road accident with a traumatic PEA arrest and another with major compound fractures and it required all of my emergency paramedic training to that point and it felt amazing to use my skills at their peak. In that moment I was, like "I so need to be an ER doc!".......

Early workout

So I got rudely awoken by my pager at 05:09 this morning. Doh. My alarm clock is one of those where the light gradually comes on before the alarm so you wake up "more naturally". I think it works. I set the light for 30 mins before. It's starts fairly dim then gets more intense. Then my alarm is birds chirping. There's other sounds but to me they all sound like night-time of going to sleep sounds like rain falling, waves crashing etc. Going to bed at 9:30pm also helps a lot too. So anyway I was partly starting to wake up anyway.

As I was up already and partly dressed before we got cancelled, I figured I'd come to work and do my workout really super-early. I ran 1km intervals then 1km flay-out run on the treadmill (I hate the treadmill). I had to do the 1km run for the 12wbt fitness test. You're not supposed to do it on a tready but I didn't have any other options as I'm back at work and it's dark before and after work and my town has an unsafe level of lighting (broken ankle material) and I don't have a head-torch yet. Oh yeh and I don't get lunch breaks like regular people as I'm a paramedic. So I had to make a judgement call on that one, I'll do it on the road on my first day off in sunlight.

Now I'm off to study my work CPGs before starting on my Chinese Literacy and Terminology assignment.

Back to basic sciences

I'm having a refresher look at my biochem book again today. It's the Lippincott's Biochemistry Illustrated Review.

It's much more enjoyable the second time around and with no deadlines to speak of. This time I'm able to understand things before I move on, without having to photo-memorise huge chunks of information and hoping to regurgitate it at the exam.

That's about it. I'm acting-up in high-duties at work so I have a few tasks to do here. My To-Do list this week is looking big so I better get going.

Gratitude

I'm not sure if I do this enough but I want to express my gratitude to the universe and my community for allowing me the great honour of serving them as a paramedic.

Sometimes working with a negative person can make you react more strongly positive. Today I was reflecting on a certain someone I work with and was thinking "I can't believe they are not more grateful for the privilege we have of being invited into someone's personal crisis and how lucky we are to be giving opportunities sent to us every day to be able to help people". I mean, irrespective of the "It should be/shouldn't be"s, and the "what's wrong" voice we always have in our heads, I wonder how someone can't get so tired of their own complaints. I know I sure am.

A few weeks ago the BF and I were taking the dog for a walk when we literally stumbled upon a couple with a flat tyre. They didn't have the right tools to change the tyre. I was so happy to find them! I was thinking "Awesome! I get to help someone today! Yay!" It was so easy because my house was just around the corner, we had nothing planned that day except the walk, my BF is very handy with that sort of thing and certainly doesn't complain about a little hard work. It was perfect.

bother thing is, I had another nasty job the other night and it just makes me so much more grateful for the people that call an ambulance that aren't really having a medical emergency. I know it drives a lot of ambos batty, but I am glad to do the "easy" jobs most of the time and help people get to medical attention even if it's just because they don't have petrol in their car.

Missing Cambodia

This morning we had an early patient and refuelled the ambulance on the way back from the hospital at about 7am it kinda reminded me of being in Cambodia for some reason. It was mildly warm, the air was still, there were diesel fumes and the background noise of construction work.

We then stopped for coffee but unfortunately or fortunately I can't drink coffee anymore after abusing caffeine for the past two years studying. It makes me very nauseous, knocks me out like a strong sedative, and generally makes me feel ill. So I went for a lemongrass and ginger tea and wow did that smell really add to the feeling of Cambodia. The nice hotels and day spas seem to have lemongrass oils burning all the time. I love it.
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Since dropping out of med to do TCM I have freed up so much $$$$$ so now I can firstly repay my debts, secondly live comfortably without financial stress, and thirdly confidently plan my next holiday knowing I will have the funds.

So Bali it is. I'm in the planning stage which is so much fun to do , especially at work. It's my BF's first trip overseas so I don't want to overwhelm him too much but I guess I don't know what he would find good or not. I have never been to Bali so I don't really know what to expect either. Bali's not that big. We were going to/still might island hop a little, but I'm thinking about booking accommodation for the whole trip now, so we have a base. So I'm just decided whether I can handle being in Kuta or not. Thinking not. Luckily I have lots of friends that have been to Bali before and kinda get my style/energy.

Ubud is looking good.

Back at work

It's my first day back at work from annual leave. It really didn't feel like four weeks off at all. I came in early and all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed now that I know I must go to bed before 11pm for my spleen, and I was so uncertain of my roster I was waiting for a third person to turn up and for someone to day "Hey, you're not due back until next week!"

It feels weird today for two reasons:
1. My house mate finally moved in permanently/full-time over the weekend making today the first day at work with her at home. I don't have to worry about my dog escaping, being lonely and bored, or generally getting into trouble. I can be at work and just be at work. The HM (house-mate) works part-time atm and most of her hours are over the weekend.
2. I'm not studying western med. Normally I'd get into work and get straight into the books, always having that persistent looming feeling over my head that I have an ovewhelming amount of study to do. I have TCM study to do, but it doesn't feel in the least bit overwhelming.

Today I've cleared my inbox, organised my TCM study folder, and revised a bit on the 5 phase elements and the timings of the qi moving through the body. I'm happy I can "drop" my western med now as it will make it easier to learn the TCM stuff, although I certainly do use my current understanding of things to make sense of the new stuff, ie 3-5am is the time qi moves to the lungs and this is the time we most frequently see severe respiratory problems in ambulance ie APO.

I also cooked up my herbs and my coworker didn't mind the smell. They didn't taste too bad even after my TCM student practitioner warned me twice how bad they would taste.

Now the countdown begins to my next lot of annual leave - in 12 weeks :D

Studying at work

Getting through Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases at work this week. Nb: I've changed desks because someone else needed "my" desk in the office. The change of environment has been enjoyable (but not quite as good as a holiday).

I'm also revising through FA Organ Systems which is getting more and more helpful as I have learnt more and more of which I can then revise. Funny that.

The QBank qs I looked through earlier weren't that helpful as my med school's exam questions seem to be getting less and less like the USMLE-style. Oh well, I'll use QBank next year when I'm studying for Step 1.

Better but nauseated

Well I am feeling a bit better today after deciding not to go too hard on myself or dwell in the past and to get my bum into gear and do some hard-core study this week. I also remembered that since we only have 6 case studies per 8 week term now (instead of the previous 8) that I actually have 2 whole weeks for revision before the final exam.

I have actually enjoyed, as usual, my studies today and yesterday. I am not enjoying the constant pressure of the lectures, quizzes, mentor meeting etc. I guess I can compare it a lot to when I was a paramedic student and graduate paramedic, and geez I really feel like I need a break. Holidays are in about 6 weeks so I can't friggin wait (not that I'm going anywhere).

After studying all day at work (I read about the different types of dementia and about the limbic system) and having some interesting patients, my plans for tonight at home are (if I don't get any call-outs) to do a quick work-out and vacuum, and then attempt this quiz even though the thought of it makes me feel nauseated.

I might even do some QBank if I feel as good as I do now (and the ongoing issues with the remote proctor doesn't suck the life out of me)...

Running with the dog

I took the dog for a run today during my 10-hour fatigue-break. I normally sleep the whole 10 hours but today is my last day at work for the week so I got up earlier in the hope of sleeping tonight at a reasonable time.

The weather isn't the best today but I thought to myself that that is the reason I have all the cold and wet-weather gear. We managed to stay dry on the 2.5km run but my ears are still frozen.

So today I wont have much time to study at work as it is such a short day for me now but that is ok because I actually got ahead yesterday. I discovered that I need to take more regular breaks now that I'm actively in calorie deficit but I was still able to get a lot done.

Motivation = 0

I find myself in this position at the desk at work often lately....
So, yep, I dyed my hair back to my natural-ish brown a few months ago after experimenting with black first.
Motivation: I'm going away again this weekend so it needs to be done NOW. Also, I get to start a new case study today! Hoorah!


(PS I don't know why my phone is don't that weird grid thing, but I am too lazy to use my fancy DSLR camera I bought last year and upload it when I get home. I'll try and take some more attractive photos soon.)

iPad and no service

I've been trying to blog this weekend but my iPad Blogger app wont work and I'm not get enough signal strength on my mobile anyway.

So, my boss quit and now he's been packing up everything this weekend. It's so sad. He has been going though his stuff and found a lot of old paperwork he doesn't know why he ever kept in the first place. It has made me think I really need to go through my draws in my study at home and the top shelf of my locker at work. I generally take pride in having a clear in-try and in-box.

Being a vegan is going really good for me! My diet and workouts have been going really well too. I just had to motivate myself a LOT and during the day if I think of inspirational things I write them in a memo to myself in my phone.

Study - I have done a bit this weekend but not as much as I should have done to catch up (for various reasons - work, personal life commitments). It's ok. I'm not panicking just yet.

Easy money

Well I've successfully managed to procrastinate quite effectively this week. I DID get to do my neuro quiz 2 last night at midnight, and my score of 60% will unfortunately have to do. I spent too much time on the ventricles and not enough on the lobes. Fark.

As far as the research project at work - my contact has suggested I email my uni(s) to see if I can get any academic credit for it. She sent me some examples of the sort of article I could produce with the same sort of epidemiological data from work. It looks achievable. My only concern is the examples have three or more authors and I'm on my lonesome. Hmmm....

The vegan thing has been going remarkably well. In fact, I don't think I realized I was already half-way there anyway. I'm also trying to reduce the amount of soda I drink, especially energy drinks.

I worked last night on overtime. I got paid 12.5 hours at double-time and literally did half an hours "work" which involved driving to the next town only to be cancelled due to a closer available ambulance. Nice. The rest of the time I watched tv (I'm starting to like the mind-numbing experience of watching tv again - I must break this habit before it forms), did my quiz, and slept. :)

I tried to study before the quiz but my brain was not functioning properly. I just thought "stuff it" and attempted it as I was running out of time limit. Oh well, at least I know they will be easy grades to pick up in the final exam.

So time to break my study drought and return to the books.

Nasty work

It's my last 2 hours at work for the week, it's 30oC, and I cannot wait to get home and get the barbie fired up (and the sav blanc opened).

I'm feeling good about this week and the study I've done at work. We weren't very busy this week so it made it a little easier. I also managed to catch up with some friends from uni (paramedic degree) and it's always great to do so.

I'm feeling a little sooky this afternoon as I overheard a nasty job unfold down at the beach. These types of things always make me want to go home and hug my loved ones and not let go. Life is so precious. My other superficial worries don't seem as bad this afternoon as they did this morning.