Imagine my delight as one clear autumn afternoon in October I was riding the #99 home with Krista and Alison when I got this email on my blackberry:
Needless to say I was overjoyed.... not.
Anyways since Paeds is and Adult Neuro are tow different tests we technically wrote 6 exams in 4 days. That includes the infamouse OSCE on Tuesday.
So to prepare for exams, I basically became a hermit along with the rest of my classmates for the better part of 3 weeks... maybe more. I was certainly unpleasant to spend time around. Now, for those of you who don't know our class schedule is already pretty intense. We are in class from 5-7hrs on most days. Meaning we start class at 8am and get off at 4pm with an hour for lunch on a longer day. Maybe get off at 3 on a earlier day. So this means you only have from 4pm onwards to study for 6 exams as well as eat, bathe, exercise, grocery shop, etc.
Busy.
One of my classmates pointed out that "studying" is just student and dying put together.
This is why I am cranky around exams. Lack of sleep, exercise and the overwhelming feeling that if you don't pass your exams you could potentially be kicked out of the program (or at least your year) wont get to go on placement, will have to repeat a placement and not get to go to Sri Lanka. And of course, endure the shame of failure.
So exam week came around:
1. Electro - good times. Its always great to open to the firs page and be like "oh man, I have no idea even what you are asking" for 2 questions. It didn't get better after that. Although I can say I nailed drawing a leg, however, the placement of my electrodes on my hand-drawn leg....
Then after that I studied like a demon for 10+ hours for the practical exam the net day. Studying for a practical is sort of fun? But it really drains the energy out of you. Thank goodness I had Disney Princess Alphagettis to get me through the evening... (note to self: alphagettis are not as good as you thought they were when you were 6).
2. OSCE - Objective Clinical Standard Exam
When you get the email a week before telling you your time for the OSCE and you are shaking and your bowels loosen, its not a good omen. I am sure I made several mistakes during the test. I made up a name for a patient in one station. Actually I am going to go ahead and blame it on the first station, I opened up the card for the question/objective outside the door and it was Laser. I ruled Laser out definitely as a possibility to be on the test. But there it was, with its stupid clinical-evidence staring at me in the face..... I babbled on and on in the cardio station giving the patient a million ways to avoid raising their heart rate too high I fumbled through sit to stand and for got that raising the plinth not lowering it made it easier for the patient. I was re-directed by the examiner a couple of times "Please, re-read the question." Nobody likes to hear that. So I was pretty anxious while stu-dying in the library for my net exams, waiting for the ominous email that I had failed and would have to come back on Thursday.
But the email came and I passed. So I was able to focus more on studying for the next 4 exams.
3. MSK -
I felt like a King writing this exam.
but after we studied for patho, not to fun.
4. Patho
not going to brag, but I wrote the answer key probably, just saying. It was nice to get a nice gentle lob during exam week.
5. Paed neuro
Thank sweet nectar of the gods that this was multiple choice, otherwise this could have been a trainwreck. This being one of the last exams of the session, I had not focused a lot on it previously and felt pretty nervous going in, but had the feeling that I did enough to pass walking out.
6. Adult Neuro
If your patient is struggling and getting frustrated doing up small buttons on his shirt after a brain injury and doesn't want your help, what do you do?
That was seriously a question, and that is why this was the best exam ever. It was really fair and sooooo practical. Who cares about specifics of pathways and exact location of this centre or that structure? I don't. I don't even care that much about clinical neuro, but this exam was really good at not focusing on the nitty gritty, but looking at practical application of knowledge.
p.s. I made him take a break, put on another shirt and try it later when no so frustrated. I also got a piece of cloth with bigger buttons to practice.
We ended exam week with a trip to the Bimini, where else, where after a looooong semester our very own Dill-Owl-Mouse-Killer Jen-WOO-WOO-Woo bought the Dillweeds a round of burbon. That pretty much sums it up.
Schools out!
I have never been happier to resume exercising and eating vegetables.
Next blog we get serious.
Anyways since Paeds is and Adult Neuro are tow different tests we technically wrote 6 exams in 4 days. That includes the infamouse OSCE on Tuesday.
So to prepare for exams, I basically became a hermit along with the rest of my classmates for the better part of 3 weeks... maybe more. I was certainly unpleasant to spend time around. Now, for those of you who don't know our class schedule is already pretty intense. We are in class from 5-7hrs on most days. Meaning we start class at 8am and get off at 4pm with an hour for lunch on a longer day. Maybe get off at 3 on a earlier day. So this means you only have from 4pm onwards to study for 6 exams as well as eat, bathe, exercise, grocery shop, etc.
Busy.
One of my classmates pointed out that "studying" is just student and dying put together.
This is why I am cranky around exams. Lack of sleep, exercise and the overwhelming feeling that if you don't pass your exams you could potentially be kicked out of the program (or at least your year) wont get to go on placement, will have to repeat a placement and not get to go to Sri Lanka. And of course, endure the shame of failure.
So exam week came around:
1. Electro - good times. Its always great to open to the firs page and be like "oh man, I have no idea even what you are asking" for 2 questions. It didn't get better after that. Although I can say I nailed drawing a leg, however, the placement of my electrodes on my hand-drawn leg....
Then after that I studied like a demon for 10+ hours for the practical exam the net day. Studying for a practical is sort of fun? But it really drains the energy out of you. Thank goodness I had Disney Princess Alphagettis to get me through the evening... (note to self: alphagettis are not as good as you thought they were when you were 6).
2. OSCE - Objective Clinical Standard Exam
When you get the email a week before telling you your time for the OSCE and you are shaking and your bowels loosen, its not a good omen. I am sure I made several mistakes during the test. I made up a name for a patient in one station. Actually I am going to go ahead and blame it on the first station, I opened up the card for the question/objective outside the door and it was Laser. I ruled Laser out definitely as a possibility to be on the test. But there it was, with its stupid clinical-evidence staring at me in the face..... I babbled on and on in the cardio station giving the patient a million ways to avoid raising their heart rate too high I fumbled through sit to stand and for got that raising the plinth not lowering it made it easier for the patient. I was re-directed by the examiner a couple of times "Please, re-read the question." Nobody likes to hear that. So I was pretty anxious while stu-dying in the library for my net exams, waiting for the ominous email that I had failed and would have to come back on Thursday.
But the email came and I passed. So I was able to focus more on studying for the next 4 exams.
3. MSK -
I felt like a King writing this exam.
but after we studied for patho, not to fun.
4. Patho
not going to brag, but I wrote the answer key probably, just saying. It was nice to get a nice gentle lob during exam week.
5. Paed neuro
Thank sweet nectar of the gods that this was multiple choice, otherwise this could have been a trainwreck. This being one of the last exams of the session, I had not focused a lot on it previously and felt pretty nervous going in, but had the feeling that I did enough to pass walking out.
6. Adult Neuro
If your patient is struggling and getting frustrated doing up small buttons on his shirt after a brain injury and doesn't want your help, what do you do?
That was seriously a question, and that is why this was the best exam ever. It was really fair and sooooo practical. Who cares about specifics of pathways and exact location of this centre or that structure? I don't. I don't even care that much about clinical neuro, but this exam was really good at not focusing on the nitty gritty, but looking at practical application of knowledge.
p.s. I made him take a break, put on another shirt and try it later when no so frustrated. I also got a piece of cloth with bigger buttons to practice.
We ended exam week with a trip to the Bimini, where else, where after a looooong semester our very own Dill-Owl-Mouse-Killer Jen-WOO-WOO-Woo bought the Dillweeds a round of burbon. That pretty much sums it up.
Schools out!
I have never been happier to resume exercising and eating vegetables.
Next blog we get serious.
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