Happy New Year!

Haven't posted in a while-- i've been pretty busy lately;

• Got my 40th delivery
• Finished a 10 week stint on Labour ward
• Completed and passed my first set of double modules which got me;
• An invitation to do Honours, with next semester's fee covered by the university :D

2010 is going to be a big year for me and even busier than the last. I have so much to do;

• Get some more work experience- GP, F1/2 shadowing and Consultant Anaesthetist shadowing
• Sit the UKCAT exam between Jun-Aug
• Complete and pass highly- my 2nd set of double modules
• Write my personal statement and have the whole application ready to go by the end of August.
• Qualify as a Midwife in August... only 7 months to go!!
• Apply to the Midwifery bank and/or for a PT job as a Midwife to fund my honours dissertation year.
• And hopefully attend a Medical School interview by the time the year is out.

I'm so excited for this year, I just hope it ends on a high !!!

Placement, etc.

Now got 28 deliveries which is great- 12 more to go and I'll be in labour ward until Decemeber so I'm hopeful that I will get my 40 soon. I've been practicing my perineal repair/suturing on our little models but I can't wait to get in and do the real thing. One of my classmates has already sutured a 2nd degree with direction and was surprised how well she done.

I think it's a skill that will come in really handy in the future when I'm a doctor, along with cannulation (which I am reallyyyy looking forward to doing). Some other wards say we are cruel in obstetrics because we only use 16G grey cannulas, the reason being, if something goes wrong it does so extremely quickly, so pink cannulas don't cut it.

Academically, I'm waiting on my results from both essays. Hopefully hear by next week what I have got. I have a 3 hour exam in two weeks on acute and chronic pain- hoping to do quite well in it, but i've been told by a midwife who done it last year that it's nothing like the guidance and they all complained about it... Doesn't that sound oh so familiar :( !

On a more positive note: NEW MOON is out next Friday :D :D :D
I'm so excited!!! I have waited so long for this to be released- I am obsessed!

Labour Ward

Just finished my 2 nightshifts on labour ward which were pretty good.
On Wednesday night I wasn't that tired, I was kept busy so the night flew in and it was 7.30am before I knew it.
I was looking after a lady who ended up with a forceps because of a long second stage, on top of that, the baby wasn't the sex the couple had been told at a private scan so it was a bit of a surprise for them and us. (Our unit won't disclose fetal sex on a scan because of this type of thing because people have tried to sue the hospital for getting it wrong; it's unfortunate that it is ruined for everyone else who would like to know. )

Later on I got a knock at the door to see if I wanted a delivery of a prim at 8cms. I said yes straight away as I knew I would have time to build up a bit of rapport with the woman before delivery instead of just baby catching. I had to give her a lot of support as she was quite sore, but we had a lovely delivery in the end.

Then about 6.00am a lady came in via blue light ambulance, I took the handover from the paramedics and it was great experience getting the lady settled in a room and knowing what to do. Palpate, CTG, Obs, documentation etc.

Thursday night was quieter. I was looking after a multiparous lady who came in at 8cm on last VE. I thought delivery would be pretty soon, but on VE there was a rim. Membranes were intact and bulging so they were left alone, the head was still quite high.
A few hours later, still no baby so the registrar wanted to examine and do an ARM, cue the biggest gush of liquor ever! It was all over the floor.
Baby flew down and vertex was visible right after the ARM. I got my gloves on, then asked the conducting midwife to throw an apron over my head. The babies head was delivered and I slowly slid the body out... WOOOSHHHHHHH, 100 times more liqour gushed all over me, right up to my elbows, thankfully the apron saved my top but I had to change my scrub bottoms because they were soaked at the bottom because of the pool at my feet.

The midwife laughed and said that was my initiation into 3rd year haha!!

I got 2 deliveries over those shifts so I'm on 25 now, only 15 to go !

Pain

Following the horrendous discovery that my technophobe mother had deleted not one but TWO of my assignments last week, I'm over half way through (again) my Pain essay which has been really interesting. It's about the differences between acute and chronic pain and includes the physiological and psychosocial aspects of each.

I've loved learning about the physiology most, but the psychosocial and behavioural aspects are a massive part of my research.
I hope I never have something like chronic backpain, but working in NHS is like automatically signing up for it (despite manual handling tips and correctly following them). Assisting with breastfeeding kills my back, but that's never been taught in a manual handling course, it's always about lifting , which midwives rarely do as most women are mobile.

I just can't wait to get rid of these assignments !!!

Ahhh !!!

Really struggling to get these essay's completed. I've only written 800 of 4000 and 750 of 3000 with just 4 full days to do them; 2 study days and a sat/sun :(

Motivation please come back now !!!


Off to try and write these damn things x

Double Modules

I'm in essay hell!!! Two assignments- 4000 and 3000 word essays due on the SAME DAY!!!

I only really another 7 full days of writing which scares the life out of me... I take ages to write essays of my usual quality.
I NEED really good marks on these, especially on the 3000 word one as it counts towards honours grade.

Oh well, better get back to it !!!

Antenatal/ Postnatal Ward

Back on the antenatal/postnatal ward, it's so hectic (as usual) but I'm enjoying it, a lot!
I'm getting my own room on a daily basis*, getting to work with one of my classmates that I work really well with, more responsibilty as it's final year, and as always on this ward I really feel like part of the team- and they always thank you for working hard, which is really nice!

I'm run ragged all day and absoloutely shattered but it's been great so far :D

Only just finished my first week there so hopefully I will get to do a few inductions next week.
I really need to practice inserting propess for IOL- such a fiddly little thing and prostin- but that's a lot easier.
Also need loads of VE practice; I haven't done that many as people don't like students VE'ing them as sometimes it means 2 examinations 1 by student and 1 by midwife to check (unless you are a 3rd year student and confident of your findings). Should get loads of them when I go to Maternity Traige though!


A few other objectives I put down was to put up a blood transfusion by myself*, to give plenty of injections and being a general venepuncture vampire :


mmmmmm (Twilight is AWESOME!!!)


Also, really want to go to this conference during my elective time: http://www.cpp2010.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=10


* Under Supervision