58 Days to go...!

Eeeek! Malawi is getting ever closer! I'm getting so excited now :o)

Unfortunately this means I'm getting ever more frustrated and annoyed in my current job and just want it all to be over so I can go. It is hard to stop and think to remember that patience is needed and that I should always rely on God. There is still reason for me to be on the Vascular ward for the next month and a half, and I should embrace everyday and learning opportunity.

My daily reading yesterday spoke of praying the Lord's Prayer everyday and that we should really think about the words - we are to be praying that God's Will should be done each day. What does that mean - God's Will? Well in relation to my work I believe that means being patient and taking every opportunity to show his love as there is a reason I am in that moment, even though I don't necessarily realise why.

On the other hand I almost wish I have more time - I need to complete my E-Portfolio for this second year - a complete farce but I have to jump through the hoops and get signed off to prove I am up to acceptable second year standard. Quite how E-Portfolio proves this is beyond most junior doctors! Oh for the old days where your Consultant had the final say and made the way for you with his/her colleagues for your preferred job if he/she thought you were worthy enough!

On more practical non working things I need to:

1. Visit the dentist - Urghhhhhh :o( the mere though of the drills makes me shudder!

2. Get a hair cut - arranged for the day before I leave back in Loughborough - thanks Mam :o)

3. Get my ISA sorted - they closed it 'cos I hadn't put enough money in it, Doh!

4. Buy the odd thing more for Malawi like insect repellent!

5. Get an appointment with GP nurse for vaccinations - they promised they would phone, but haven't, grrr!

6. Errrrrrr...nope can't actually think of anything more

Sorry about the list - lists help me think in a more ordered way, and since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one reading my blog it doesn't matter anyway! I know it's not necessarily the point of blogs to treat them like a diary but for some reason I'm having more success at actually writing something down every now and then when I never seem to be able to do the same with a diary. I'll be advertising this blog to friends nearer the time for going to Malawi so people can see what I'm up to and be able to pray if and when they would like to.

As a parting comment I got 76% in my Surgical exam back in April - got the official letter the other day :o) I did much better than I thought as the pass rate was 63%. Roll on Part B I'm gonna be a surgeon - wooooooo! I bet God's laughing at that last comment as when I forst went to medical school I was certain I wanted to do A&E medicine, nothing else would cut it! Dad always said I watched too much Casualty and ER - I think he was right but that is what helped me pass 5th year exams hehe!

Bye for now.

Plodding along!

Well, yet agin it's been ages! Oh well.

First things first - exciting news:

1. I passed MRCS Part A - which means I am now half way to being a surgeon. Part B: the practicals will be taken sometime next year after I get back from Malawi.
2. I passed my theory driving test and have booked the practical for 28th June.
3. It's getting closer to Malawi time! I've pretty much got everything sorted for going now, just have to pack and change my home address back to my parents. I keep wanting to pack NOW, even though i's still 2 months away!

Well life is slowly plodding along at Worcester Royal hospital - numerous on call duties, clinics that last forever, and interesting surgeries. I'm yet again on call next week - on my birthday of all days :( I guess it's a sign of getting old when you can't set aside a special day for your birthday and you just have to get on with the day as usual, no party rings, or cheese and pineapple on sticks, just whatever the NHS canteen has for two quid!

Anyone else looking forward to the World Cup? I'm not in anyway convinced that England can win, especially after their performance against Japan just now, but it'll be good fun to watch the whole tournament. I was much more impressed by Leicester Tigers yesterday winning the Rugby Premiership - that is what playing with pride, power, and passion is all about - the England Football team should take notes!

Time Flies Part 2!!

Wow, it's been ages since I posted last.

Well I've now taken my MRCS exam - results out on 11 May - eeek! Other than that I've now settled into my new rotation at Worcester doing Vascular Surgery. Between clinics, theatre, and on-calls I don't seem to have much time on the ward, but that's fine because now for the first time I have House Officers to do ward work for me. Last week I performed my first couple of toe and forefoot amputations for infected gangrenous limbs, which was awesome. Though I unfortunately missed out on a below knee amputation yesterday as I had to help in one of the other Consultants clinics.

Clinics in Vascular surgery are a new experience. I'm expected to see and manage the patients on my own without a more senior doctor checking up on me. This was extremely scary at first but it went really well, and I now feel I have taken yet another step to being a grown up doctor instead of just a junior who doesn't have a clue.

On an entirely different note, I have had lots of driving lessons now and feel really comfortable behind the wheel and am taking my theory test in a few days time. I hope to have a car really soon.

I really should get to Tescos soon before it rains again -Fajitas are on the menu tomorrow as Katie and Tim are coming over for Vic's birthday, I also need plenty of night shift grub for next week. Back to being an Owl again!

Wow! Time flies

It's been a month since I last posted anything - and I was planning to post at least once a week, oh well =(

I came across this amusing cartoon on the web earlier, depicting the very stereotyped Orthopod! They are renowned for being the thickest of the medical profession, and have many jokes to their name. My favourite being:

' How many Orthopods does it take to change a light bulb? One, refer to medics - darkness ?cause!'

So, what have I been up to in a month?......

1. Well work as an orthopaedic SHO continues. Still loving it =) Have had some more time in theatres and managed my first DHS op a few days ago. Inserting a dynamic hip screw into a patients hip is slightly easier than the afore mentioned Cannulated Screws, but nonetheless really exciting to do. I guess it's like venepuncture for med students - I will eventually get over the excitement of doing these things and it'll become boring and routine - but until then I will enjoy every moment!

2. I have booked a driving lesson for a few weeks time, and am terrified I have forgotten everything as it's been about 3 years now since I first had lessons. I now finally have some money to continue them (and a functioning knee!)

3. I booked my Malawi flights a few hours ago, although they still need to be confirmed by me ringing up South Africa Airlines at some point in the next few days. The official dates are 6th August till 1 January =)

4. Had a few hockey games =) One last week was for the first team (a friendly) against Cannock. Didn't do too badly, made some really good saves and we only lost 1-0. Yesterday I played for the third team against Bromsgrove who we beat 6-0, so I was pretty bored in the 2nd half!

5. And finally... MRCS part A is now booked - eek! I will be taking it in mid-April down in London. Some heavy duty revising will ensue!

Success!

This is what I trained 6 years for at medical school - Yesterday I performed my first operation, and I'm glad to say it was a success! I carried out the repair of a youngish patients undisplaced fracture of his hip with cannulated screws. Of course I was heavily supervised by an SpR but he did let me do the entirety of the procedure, from making the first incision, through putting the guide wires in, drilling the holes, and putting the cannulated screws into the hip and then finally closing with some stitches. What topped it off though was the fact that the SpR said that doing cannulated screws is much harder than putting a DHS in. My ambition for this rotation was to have done a few DHS's as that is renowned as something SHOs are able to do in orthopaedics. I can't tell you how awesome it feels to have done something harder :)

I'm just praying he doesn't end up with avascular necrosis 4 weeks down the line!

Sometimes though I get the feeling that I will never know enough to be able to pass my surgical exams, or to ever be able to work in Africa full time. But looking back, I was the same during A levels, thinking I won't get into medical school etc etc. But yesterday I realised I could actually do this. I guess everyone sometimes feels like this though.

My daily reading today I thought was very apt: A surgeon was recalling the time he was scared before carrying out a surgical procedure - he read the opening lines of a surgical textbook that would tell him how to operate, 'A true surgeon is never fearless. he fears for his patients, he fears for his shortcomings, his own mistakes.'

The faith I have in my own abilities is actually my faith in God, He gave me those abilities and I constantly have to remind myself that He never gives us too much to handle.

PS I booked a snowboarding holiday at the end of Feb, I've never been before and am really looking forward to it :)

Happy New Year

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:3

This is the verse from today's 'this day's thought' email that I get. I thought it was an awesome prayer for the coming year - amen.

Over the past 3 days since the Christmas weekend the Orthopaedic service at Worcester where I work has put on x4 as many theatre lists each day to reduce the huge number of patients requiring operations for their various broken limbs, (all the elective lists were cancelled). I think we've finally gotten over the worst, but I hear there is worse icy weather to come - at least the threat of snow over the past week did not become a reality in Worcestershire, a blessed relief for the already stretched to breaking point NHS!

I have my interim validation meeting on Tuesday, which is a meeting by my year supervisor on how I'm doing at work. He'll look at my portfolio of procedures and reflective work I've done since August and give me a score which will help toward my application for Speciality training. I need to do quite a bit of work on it this weekend to get it up to scratch though, I'm one of those kinds of people that saves all my work up and does it last minute rather than spacing it out and doing a little each day! I've had various comments from my seniors about taking a year out of NHS training to go to Malawi and do My tropical Medicine course. Most are enthusiastic and say it'll be a great opportunity, but some have said that if I'm serous about a career in Surgery I should apply this year.

Too late now anyway - applications have closed for working next August! I decided last month to take a chance and definitely do a year out. I really believe that this is what God has planned for me. If I really work hard out in Malawi and get plenty of experience and do some research that gets published, surely I'll prove for applications that I'm serious about an Orthopaedic job.

Anyway, here's a job list for the coming year:
1. Apply for a place on diploma of tropical medicine course (Liverpool/London)
2. Apply for 1st part of Surgical exams for April's exam
3. Post GMC certificate to Malawi for approval to work in Malawi
4. Book Malawi Flights
5. Book onto ATLS course for June time
6. Book some more driving lessons and pass test!

Be still and KNOW that I AM God

You're wondering about the title of my blog?

Well it stems from something that really spoke to my heart probably about 3 years ago now. I was lent a missionary book by Vic called Give Me This Mountain which was written by Dr. Helen Roseveare a medical missionary who spent her life in the Congo. I've heard the words plenty of times - I've even sung them a few hundred, but had I ever stopped and thought about what it means?

Be still and KNOW that I AM God. In the silent stillness of nothingness I have come across God's presence and it is completely AWESOME :)

How little do I actually spend in stillness contemplating nothing but the awesomeness that is God - very little to answer that.

But I now notice more and more that God is in every little thing we do and it gets me every time - COOL.

I think I'm now rambling but maybe that's what blogs are about!