TSR Med Students&#x27; Society Part VI

Original post by atomos

That's so annoying! Surely they must know the date before that?!

i'm 4th year and already know my graduation date for 2018 lol

Yeh - they definitely 100% know the dates. It isn't like a couple of weeks before graduation they're just like "oh hey, guys, shall we start thinking about this graduation shindig?" There's a whole department dedicated to it 365 days a year - surely they are planning things and know a date. It's just staggering.

Reply 582

SilverArch

12

Original post by Beska

Yeh - they definitely 100% know the dates. It isn't like a couple of weeks before graduation they're just like "oh hey, guys, shall we start thinking about this graduation shindig?" There's a whole department dedicated to it 365 days a year - surely they are planning things and know a date. It's just staggering.

Same, and it's annoying me as well. I will go to the ceremony, but I want to go on holiday beforehand and I'm going to have to book to come back earlier than I want to just in case the ceremony is at the beginning of the ceremony period

I'm not sure I'll enjoy it though. I didn't take part in our 'year group photo' on induction day because it sounded like the biggest waste of time. Stand in a big crowd of people for ages getted bored and frustrated, to get a photo in which I can barely see myself because there are so many of us, and I will never look at again...

Does anyone have tips or a good resource for fluid prescribing calculations? I feel so stupid because I see a question and I don't even know where to start or how to work out what calculation I even need to do. I did very badly in the mock PSA calculation section because I couldn't work out how to do any of the questions involving fluids

Reply 583

purplefrog

Anybody from up north able to give any advice on deciding between where I should set my sights for F1 in terms Leeds/Sheffield/Newcastle? Both in terms of living there and (if any knowledge) on hospitals etc.? Trying to flee London and want a change of scenery...
Also if anybody wants insights into London, drop me a message and I can answer questions :-)

Reply 584

Asklepios

19

Original post by purplefrog

Anybody from up north able to give any advice on deciding between where I should set my sights for F1 in terms Leeds/Sheffield/Newcastle? Both in terms of living there and (if any knowledge) on hospitals etc.? Trying to flee London and want a change of scenery...
Also if anybody wants insights into London, drop me a message and I can answer questions :-)

Scotland

Reply 585

Original post by purplefrog

Anybody from up north able to give any advice on deciding between where I should set my sights for F1 in terms Leeds/Sheffield/Newcastle? Both in terms of living there and (if any knowledge) on hospitals etc.? Trying to flee London and want a change of scenery...
Also if anybody wants insights into London, drop me a message and I can answer questions :-)

Can help with Newcastle...

Reply 586

Mutmit287

Has anyone got any tips on how best to revise for ISCEs (/OSCES), we have 5 stations of 20 minutes long and have to take a history plus perform an examination or clinical skill and I just cant seem to get all the info into my head and end up missing things out.

Reply 587

That Bearded Man

Original post by Natalierm2707

Has anyone got any tips on how best to revise for ISCEs (/OSCES), we have 5 stations of 20 minutes long and have to take a history plus perform an examination or clinical skill and I just cant seem to get all the info into my head and end up missing things out.

It really is just practice, before 3rd year where diagnosis is key, just practice your history (remember all the obvious stuff, hand washing, name, ICE)

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 588

lcsurfer

Given my GMC number with the statement 'this does not make you a doctor yet' haha... Also final year starts officially tomorrow (terrifying), but also I want to avoid the first week of peoples smug stories about their exotic electives while I worked/did A&E in a DGH

*

Reply 589

Mutmit287

Original post by That Bearded Man

It really is just practice, before 3rd year where diagnosis is key, just practice your history (remember all the obvious stuff, hand washing, name, ICE)

Posted from TSR Mobile

Thankyou!
I am beginning to perfect the general history, I just struggle when it becomes more tailored to a system because I miss things out, I am going to give it some good practice over the next few weeks!

Reply 590

ForestCat

OP

Original post by Natalierm2707

Thankyou!
I am beginning to perfect the general history, I just struggle when it becomes more tailored to a system because I miss things out, I am going to give it some good practice over the next few weeks!

Like the bearded man says, it's all practice. Pre clinical osces are more about being safe (hand washing, consent, checking you have the right person etc) and then following a rough order (history of presenting complaint, pmh, drug history, allergies, family history, social) to cover the main points. Doing that will mean you pass easily. The nitty gritty, fine tuning of key, disease specific points comes with experience and exposure to patients. That will get you the merits and distinctions early on, but isn't really required until you've started clinical years.

Same with examinations. Being safe and then systematic (working from hands to face to neck etc) will get you the pass, along with having a vague idea about the common stigmata to look for in a systems examination. Being able to rattle of causes for all these signs, or how they link to an overarching disease, will get you the merits/distinctions.

Reply 591

ForestCat

OP

Original post by Natalierm2707

Thankyou!
I am beginning to perfect the general history, I just struggle when it becomes more tailored to a system because I miss things out, I am going to give it some good practice over the next few weeks!

Oh, and the key to osces is to look like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Try to sound confident in your answers, even if guessing. Practice on friends so examination technique moves seamlessly from one part to another. If a station goes badly, try and forget about it until you're out of the exam.

Fake it til you make it.

Reply 592

Anonymous #2

Original post by ForestCat

Like the bearded man says, it's all practice. Pre clinical osces are more about being safe (hand washing, consent, checking you have the right person etc) and then following a rough order (history of presenting complaint, pmh, drug history, allergies, family history, social) to cover the main points. Doing that will mean you pass easily. The nitty gritty, fine tuning of key, disease specific points comes with experience and exposure to patients. That will get you the merits and distinctions early on, but isn't really required until you've started clinical years.

Same with examinations. Being safe and then systematic (working from hands to face to neck etc) will get you the pass, along with having a vague idea about the common stigmata to look for in a systems examination. Being able to rattle of causes for all these signs, or how they link to an overarching disease, will get you the merits/distinctions.

Thanks you really have reassured me, I opened OHCM today and had a gander at some of the signs and OMG was I overwhelmed...

Reply 593

ForestCat

OP

Original post by Anonymous

Thanks you really have reassured me, I opened OHCM today and had a gander at some of the signs and OMG was I overwhelmed...

Get a copy of Mcleods. Best book for getting the basics of examinations

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 594

VividBandicoot

Is the unofficial guide to OSCES book any good?

Reply 595

That Bearded Man

Original post by Zain-A

Is the unofficial guide to OSCES book any good?

Very much so, Radiology in particular for me

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 596

That Bearded Man

Do other unis give out clinical handbooks? As far as basic exams and signs go's, our uni handbook is excellent, only needed to use others 3rd year onward for diagnostics but even still, its handy to have around.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 597

Original post by Anonymous

Thanks you really have reassured me, I opened OHCM today and had a gander at some of the signs and OMG was I overwhelmed...

I was gonna recommend OHCM for history taking so glad someone mentioned it. The history pages for each major system at the front are useful for cardinals and red flags to ask about. Will help tailor a general history to a more system specific one. Eg for cardio always ask about SOB, SOBE, palpitations, chest pain, leg swelling, syncope.

e: Also, identifying loads of signs is almost the entire point of all of a medicine degree, so don't worry about knowing all the signs for all the diseases immediately (especially pre-clinical). There's also a difference between signs you get in a written ("a 65 year old man with diabetes presents with central crushing chest pain raidiating to the left arm, describing his pain as a fist placed in the centre of his chest...") and the signs you get in real life ("I have a cold" ... for NSTEMI).

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 598

username2765258

Original post by lcsurfer

I want to avoid the first week of peoples smug stories about their exotic electives while I worked/did A&E in a DGH

*

Hahaha, glad to see I'm not the only one who is allergic (sorry, intolerant) to classmates' smugness. Good luck with final year!

Reply 599