Finished my first year of medical school - Ask me anything!

Keele

Haha, ahh no, at our university our medicine freshers tradition is the pyjama pub crawl!!

Do you know anyone who got in without the entry grades? AAB for example

Yes, we did dissections on cadavers once a week in first year and will do so again in second year. I never found it a problem, but there were a few people who were a bit put off by it to begin with! However after a few weeks everybody becomes desensitised by it and it becomes much more "normal". My non-medic friends and family would be very grossed out by some of the things I told them but to other medics it would be considered normal conversation!

It's come to a time where I know everything there is to know about Medicine as a subject. I've got work experience done ect. But I plan for more.. And I know exactly what it's like as a career. I know it shouldn't be at the front of my min- which it isn't its the career I know I'll love. But, I have never actually had a proper answer, I have been on work ex. With dentists and they've giben me a direct answer. I just am dying to know, how much could you expect to earn as a doctor? The NHS website gives guidelines but they're not very accurate. I just want to know, like
Surgeon:
GP
Consultant
And just give what you'd be expecting them to be earning on average from your knowledge of the career. Thank you!

What areas of science are typical when studying medicine?

As a non-science grad looking to do GEM I struggle to find a solid answer on which of the science subjects I am studying for GAMSAT will be used at med school once I get there! Just a curiousity more than anything!

Congrats on getting through your first year

A 19 year old girl presents to the urgent care centre complaining of abdominal pain and nausea, which was vague at first but has now localised to her right iliac fossa.

1) What key differential must you rule out at this stage? How would you go about doing so?
2) List 4 other differentials.
3) Outline the innervation to the foregut, midgut and hindgut and use your outline to explain the possible change in pain felt by this patient.
4) What clinical features could you use to determine this patient is euvoleamic, hypovolaemic or hypervolaemic? List 4.

1) Always rule out a pregnancy / ectopic possibly - bHCG test.
However alarm bells are ringing for appendicitis
2) Appendictis, Pancreatitis, Malignancy near the ileo-cecal valve, ?????
3) Foregut pain refers to the epigastric region. Midgut pain refers to the umbilical region. Hindgut pain refers to the hypogastric region. Appendicitis pain is generally vague to begin with & localises to the right iliac fossa, but how does this refer to the innervation? The vermiform appendix is located near the ilio-ceacel valve so it is midgut.
4) Blood pressure, Pulse (Rate/Character), Body Temperature, Respiratory rate

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I'm only at the end of 2nd year so you can answer your own question for my benefit, need to keep my knowledge ticking over for September

I believe with question 3 it's more to do with the physiology of referred pain i.e. how the viscera do not have sensory innervation, only autonomic. Therefore, the pain initially arising from inflammation of the appendix and visceral peritoneum is poorly localised and referred to the embryological origin i.e. as a midgut structure to the umbilical region, as you stated. Once the inflammation has progressed enough to impinge on and affect the parietal peritoneum (which does have a sensory nerve supply) it can be more precisely located to the RIF/McBurney's point.

Oh and with question 1, I'd consider other gynae conditions (ovarian torsion/ruptured cyst) or potentially acute IBD in place of pancreatitis. Bowel malignancy would be quite rare in someone that young, though not unheard of.

Human biology, but in a more applied way than A levels etc.

You can forget the chemistry and physics.

I thought that would be the case. How come chemistry a level seems to be a more common/preferred qualification than biology?

I don't think anyone can say for certain, but I would imagine it's just lingered on from the old days and it's a way of reducing the number of applicants.

1) Always rule out a pregnancy / ectopic - bHCG test.
However alarm bells are ringing for appendicitis
2) Appendictis, Pancreatitis, Malignancy near the ileo-cecal valve, ?????
3) Foregut pain refers to the epigastric region. Midgut pain refers to the umbilical region. Hindgut pain refers to the hypogastric region. Appendicitis pain is generally vague to begin with & localises to the right iliac fossa, but how does this refer to the innervation? The vermiform appendix is located near the ilio-ceacel valve so it is midgut.
4) Blood pressure, Pulse (Rate/Character), Body Temperature, Respiratory rate

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I'm only at the end of 2nd year so you can answer your own question for my benefit, need to keep my knowledge ticking over for September