one and a half weeks.
and im getting into the swing of things

cardiology has been a super learning experience.
the doctors here have been nothing short of inspiring.
and nice. very nice.
i don't feel like scum of the earth here.

patient load is not fantastic, and the working pace is kind of slow.
but im not complaining, when i get doctors who patiently take you through each and every patient, explain the purpose of the procedure and not make sarcastic disparaging remarks when you ask stupid questions.

been sharing prof rankin with about 7 other elective students from glasgow med.
they get to elective modules like us as well - student-selected modules (SSM).

students here really get by on alot of initiative.
theyre opinionated, outspoken and really on-the-ball.
something i'm seriously lacking in the personality department.
working on that.

got to run my own chest pain clinic just the other day.
nearly got a panic attack when dr martin handed me my first stack of notes and told me to take a room and see the patient.
by myself. *sweat

didn't know if i was writing the case notes correctly, didn't know my history-taking was thorough enough, if i missed out an important step in examining the patient.
what if i missed out an important sign and the patient goes home and dies the next day?!?
(it's amazing, really, the number of stupid paranoid thoughts that can run through my tinytiny brain)

but, after that it became fun.
derived alot of joy from talking to the patients, flipping through their notes, getting to know not just their medical problem, but them,
as people. with their own quirks, anecdotes and stories.

kind of brought me back to the good old days when i was dead certain of why i wanted to do medicine.

plus i got to listen to some kickass cardiac murmurs!

so all has been good. :)
just waiting for the weather to get better!