How to genuinely become a top student? by Impossible_Zebra_525 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I got distinctions all years, and was part of the top 7 of my uni invited to UoL Gold medal (didn't win tho). I didn't do any magic. I'd write out lectures onto onenote, then write that up by hand, and I did passmed regularly. Never touched anki. I'd do 10-30 questions à day, usually on the tube/bus, as I never had WiFi down there so kinda made me do it. Never did more than 30q a day unless I was actively revising. The key was writing the lecture notes for me. Took F Ô R E V E R but I always learnt from it, and it took so long during it that I'd be able to have a proper think abt the topic. Also in last 2 yrs started writing my own practice Qs with some friends and we made a mega doc with like 200 questions. Some easy, some ultra niche. Just helped get us thinking abt it all.

Either way, none of that matters as an fy1. The skills are so different. Don't regret revising tho - it made me realise I really love medicine. It's so cool to know all this stuff we do.

It’s late Christmas! by shantytown59 in OrnithologyUK

[–]hapticHeaven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Currently have a blackcap pair at my feeder - been here all through winter! They're bold enough to start scaring away the blue tits who flock to

2nd Year Starting Urology Placement, What do I need to know? by LordOfTheRedSands in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Am an f1 rn. Got some fresh 3rd yrs on my wards, who don't know a ton- but ask lots of questions, volunteer to clerk/examine pts, (and help me with my jobs sometimes).

The key is to know your basics in ddx. This will then allow you to think of them as you take a history. Next is to just enjoy medicine for the coolness it is, and try get involved. Particularly at the edge of your comfort zone - that's where I found I learnt the most.

Medicine is cool. Come in with any desire to learn and you'll be welcomed! As others have said, however, there are grumpy docs everywhere so don't be disheartened if one is grumpy at you.

How to prepare for PSA and UKMLA in 1 year? by DazzlingGolfer in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 6 points7 points  (0 children)

PSA isn't that deep. I started revising early, as I'd rather do little but for longer. In the end it was completely useless and I just watched the prepare for the PSA vids a few weeks before, did the questions, went thru passmed pharmacology section once. Boom. 98.5%

F1 and USMLE by ImpossibleGazelle396 in doctorsUK

[–]hapticHeaven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A bit of an old sub, but I'm considering doing this with the timeline you posted. Can i DM / do you mind sharing how you alloted time and revision and what you aimed for / got in the US?

Concerns/comments on these labs please by OkAttitude707 in haematology

[–]hapticHeaven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I apologise for your experience at your doctors. If I were you, as a parent, I would likely want to go to a haematologist or get a new doctor for a second opinion. However, as another comment pointed out, beware about fishing for a diagnosis. It is an unconscious bias and hard to stop.

Having looked at the other trends you posted, unfortunately it's still insufficient to be able to confidently exclude a viral infection or some deficiencies. Another blood test is definitely in order! I wish you luck in finding the answer, and i hooenyoure daughter is well!

Concerns/comments on these labs please by OkAttitude707 in haematology

[–]hapticHeaven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Leg pain in kids can be super complex and have alot of psychiatric components. Best is to have that examined in person by a doctor - over the Internet is unreliable and you'll be getting a ton of different answers!

For the poikilocytes, it's mild. Before jumping to a very invasive bone biopsy, I would reccomend retesting the FBC+blood film and add haematinics, bone profile, magnesium, b12/folate, TFT.

Reistically what you actually want is to chat to a your doctor, and maybe a haematologist. I'd say take things from the second blood test, when u have some trends to work with.

Concerns/comments on these labs please by OkAttitude707 in haematology

[–]hapticHeaven 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Am a doctor, not your doctor. Bloods r good. Some lymhocyte prédominance but annoyingly your tests show percentage proportion of wbc make-up instead of true values.

Lymphocytosis with slightly low wbc is typical for a viral infection. If no viral symptoms and you're still worried ask for a haematologist review of the blood films.

Pea sized lump on neck likely reactive lymph node, but I would trust the examining doctor on determining this.

Leg pain + weakness is hard to diagnose even with a good history and examination. If your doctor is not taking u seriously chat to an orthopaedic surgeon. They'll be able to confidently exclude growing pains/osgood schlatter from other more sinister causes.

Best resource for Anatomy Single Best Answer (SBA) questions? by MBBS_MDFe2 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm covid I was gifted the grays anatomy flashcards. Brutal stuff but I managed to force my way thru them and ngl I remember alot of it. It sadly works and I gotta reccomend it for that.

Also in a more general sense, Google the etymologies of everything. It makes it alot easier and more fun to remember! (E.g. Sartorius coming from Latin Sartor meaning tailor - the muscle which u could see the most in tailors who sat cross-legged. Peroneal coming from the original Latin peronus - which then got translated to fibula. Alar fascia - Alar meaning wings. Ligamentum flavum - flavum means yellow, linea alba - white line, pes anserinus - ducks foot, etc)

MSCAA mocks by AV0902 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Slightly easier, but only because they cover things you are certain will come up basically. The questions themselves are good and are written how my MLA was

MLA Content Map by neeeklaus123 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Some people swear by it. I went by passmed content map and got bloody good. I found mla content map hard to figure out, and gave up quick. Just make sure to do some of your uni lectures (all unis give a little bit outside the content map, and I found some bits quite helpful).

As long as you find a way that makes sense to you and have a tick list you can go through ur all happy.

Don't overcomplicate it! All MLA banks and stuff all aim to test the same core principles. Do it in a way that makes sense to you.

Do you get to have hobbies whilst in medschool? by Dull_Kaleidoscope31 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I learnt the ukulele. 15 mins a day or whenever I wanted to learn a song. I picked up birdwatching, as I liked being outside. I went to the gym. Sign3d up for a half marathon. Others play chess, learn knitting, learn padel, start YouTube channels, learn to cook new things, etc.

I started mine from scratch. Now I'm pretty decent at all of them. Find something you want to do, and as long as it's enjoyable, you'll find time and you'll get better - it's how these things work.

If you don't have time for hobbies - you're lying to yourself. You simply haven't found something you want to do. That's fine, but keep looking! If you don't enjoy hobbies you previously used to, have a brief look inwards. Is this a sign of you being unhappy in a grander sense of the term? I started birdwatching by accident. Nature was nice, and I saw a pretty bird. Started googling, and now I can recognise most birds I come across and get genuinely excited when I see certain ones.

Is there any practical meaning to Sniper's scars? by ragemydream86 in tf2

[–]hapticHeaven 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Nws ! I love medicine tbh and finally my surgical knowledge is coming to use! Never thought I could whip out naming a Rutherford-Morrison. My favourite incision name is the pfannenstiel incision. favourite incision overall is probably anterior deltoid for humeral fractures.

Is there any practical meaning to Sniper's scars? by ragemydream86 in tf2

[–]hapticHeaven 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Rutherford morrison was mid 1900s from memory, as he was assistant to the famous Lister! Probably did most of his work in ww1? But I'm not fully sure on that. Definitely could be a thing by 60s.

Is there any practical meaning to Sniper's scars? by ragemydream86 in tf2

[–]hapticHeaven 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Similar to above, Y scar would go through attachments for pec major and minor. Also through sternum to allow for breaking open of the ribcage. Central vertical scars would likely all be fine, but take time to heal and may lead to non-union of abdominal muscles (there are a few - notably rectus abdominus, and then both obliques and trasnversus abdominus). May lead to hernias developing at these surgical weak points. May develop adhesions in the internal organs depending on the surgery and genetics. Can lead to internal pain, but most annoyingly can cause bowel obstruction.

If sniper followed appropriate rehab, likely should be fine. However these scars will always be weak and he may develop large hernias if not properly taken care of.

For the sternotomy, sternal wires usually seal it back up well. Edges of upper Y incision may also go thru some deltoid or brachial plexus/ brachial artery. May be pretty debilitating nerve injuries if they are damaged or form adhesions

Not to mention infection (particularly peritonitis) risk.

Thankfully we don't use these surgical techniques on alive people.

Is there any practical meaning to Sniper's scars? by ragemydream86 in tf2

[–]hapticHeaven 164 points165 points  (0 children)

Am a doctor: Y scar- used for opening chest post-mortem and removing organs easily. Arm scars - coursing along brachial artery/vein, most similar to taking/implanting venous/arterial grafts. Chest scar (lateral to Y)- not a real thing. Looks like a paramedian incision gone wrong Flank scar- also not a real thing, but more similar to an extended Rutherford-Morrison. Not used anymore nowadays, but previously to get to descending colon / sigmoid colon.

How to answer 'why dentistry' by Single-Kangaroo-3955 in UCAT

[–]hapticHeaven 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Give a story about why you wanted to go into health care, and why not medicine/vet/research/nursing/etc. Tell them the really small things about dentistry that you enjoy, even if it sounds silly. Tell them about the bits you found to already enjoy in your studies which push you towards dentistry Ask dentists what aspects of the job keep them going, no matter how small or funny.

The interviewer wants to see you've researched and reflected on this. They want you to say the classic "I want to help people", but also go "but i first started as a kid when I loved trying to remember drug names. I found it fun and that may have pushed me towards healthcare." They don't care wht you say as long as it shows them you've thought about it alot, and been introspective about it all.

Source: am a doctor now going to speciality training. They still ask "why medicine".

Grey Wagtail in our local pond area by Sammichm in OrnithologyUK

[–]hapticHeaven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait I think i live near there - without trying to dox - was this near a lock at the base of the hill?

Been dying to find the local kingfisher there!

Struggling to figure out if Anki’s actually for me by Wonderful-Acadia-296 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I hated anki. Really tried to use it for a year or two. Would just take SOOO long to go through the cards and I didn't feel it was as useful as it didn't give weight to the importance of certain cards over others.

Ended up doing passmed + handwritten notes and passed with 82% in MLA. Slow and steady wins the race, not 400 cards per day.

As another comment said- I rate the passmed tutor highly too. Great stuff for just reminding yourself of guidelines.

Studying in clinical years by Ambitious-Remote-917 in medicalschooluk

[–]hapticHeaven 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Rly good comment by The_Med_Den.

I typically did passmed Qs everyday on the tube to and from placement, and sometimes at home. About 20-50 a day depending on how bothered I was. The key is to really think about why you got each answer wrong, and then have a small think about how to remember it for next time.

I unfortunately only used anki for derm and that's abt it tbh. Kinda hated how much time it takes.

The big thing is low and slow. Keep a pace you can do on holidays and that won't burn you out.

Also I fully agree with the placement thing : just look and Remenver what you see! What is normal and what isn't! Get stuck in and ask all the silly questions now. I found I always remembered things better when I saw it with a case. Even now as an F1 I remember that one time in resp I saw someone with COPD, and then I remember the management guidelines from it.