Finals are Passed! Doctor Lisa is almost here!

Yep, you heard it! I have passed my exams. The last ones of my degree! 3 hour OSCE and three 3 hour writtens last week were enough to make anyone cry! Ok not really.. I think this is the first year that I haven’t shed any tears over exams. Last year I must have used all the tears up!

So stress levels this year have been bearable. There was some pretty big moments of doubt and replaying ‘Did I really say that in OSCEs’. Haha..

It is done! I have 6 months left of electives and pre-internship. I head to Austria via London next week for 2 months then back where I’ve been based for the last year to finish off the final 12 weeks. I’m already feeling impatient! In 2 weeks I find out where I’ll be working next year, ie my first ever full-time job!! I’m super excited now. I struggle with the unknown and trying to get excited about things in the future unless they are certain. As a result, I’ve not planned anything for my trip except the flights and accommodation. I now have 5 days before I leave the country to organize everything! Haha.. kind of comical really 🙂

Just a quick one today but thought I should provide an update on here!

What to do when I’m Feeling Low?

I’ve been feeling a little down the past few days. A little teary over nothing and just wanting to be by myself all the time. I’m feeling fatigued and tired and wish I could just stay in bed all day. I can’t concentrate when I want to yet the workload doesn’t stop so this is not really an option. I have to push through but I’m really struggling to do so. 

I gave in to my feelings this afternoon and layed in bed and watched a movie. Didn’t make me feel any better and when I went back to studying I still couldn’t kick my brain into gear. It just doesn’t care right now about respiratory acidosis and alkalosis! Does yours? 

Anyone out there have any tips? I’m feeling stuck and yet if I’m stuck for too long it will become to hard to climb out again! I knew I would hit walls eventually, but apparently I don’t really have great mechanisms for overcoming them. I would go for a run like usual but the weather is rather wild and has been for a few days now. It’s probably not helping. 

Ah well… Life.

Study Week

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a week of study. Yes, I’m on holidays but I’m also needing to get completely up to date with lectures etc. that begins at 9am tomorrow and ends at lunch time Friday with some other sessions scattered throughout the following week. 

I thought I’d share my plan (which I haven’t written yet! Haha):

Monday:

• Lecture summaries and drawings, hopefully finish these off.

Tuesday:

• Anatomy – review using models, lab manual, videos, textbooks
• GOALs which are online learning modules. I have a few from last week to catch up on and a few to review again.

Wednesday:

• Online quizzes from the last 7 weeks. I kind of got behind on these
• Start assignment research and essay

Thursday:

• Review past weeks content, read up where gaps, and if time go back into intro block and fill in things I ran out of time to do.
• CBL learning objectives. (Some of which I will have covered in my note writing).

I may be working in and out of these times and I know I have social outings booking in for Tuesday and Wednesday so I may not get as much done on those days. 

This probably won’t go to plan but if I get the majority of this done over the next 4 days I’ll be stoked! Wish me luck 🙂

The reward is a carefree holiday!!! That should be enough of a motivation.

Dear All Those Sitting the GAMSAT



It’s that time of the year. For those of you wanting to get into medicine in Australia as a graduate, you are in the last week of preparing for the dreaded exam. I have to admit that I am not at all envious of you all. Actually, I am deeply relieved that I don’t have to sit it ever again. 

For this who don’t know, to gain entrance at any graduate entry medical school you have to sit this exam called the GAMSAT. It is on Saturday. It goes all day. I’ve sat it twice and both times the days were 9-10 hours from when I arrived to when I left. Last year I drove the 2 hours there and back on the day of the exam as well so make that the most dreadful day in history!! Haha.. I would like to point out that I would not recommend anyone do that ever. Fork out and stay in a hotel if you live anywhere more than 30 minutes away from the exam centre.

I just wanted to say good luck to everyone sitting the exam (or thinking of doing it in the future) and offer some small words of wisdom, for whatever they are worth. So here goes:

• Relax. Relax for the week now and give your brain a break. If you have to look at a book to calm your nerves then make sure you also give yourself permission to switch off and rest. It has been proven that rest and sleep is beneficial to brain function and memory. 
• Eat well, hydrate well. Fuel is what your body needs in the lead up to this exam. Also make sure you can survive 3 hours without food as you have to on Saturday. 
• Stop freaking out about results. If you are anything like me, the whole what if I fail thing pops into your brain regularly. Remind yourself that this exam does NOT define you or who you are. The results do NOT define your intelligence or your ability to be a good doctor or medical student. The GAMSAT is an exam designed to test a certain type of intelligence that very few naturally have. 
• There is always next year. Or the year after that or the one after that. Medical schools aren’t going anywhere. If your results aren’t what you had hoped use it as an opportunity to grow, to be challenged and be a better person and future doctor. I do not regret failing a section in the gamsat the first time I sat it. I had so many opportunities to grow last year that have so helped me this year already. I feel more ready to tackle this massive thing called medical school as a result. 
• Remember these things during the exam. STAY CALM. The worst thing you could do is panic or stress. Brains don’t like to think too well when the fight or flight thing is engaged! They just want to get out of there. So have some calming down techniques. Deep breathing is my personal favourite and some stretches. Have a sip of water, give yourself a pep talk and continue on. 
• The most important thing is to not put too much pressure on yourself. Relax as much as possible and just be at peace with whatever happens, happens. You have prepared the best you could with the resources you’ve had and even if you feel that you didn’t, just think of the things you have learnt from the experience and how you can change for the better next time if things don’t go to plan! 

You can see my personal GAMSAT stories Here and click the gamsat label on the toolbar if you want to read my perspective from within the journey!

Good luck again and remember STAY CALM!!!!

Camps, Drinking and Crazies

I just returned home from med camp. It was everything I imagined it to be. Fun, mixed with alcohol and a bunch of med students. I had fun during the day activities. I don’t like to drink. One it’s really not good for you, two it makes people do stupid things, three it is expensive, four it tastes disgusting anyways and five, I think that is enough reasons to choose not to drink. I don’t feel it necessary to have alcohol to have fun, however, some others obviously do.

At med camp we did a suturing workshop which was stacks of fun, a plastering workshop which wasn’t too bad and then a mini amazing race. That was fun. It finished with a slip and slide! We played some sport and did handstands and back flips… Well I did backflips! Lol.

We also were given free stuff. What I have learnt so far in med is that you are given a lot of free stuff. So far I’ve been given too many pens to count, shirts, 4 bags, a surgeon cap, insurance, stethoscope name tag, notebooks, wrist bands, medical dictionary, chocolates, lollies, drink bottles, scrubs, food, lots of food, and probably stacks more that I can’t remember right now. It honestly just keeps on coming. You should be able to spot a med student from a mile away with all the stuff we are given.

I sound like I’m having all fun and no study. Haha.. Not really… Lots of study as well 🙂

Study, Fitness and Fun

Week 2 of med school is almost complete. Time is actually flying by so fast it’s nuts. This week has been more settled with our days not being 12 hours long every day. Today we only had 2 hours of lectures. I stayed back at Uni to do some of the online components. We have yet to get internet at home for some silly unknown reason something to do with technician availability.

The workload has settled dramatically and my worry for now has almost completely dissipated. I really don’t want to get behind. I’ve had some of my textbooks delivered I bought online. It’s like Christmas in a nerdy way! I’ve set what I need to be done by the end of each week and block and so far so good.

I even was able to do a gymnastics class which was such a nice thing to do! I’m still super sore in all the surrounding shoulder muscles from about 80 push-ups. I was impressed by my ability!!!

This weekend brings what should be an interesting experience. Med camp. Where a bunch of med students go on a camp and be crazy for a weekend. I’m not a drinker so this will be interesting but, hey, at least I won’t have a hangover like most will. LOL. I’m looking forward to the games and workshops 🙂

Next week brings the beginning of a new case for the fortnight and a whole new set of learning objectives. I’m looking forward to getting into something different. I heard it’s something to do with cancer. We were told not to listen to the second years though so I don’t know…

Well bed time for me. Talk to you sometime after med camp!!

Organisation Central

Lucky for me, one of my favourite things to do is get organised. That is exactly what I have been doing. I’ve done a colour coded timetable which I’m very proud of!! I have done a budget and a study plan. All of which I actually love doing.

My ultimate need came out when I read my Uni handbook cover to cover and have done the pre readings for class on Tuesday. I’m way too keen!

Tomorrow is Australia Day and a public holiday as a result so we are going out for a few meals and just having a chilled out day. It should be nice. I’m hoping it is just a nice relaxing day before the crazy workload kicks in the day after.

Yesterday I worked a shift and earned some money, all of which I’m hoping to put aside for bills at a later date. Trying to get ahead where I can while I can do when life gets more crazy I know I’m in the situation to say no to work to focus on study.

I’m keen for Tuesday to come along and medical school to officially start for real! I can’t believe we are here at this point already. It seems like yesterday that I first had the idea that maybe I could be a doctor! Crazy times. Here I am on my way now which of course I’m stoked about. I am a having the occasional internal freak out about fearing failing but that just makes me want to commit to studying which is good because I need to study more than I ever have. I think living with other students will be motivating as well. It already has been as we all have the same things to do and we all keep asking each other whether we have done it or not.

I think it will be a good but challenging year and I’m looking forward to getting on the road now and experiencing medical school!

Packing, Packing, Packing & Goodbyes

Well, the packing is well on its way as you can see from this photo.

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I hate being surrounded by this mess but I’ve been told to chill out about it as its a completely normal mess when you are packing! Tomorrow the packing continues with my desk stuff, filing the paperwork (more of it) I just found. I keep finding paperwork in really random places. I’d been wondering where all my tax statements from the last few years were as I could only find ones from 2008 and earlier. Turns out I had put them in a bag with some of my course material from when I completed my cert 3 in aged care and my gymnastics coaching accreditation. Who knows what I was thinking at the time.

The last couple of days have also been filled with goodbyes. I hate saying goodbye! I get so attached to people and really do get sad to say good bye. Especially my clients as I know it is very likely I will not see them again. Ever. I think when you work so closely to people for 5 years in their own homes, you really do become close (in a professional, I’m their carer type of way – it is hard to explain). I’m actually starting to get super sick of all the good byes now. I’m ready to go. In a “I’ll miss everyone soooooooo much type of way”! Thursday is my farewell party 😦 I don’t know about it. I hate being the centre of attention. Ah well, it will be really nice to hang out with everyone though 🙂

Well, that is me over and out for now. Until next time 🙂

The Beginning

It begins. This is what I have been waiting for and what I have worked so hard to achieve. I’m in my last week of living in this place, packing up and moving to the other end of the state. This is big, exciting and scary. As I finish up all the things I have been a part of these last 7 years, I’m sad to be saying goodbye to all the amazing people I have had in my life.

I’m currently preparing to make the 12 hour drive south next weekend after a friends wedding. Hopefully, we should find out about a house to rent this week so I at least know where I’m moving. I’m completing a first aid certificate down there during the first week I’m there and orientation is the following week with classes starting the week after that. I think those few weeks will fly by with all the unpack, settling, exploring and hopefully finding a casual job.

I look forward to the next 4 years, both the challenging parts and the good parts. I can’t wait to get started!