New Year and New Beginnings - Reflections on a Not-so Terrible Year

I'm procrastinating from my cell pathology coursework by writing a blog, but seriously I wanted to round off this year. I've gone through the last couple of months thinking this is one of the worst years I've had so far, so in that instance, I'm going to be really glad to see the back of it. But whilst I'm being reflective, this year has bought so much and I've learnt so much from it. Firstly this year has bought the most changes since the year I left home and moved to Brighton, and although I've been so focused on the bad, this year has also given me some absolutely amazing experiences. The major one of these is travelling to the other side of the world entirely alone. I went to Thailand, a truly beautiful country, and definitely one of my favourite places, and working in a hospital, we'll I couldn't have done anything better. I saw surgery, travelled around, learnt about another culture. If it could change anything about the experience the only. Thing I could think of is that I would go for longer. I also went to Spain, and instead of just sun soaking, I got to interact with locals (in Spanish of course!) learn about the local area, and see it as more than just a place with a beach and heat, and actually appreciate how great Spanish culture is. 

This year is also the year that I really got to know myself and what I wanted out of life. Travelling bought ith it a lot of self discovery and widening by understanding of what I could do, as well as giving me a more realistic perspective of what I've got imprinted into me what I already wanted to do. But most of this actually came from realising what I don't want as well. I'm not content with just coasting through life and doing exactly what's expected of me, I want something extraordinary. I started this year volunteering in a project for homeless people, and this in itself was absolutely amazing. I then built on this with more volunteering experiences, working in a family centre and as a first aider for one of the most influential organisations in the world. With this I get to work with different people, experience scenarios that I couldn't have imagined, and spend my Saturday nights doing something other than vegetating in front of the television. I wouldn't have it any othe way. Anything I write down couldn't accurately describe the value of volunteering, therefore if you don't do it already, I'd encourage you to try! I ran 10 miles for charity back in October too, which was absolutely fantastic. If you know me, you'd know I'm not the most active person, therefore this was a massive achievement for me just to finish it, as well as raising over my target for the British Heart Foundation, an absolutely amazing charity. 

This year is the first year I've properly felt like an adult, my decisions (on the most part) have been much more responsible. I've also learnt that sometimes it's okay, and completely necessary to put myself first. I've also learnt it's important to take what you want out of life, there's absolutely no value in sitting on the sidelines, and I haven't regretted any of the decisions I made, to do something maybe slightly insane! (Particular reference to bungee jumping in Thailand!) I've gained so many amazing memories, things that I'll always treasure. 

In terms of new experiences, I applied for medicine this year. This is something I've been planning (and dreading!) for a long time, and I'm really excited I'm actually doing it, even if I don't get in, I'm going to learn so much from this experience, and in that scenario, I'll be bringing in next year in the same situation, hopefully whilst also studying for a masters degree, living in some city somewhere, of which I don't even know where it is yet.

This year has also been great in terms of friendships, not only have I met some amazing people and made some amazing new friends, I've also been able to deepen my friendships with some of the people I was already friends with. I've really learnt this year to appreciate the people around me and I feel really content in this aspect of my life, because I know whatever happens, they have my back. I'm really lucky to have all of them. 

So what does 2014 bring?

I'm starting 2014 in a great position, I live in what is the most beautiful city in the country, studying for a degree in a subject I'm passionate about. I'm starting this year single, for the first time really since 2007, but I'm surrounded by absolutely amazing people, so I'm not at all feeling lonely. I have a job, which allows me to talk to people and get money for it, and I'm still volunteering, meaning I get to continue building on these amazing experiences. This year I'll find out if I get into medicine, and graduate as a biomedical scientist. This year I'm going to move to a new city and gain new experiences, meet so many new people. I want to travel more this year, with going to Dublin at Easter, going away this summer seems a likely possibilty too. I'd like to finally get to Germany this year, visit the Christmas markets in Berlin (drink lots of jäger :D). I want to visit Iceland, see the northern lights, I wouldn't mind visiting Asia again either. I also want to sit on a beach somewhere abroad (pebbles in Brighton are great, but not quite the same thing!). I know that I probably won't do all of this, but I like the ability to dream about it. I'll also be doing the nuts challenge in March, an army style assault course, so will be training for this! 

Last year I made a list of resolutions to keep to, I'm not going to do the same this year because in reality I just have one:

This year I'm going to be happy.

(And maybe get fitter, take more photos and better control of my finances etc. :D)

I hope you all have a fantastic 2014, and bring 2013 out with a (metaphorical) bang!

XOX

Personal Statement Woes

I struggle sometimes with being concise and saying the right thing, so for writing my personal statement I've written myself some questions, some of which I'm going to share:

'Why do I want to be a doctor?

I know it’s always been cliché to say, but I want to be a doctor to help people. I want to make people better, and when this isn’t possible I want to make a difference. Improve a person’s comfort on their last days and provide support by the other people affected by this, for the family, for the friends. I love science, I’ve always loved science, and it’s why I did 4 at A-Level. It’s not just that I really want to have a scientific career, it’s that I couldn’t imagine not having one. So why not research? I love working with people. I volunteer not to make it look good on my medical school application (although it helps), but to see the difference that my actions can make to the lives of others, in a positive way. I like working with people different to myself. People always have different things to offer, and you can learn something from each of them, whether that be an academic with years of studying behind them, of the man you dismissed on your way home when he asked you for change. Every one of them has something to offer. Medicine is one of the only careers you can have where you can engage with such a wide range of people, all with different backgrounds, all with different stories. This is what is so great about the NHS, despite all of its problems, it is inclusive. Everyone has access to free healthcare that they need, something that isn’t present in other countries. Take Thailand for example, where I spent this summer. There people get what they can afford, not just in terms of the quality of treatment, but in whether they can access treatment at all. We are so privileged to live in a country where we can have this amazing creation, despite its well documented problems, that each of us is guilty of taking for granted. I’m passionate about being part of this.

What are the challenges concerned with medical school?

One of the major challenges concerned with medical school is that is a degree, and a degree means you have to work so hard to do well at it. I’ve had experience doing this with my Biomedical Science degree. It isn’t all about being a student and dossing about and being drunk. If you want to do well at a degree you need to put in the effort. However university is also meant to be an amazing experience and if you focus only on the academic side of it, you’re kind of missing the point. Getting actively involved in university is a great way to enhance your experience.  I love being part of a society, mixing the ability to be social with working towards a goal. Being on the first aid society is so rewarding, not only for the experience that come from the volunteering that runs alongside it, but seeing the how far everybody comes in such a short space of time. Its small milestones like this that really enriches your experience. Balancing is so important if you want to finish university successfully. Doing a degree doesn’t mean you have to abandon all interests for 3+ years (even though it may feel like that!) but rather it should be a time in which you be developing them. Take me as an example, I love photography, I love the ability to capture a fleeting moment and commit it to something more permanent. I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, why would I pass up that opportunity? It helps you to not get stressed. When I feel like my brain is saturated, I play a classical piece on the piano. Completely different, yet it feels like such a palette cleanser, I wouldn't have it any other way.

What have I done to prepare for the challenges of being a doctor?

I work as a first aider for 2 separate companies. This way I can get patient contact, which isn’t just “oh you’ve treated me, thank you very much, I’ll be leaving”, It’s challenging. Sometimes you can’t help the patient. Often patients are distressed, angry or drunk, sometimes downright aggressive. This isn’t a problem, in many ways it’s understandable. If you don’t understand what’s happening, being a patient can be downright scary. The difference is in how you handle these situations. You can have such a massive impact by acting tactfully. You cannot treat every patient the same and deliver a good standard of care. Every patient has the right to equal treatment, but every patient also needs to be treated tactfully based on their individual situation. This makes the difference in how satisfied your patient is with their treatment.

I’ve worked in a family centre, learning a little on NHS protocol. I’ve also worked in the community, in which I’ve definitely improved in confidence, something that will help me exponentially, should I become a doctor."

24 hours to the deadline!

XOX

Trips, New Jobs and the UKCAT

I started this blog yesterday, but apparently I'm unable to start a blog without stopping midway through!

'Let me set the scene on what im doing right now - Firstly I'm alone. It's a sunny Thursday afternoon and im sat in a Starbucks in Reading with a vanilla latte in hand and an apple fritter doughnut. Im meant to be on a health kick, but apparently I have no self control when starbucks is concerned. Two days from now I'll be boarding a flight to Bangkok, which in itself is exciting. I'm going to be in Chiang Mai, undertaking various hospital placements and I guess I'm looking forward to it, even if I'm incredibly nervous. But right now I want to look back. 5 days ago, I started a new job, and it was really enjoyable, but opened my eyes to how much i still need to learn. It also involved a lot of patient contact and far more medication and treatment than I could have ever dreamt of seeing with the Red Cross. It's made me see how far I actually want to advance in my skills as a first aider, naturally, but its also cemented how much I actually want to do clinical work. When I started my biomedical science degree, a lot of people said to me that I'd like it so much, I wouldn't want to continue perusing medicine afterwards, and I can see why a lot of people feel that way. There are a lot of attractive career prospects  that come with doing a degree like mine, and ones that I don't doubt for a moment I would get great satisfaction from, but my heart definitely lies with medicine. 

Let's now go back to this morning. I sat in a room, surrounded by people clutching their green licences and counterparts. Now I'd be lying if I said that it didn't entertain me considerably sitting there with my pink photo card, but that's irrelevant. I went back to a room I'd been in almost 4 years ago, but for an entirely different purpose. So if you've read my previous posts on my blog, you'd know that I have a lot of work to do in terms of my exam strategy, as in if I can do it without going slightly crazy, I consider it a win! So naturally I was nervous. And then I got into the exam room. The UKCAT screen was in front of me, and I looked at the questions which were an entirely different format for the verbal reasoning from the practice ones in the books I bought. I then got onto the quantitative analysis section and my time keeping was just terrible. I mean worse than I've ever had in any exam before. I missed out 13 questions. So by this point I was contemplating univerrsities that didn't require the UKCAT. then it got onto the abstract reasoning section. I've always been good at this one, so this helped to relax me a little. I then got onto the decision analysis. When I started practicing questions back in June, this was my nemesis. But I'd practiced the question format so much, and after relaxing a little during the previous section, I went through this really calmly, and finished the section 5 minutes before the time was up. This actually turned out to be my best section, and I achieved a near perfect score on it. 

Anyway I ended up averaging 750, which is good in terms of getting into medical school, but not quite as good as my practice tests, which I attribute to the lack of finishing the quantitative analysis section, however this is another 'green light' to continue my application to medical school this month, so I'm relatively happy about it! '

Now to embark on my next adventure! Expect lots of posts

XOX