summer research?
With sincere apologies for the delay, please find attached a letter outlining the outcome of your Research Scholarship application.
Brilliant. A pit of sheer despair in my stomach. I have to read a letter of rejection now. But….
The Panel was impressed with your application and consequently has decided to offer you a Research Scholarship for your project entitled: “Classification of Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia into Clinically Applicable Genetic Subgroups through Machine Learning Enabling Delivery of Precision Medicine”
The show goes on! For the second time we have a Summer Research Scholarship!
Ever since those January results, it’s been a really tough five months. A lot of pensive moments of:
Is this as good as it gets for me? Am I just set out for clinical work? Can I be an academic oncologist? Am I good enough to be a research student again?
But you turn up to lectures each day, get your notes done. Take a quiet study room over a group study room. Practice your OSCEs nearly every day in Easter. Condense and synthesise your notes. Address your society commitments - Emergency Medicine and Academic Medicine (Conference went well!). Maybe, just maybe, your Summer Research Project application gets accepted. And lo and behold, we are back!
Its a bright sunny day in Newcastle - summer is truly here!
OSCEs have also just rounded-up and here are my uber-quick thoughts:
Day 1: 1/10 - Hand Exams Felt fluid. Covered the major bases before failing to do a Phalen Test! Examiner said ‘Well-done’ at the end. What a jokester.
2/10 - Information-Giving to a Mother with a Child with Viral Ear Infection requesting Antibiotics Quite straight-forward to explain that antibiotics aren’t recommended at all for viral infections. Six minutes is a long time so easy to waffle (guilty!) but overall managed to address concerns of the patient’s mother.
3/10 - Cranial Nerves (except Eyes + Ears) Exam This is a tip. Assume the volunteer is a patient not healthy. Covered all the major nerve components and concluded the station. Job done? No, just before the end I asked the patient if her loss of smell was real. Turns out she was a patient. Oh dear.
4/10 - Lower Leg Swelling History Covered this well as I could have (given my very open questions leading to lengthy verbose replies). A slightly too focused family history may cost me.
5/10 - Blood Pressure The sound of Korotkoff sounds was simply music to my ears. Remember to write the date of the BP.
Day 2: 6/10 - Sexual History of Vaginal History Empathy sensitivity and delivery critical with this one. Felt I covered those domains well (despite some slight day two first station nerves!).
7/10 - Breast Exam Another highly sensitive station. I felt I covered this well.
8/10 - GI Exam Time was tight for this one! Inspection was lengthy but comprehensive. It was a race to finish on time and I did not quite manage to squeeze in our post-examination recommendations. Good otherwise.
9/10 - Headache History A lot of systemic symptoms to get through beyond the headache and general symptoms. Felt I managed the best I could. Oh yeah and listen to the patient. They’ll tell you a lot more that may tick further boxes.
10/10 - CPR With work on my oxygen delivery technique, I think we’ll be okay with this one in the future.
And that wraps up second year! Results in just under a month. Clinical placements start next week in North Durham (lots of new people to meet!).
Even better days are still ahead!