Pre- and Post- Christmas Blues

It has been a long time since I last posted, mostly due to utter despair induced by getting NONE of my three top hospitals. Instead I'm being sent to Blackpool. I know, I know - it was only excluded because it meant I'd definitely get it. That doesn't change the fact that I DIDN'T GET ANY OF MY CHOICES! It could be worse, I could have got Southport or Warrington, my two least favourite.  But it also could have been miles better by getting the Royal, or Chester, or Whiston. Still, every cloud blah blah blah. Blackpool is cheap - accommodation, insurance, living. Blackpool has a perfect record for passing finals (so far). In Blackpool I can live on site and be ultra lazy. I like to think of my wish to stay in bed until the last possible moment efficiency, but I can't kid myself effectively let alone other people. And on top of all that it's only an hour or so driving, or £10 on the train, back to Liverpool. In short, I'll cope. But... but... but. You get the point.

And now it's the return to reality after a lovely, but brief, Christmas break. Factor in the entrapment caused by a ridiculous amount of snow and it seemed even shorter due to not seeing much of anyone except the parentals. The first draft of our CTM proposal is due in tomorrow, and of course there was a grand total of 0 words added to the count over the holiday. Thankfully I was organised for once (more due to lack of funds for socialising than anything else) and my word count before the break was about 1000, so the situation could be much worse.

Add to the mix the start of SSM5 tomorrow, and the beginning of a new rotation - this time on paediatrics - and it's all very busy for a first week back. More similar to reality than I would like in truth. I was also very ambitious at the end of last year and elected for a student-led SSM, meaning that the whole thing is down to me. It would be great, if I had the first clue what I wanted to write about! And as this one is spread over 20 weeks, with one day a week dedicated to SSM, it's going to be touch and go whether I get it finished in time for the start of revision. Oh dear.

So there you have it, a short but sweet update on the woes of being a medical student (minus the revelation that we have formative OSCEs in less than a month and everyone is freaking out about it. Yuck). It's a wonder sometimes that we make it through with our sanity and ambition in tact, although of course there are those that fall on the battlefield. Fingers crossed they are few and far between.