Morning
0530 Alarm goes off. Snoozed.
0545 Alarm goes off. Snoozed.
0600 Alarm goes off. I’m very awake and very late.
0615 Drive aggressively to try find free parking near the hospital.
0708 Try to sneakily join the registrar ward round which started at 7.

  •        Look for patient files
  •        Look for patient files
  •        Hide from the antimicrobial stewardship team
  •        Look for patient files
  •        Look for patient files
  •        Caught by the antimicrobial stewardship team. Get asked about the five moments of hand hygiene
  •        Look for patient files
0720 Reg ward round over. Time to frantically look up patient details before consultant ward rounds.
0750 Morbidity and Mortality meeting is about to start. A med student accidentally sits in the consultant’s chair.
0800 Not enough seats. Med students end up sitting on the floor.

M+M starts
0806 Consultant passes me the veggies and dip. I take a carrot stick politely but I would prefer the mini quiches.
0815 Friend starts snoring next to me.

I start snoring.

Intern starts snoring.
0845 M+M over. I didn’t get a mini quiche.
0900 Consultant led ward round starts.

  •        Look for patient files
  •        Patient corrects me in front of consultant
  •        Look for patient files
  •        Get roasted, cry on the inside
  •        Look for patient files
  •        Get roasted again, cry in real life
  •        Tearfully look for patient files
1000 Gossip in the tearoom.
1030 “Help the intern on the ward”

  •        Fail a cannula
  •        Fail a cannula
1100 Teaching
1200 Gossip in the tearoom.

  •        Drink three cups of instant coffee.·
  •        Complain about medical school
  •        Look at memes
  •        Told to go back to the ward but go to get food instead
1230 Lunch

“Can you keep a lookout for our consultant?”

 

Afternoon
1250 Check out afternoon colorectal list.
1255 Change in scrubs that are 10 times too big for me.
1300 Asked to scrub in for a hemicolectomy.
1320 Finally finished scrubbing, gowning and gloving. Half of the surgery is complete. The consultant has already forgotten about me.
1341 Smell burning flesh. Breathe in the toxic surgical smoke from electrocautery.
1355 Try to look keen and interested but I’m really thinking about what I’m going to have for dinner.
1423 Not sure if I’m in Antarctica or an OT.
1430 Laparoscopic hernia repair starts. Asked to hold the camera.

  •        Move the camera the wrong way
  •        Move the camera the wrong way
  •        Move the camera the wrong way
  •        Reg takes the camera
1515 About 10,000 colonoscopies.

  •        Phone starts ringing. Asked to get the surgeon’s phone from their scrub pants pocket. Very awkward. Missed the call.
  •        Phone rings again. It’s about the patient in bed 16. I receive a great SBAR and proceed to give the surgeon a rubbish SBAR.

“And that there is the gallbladder.” “Wait really?!”

 

Evening
1745 Colorectal list is finished! About to run out of the OT when the consultant says “Why don’t you check out what is going on in theatre 4?”
1755 Theatre 4. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy just started.

  •        Asked about Calot’s triangle. Get the answer wrong.
  •        Asked about the biliary tract. Get the answer wrong.
  •        Asked if I even know what a gallbladder is.
  •        Stand outside the OT while they do the IOC.
1845 Emergency appendicectomy.
1933 Escape from the OT. Rip off scrubs and change. Run to the car.
2015 Home. Food. Shower.
2100 Study. Look up Calot’s triangle.
2105 Facebook

  •        Tag friends in memes about surgery
  •        Complain about day
  •        Complain about surgery
  •        Realise I actually really enjoy surgery
2200 Actually study
2300 Probably think it’s time for bed.
2310

Brush teeth. Hop into bed. Fall asleep in 2 seconds.

(Didn’t set alarm)

Arielle Tay
Year 3 Med Student

Diary of a Med Student on Surgery
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