Looking Forward

Mon 18th April

One GP rotation;
Two written assignments; and
Three days of OSCEs

are all that stand between me and graduation.

That is at once awesomely exciting and tremendously scary - in a little over 5 months, I will start work as an actual doctor. I won't have to persistently correct people who mistake me for the real thing, but I will have to take the decisions by myself, without anyone holding my hand. No more rewriting drug charts and then handing them over to be checked and signed - but no more handing over responsibility, either.

My last day of medical AHO rotation was a lovely round-off to the whole thing. Dr K (the consultant) very sweetly told me when signing my form that I must have done well, because no one could think of anything bad to say about me, and everyone on the ward loves me! They all told me I'll do fine next year, and every time I doubt myself, I must poke myself and remember Dr K telling me he'd have absolute faith in me to manage his ward and do the right thing. Altogether, a brilliantly positive ending to what has been a mixed placement and a steep learning curve.

Next time I'm on a hospital ward, I'll be Dr Lesley Bull....