Categories: uncategorized
Date: 05 February 2008 12:35:44
Apologies for the paucity of wiblogging. I haven't been crazily busy, just a bit sluggish. You know, the heat and all.
So it's been good. I'm staying in nurses' quarters, approximately 2 minutes walk from the hospital door (I am currently in the library, midway between quarters and hospital door). This is very convenient. I like having a short commute.
I've been on the medical ward (this being my general medicine rotation) and it is rather interesting. It is good to have the reality check of being there the whole day. Sort of a relief actually. During years 1 and 2 we tended to just see the "interesting" cases and the nice people in tutorials and it was a bit like an episode of some medical show.
The people I follow around are very nice and are keen for me to practice jabbing and poking patients and stuff. Today they asked if I wanted to drain a pleural effusion (fluid around the lung) however I declined as I had never even seen it done hence wasn't really up to trying it myself. There are some important bits around the lung I believe :p
Yeah so I spend the mornings doing ward rounds, then the afternoons vary depending on what my team is rostered for that day. Tomorrow is admissions, which means hanging around emergency... admitting people.
Big challenge here is language. A lot of people don't speak English. Or can't speak enough to tell you what's wrong. Or they're assumed to not speak English by doctors who talk to much... there are interpreters available but it can take a while to find one who speaks the right language (Alice Springs is sort of at the centre of the regions for four main languages). I have learnt that in one of the languages pica means pain and wiya means no. That's about the extent of my language acquisition.
I haven't taken any photos yet. Maybe this weekend I will go out and do that... and there are some great views out the windows of my ward. Apparently if you can avoid reflection, the window tint gives a nice filtered... erm... photo thing..
Oh yes! Pooka has been to an obedience class! She started last Saturday (which was her birthday incidentally) and it sounds like a good time was had. UNFORTUNATELY some dog there gave her kennel cough so she is in quarantine for a week. But my mother is quite pleased because it'll give them time to work on "watch". Apparently Pooka is more interested in watching the treat than my mother.