I\u2019m looking forward to yet another May bank holiday weekend revising for exams. In an idle moment the other day, I realised that I\u2019ve been buried behind a pile of books at this time of year for the last sixteen years (give or take a couple), with school exams, then medical school assessments, and now the first part of my membership exams. <\/p>\n
Sitting exams is pretty much a way of life for junior doctors, but many of my non-medical friends can\u2019t understand why we put ourselves through it. I received an email this morning from a school friend who\u2019s currently sitting on a beach in Mexico, having taken a year off her technology job to travel. That\u2019s just a pipe dream for most of us; I\u2019ve barely seen daylight recently, let alone any sunshine.<\/p>\n
I have total admiration for friends and colleagues who manage to revise whilst working full-time and juggling on calls. I\u2019m doing an MSc at the moment so have had the luxury of a lot of study time, and most of my lectures this term have been geared towards the exam. Still, there\u2019s no guarantee I\u2019ll pass, of course: a past paper question I did the other day, asking about the role of the fire brigade after a gas explosion, demonstrated the breadth of knowledge I\u2019m expected to have a handle on. And I wake up at night in a panic that I\u2019ll have to write an essay on the epidemiology and control of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever. In contrast to the very specific MCQs that made up medical school exams, the skill this time seems to be knowing a little about everything, and being able to scribble both legibly and quickly. I will at least be an asset on quiz teams in future.<\/p>\n
Years of experience have made me a consumate procrastinator: each syllabus topic has a different coloured index card, all my notes are neatly ordered, and \u2013 yes \u2013 my revision timetable\u2019s colour coded too. Our flat has never been as tidy, my husband\u2019s enjoying home baked bread, and I expect quarterly profits of tea bag sales to rocket. However, I think it\u2019s time to limit potential distractions and put the blog on hold. Think of me \u2013 and everyone else revising for exams \u2013 as you enjoy the sunshine this weekend. I\u2019ll be back online at the end of June, but in the meantime, I think it\u2019s time for another cup of tea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m looking forward to yet another May bank holiday weekend revising for exams. In an idle moment the other day, I realised that I\u2019ve been buried behind a pile of […]<\/p>\n