Thank You
I want to use this post to say a couple thank you's: First, a thank you to all those who donate their bodies in the name of medical research. This past Wednesday was our annual "Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving" – a time where the students and staff of the Bute get a chance to meet with the friends and families of the cadavers we dissect, and express our gratitude for their choice. The Chaplain spoke of the Gift of Life they have given to us, helping us to become better health care professionals. At the beginning of our course, we are given a lecture called "Your First Patient," and one of our senior anatomy lecturers tells us about the code of conduct in the dissection room and what a privilege it is to be in a course that offers dissection. I find these words to be true, and while it is a very awkward position to speak with the families of the cadavers we have worked on all year, I found it a good event over all. On Thursday we had our last session of KLCAS. In the second year of our course, we embark on the Kirkcaldy Levenmouth Community Attachment Scheme, which is meant to give us a look into the Community aspect of medicine. We have fortnightly (I love saying that word :-D) sessions with different members of the community healthcare team – GPs, Pharmacists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses/Health Visitors, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, etc. This last session was with either a Health Visitor or a School Nurse. I was placed with a school nurse, and went to a Primary School (P1-P7 – around the same age as 1st through 7th grade – P7s are about 11 years old) to do some pre-high school Health Screening. Height, weight, vision, color vision, and just general health discussion. Every child we saw knew exactly how many portions of fruits and veg they were supposed to have per day (5), but when asked how many they did have, they would be embarrassed and admit to only the 2 or 3. Most high schools here have an open-campus style policy, so lunches are usually eaten at the chip shop right next door. The nurse tried to stress the importance of making healthy choices when faced with difficult eating decisions. The students seemed receptive to the concepts, but I guess only time will tell if they actually follow through. So, a thank you as well to all of the healthcare professionals out there. No matter what role you play or where you work (Fife or not) – medicine would be nothing without you. While KLCAS was not as interactive (on the patient care end) as many of us would have liked, I still enjoyed it over all. It gave me a look into the medical field that I maybe would not have seen had I gone to a different university. One of the first rules I learned in the ER was to respect the nurses. Most medical students learn this one way or another; I'm just glad I learned it before it got me in trouble. :-) Have a great weekend, all. -AMiB
p.s. just hit 100 visitors! excited! :-)
