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Notre dame graduates<br />
As you all know, the first posse of Notre Dame graduates were set loose on the<br />
world last year. Here at Notre Damus we’ve been on the hunt ever since to find one<br />
of the gang to report back to us, as one of us, what it’s like out there in the big wide<br />
world. Is it just like House? Or more like Grey’s? Do they give you a royal flush on<br />
your first day? And so the list goes. So, at last we have latched on to Alastair<br />
Scarr, Notre Dame Graduate and Royal Perth Intern, and we’re not letting go.<br />
Alastair has agreed to make this an ongoing thing so if you’ve got anything you’d<br />
like to ask our oracle of wisdom, send ’em in.<br />
The Good & bad<br />
According to Big Al<br />
GOOD BITS<br />
It is just like Scrubs<br />
No more exams for a while<br />
Patients believe you actually<br />
know something<br />
You actually get to make<br />
decisions<br />
Regular pay<br />
Wicked teaching from Regs<br />
Hospital pubs on Friday<br />
Knowing ND students by<br />
name who can run to get coffee<br />
Getting it right and seeing the<br />
results<br />
UWA become colleagues<br />
BAD BITS<br />
Saturday morning ward rounds<br />
Crappy handovers that you are<br />
guaranteed are sorted<br />
Soft referrals to radiology<br />
Paper paper paper<br />
Prescribing drugs for the first<br />
time<br />
Internship: 3 months in<br />
Internship. It’s what you’ve been working and waiting for.<br />
All those lectures, tutes and exams are ultimately directed<br />
here. Is it really just like Scrubs? Yeah I guess. You are very<br />
much on your L-plates. You have earned your wings but you<br />
still know SFA. But you will get to have those ‘I’m really a<br />
doc, I’m actually doing this, I actually made that decision and<br />
got it right” moments. So what I have I learned?<br />
Interns know a lot, but still so little. Can you diagnose and<br />
describe a fracture but can you name the different fractures<br />
of the forearm and describe the appropriate plaster<br />
position? Colles, Smiths, Bartons, Hutchinsons. Don’t<br />
worry, you’ll have plenty of bosses to help you out and<br />
you’ll quickly learn how to source information as you need.<br />
Special investigation<br />
You will have a lot of fun. You will progress through the<br />
year and be able to relate experiences with new colleagues.<br />
Unfortunately you still have no experience in actually getting<br />
the paperwork, phone calls and mundane tasks done. As a<br />
student you should ask the intern or RMO you are working<br />
with to let you make referrals, fill out drug charts, fluid orders and<br />
discharge summaries. This will give you some idea but don’t spend<br />
too much time. You will become rapidly familiar with these tasks<br />
once working and none of it will be on your finals.<br />
For those of you in final years, you might be surprised, as I was, of<br />
the actual relevance of some of the more tedious tasks burdened<br />
upon us by Uni; the clinical skills logbook, for example. I have actually<br />
found myself keeping a daily log of the skills I have performed. I log a<br />
daily learning task, something I encountered and didn’t know enough<br />
about. And sure, a lot of the learning is on the job, but it remains<br />
important to be a self-motivated, self-directed learner.<br />
To me, as a student and an intern, medicine has always been a game.<br />
Perhaps that is an inappropriate way of looking at what many<br />
consider a serious career. But truthfully, I really enjoy showing up<br />
each shift to embrace the challenges of the day. Sometimes you have<br />
an easy win. Some days you get thumped and can’t wait for the final<br />
whistle so you can skulk home. But I still love the sport. Look<br />
forward to seeing you on the field!
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