Choice

I try not to get politically but something really annoyed me today. I was watching the news and Lord Darzi came on talking about patient choice, patient centred care and etc.

It all sounds good at a first glance but I just fail to see why care should be dictated to by patients with no medical experience. Understandably we should not live in fear of entering a hospital, but at the same time budget, hospital location and referrals should be in the hands of clincal staff and management. Not passed down from government on a whim.

It makes me want to break into Darzi's home sometimes and just slap him with a fish. Seriously, polyclinics and choice and lack of accountability make me want to scream at how stupid this government is. I'm moving to America once I'm through med school!!!

Apple Really Knows The Little Things

Quick post, I've just noticed that if music or a film is playing on my ipod nano and I pull out the headphones, the music will pause after about 3 seconds. Something so simple but such a cool design trick. Thanks Apple

Здравствуйте

Nope, the title isn't a typo. It's hello in Russian. This post is really about an embarrassment that I'm not sure many British citizens would acknowledge. You see when I went on holiday to Mallorca last year, every European I met spoke minimum 2 languages. I never had trouble with translation as often my fellow holiday makers spoke fluent English, which to be honest embarrassed me.

Multilingualism was often compulsory at school, appearing to be a normal expectation within European citizens. However there I laid in the sun, with only a pocket book back home full of rude French words.

This embarrassment lead to me learning sign language and I have also decide that I will use the following summer months to learn a language. I've yet to decide but I'd love to learn Russian. Something draws me to the language, however Spanish, Polish or French would also be wise choices. ED -- (Opinions Welcome)

I don't know if anyone else understands or has experienced this but I hope I've conveyed it well.

Saying Goodbye

Off to a meal tonight, saying goodbye to a friend. She's moving to Australia because of a parent's job. I'm going to miss her but it makes me think about what me and my family wanted to do a few years ago.

You see we were planning to immigrate to Canada. We tried for four years, but unfortunately it didn't work out. They simply didn't want us. So we moved on, naturally devastated but we thought about our lives here and it's helped me to release how lucky I am in Britain. Don't get me wrong, if I could I'd be on the first plane to Canada, America or New Zealand but I'm glad I was raised in England.

So I understand why my friend is going, she's got the chance of a better life in a new country. Who could say no to that? I just hope she'll knows how good a friend she was.

Thanks Leah

Exam Results

(Sorry for the long post, it's an issue I've let build and now feel the need to express on my blog)

All my exams are now over and I cannot stop smiling, well actually I do ever time I release how I've wasted a year. I've held off from posting my AS Jan results on here because I'm embarrassed that I didn't kick myself up the arse and work.

Chemistry - C
Law - C
Maths - C
Biology - D

These grades were appalling in January and I can only blame myself. I went to every party the college had, I joined the hockey team, joined the student union, spent free periods in subway and spent nearly half my week at work. It was poor organisation and yet my motivation is medicine, surely it should have been a walk in the park.

Naturally I resat every exam but fear the outcome will not be much better. My current modules were great but I fear the resits will not have a better outcome. I expect I'll have to carry all on to A2 so I can resit again, but I have learnt something from this year. Revise from the beginning!!! I wish someone had told me at the start, I could have saved myself some hassle and the cost of resits. I know that if I can get my grades to As and resit within the two years, I'll be fine for medicine but it's work that I should have released I didn't need to do.

The worst thing is none of my friends get it. I try to explain that if I retake the whole year, that less than 10 med schools would even considered me, that UCAS would sell my story down the river in a heartbeat. It's lost on them, many of their careers while academic do not worry about retakes.

I've already started research and developing review methods. I've found some electronic flash card software and am looking at exam papers so I use them much earlier in my learning stages. I hope it doesn't come across as wanting pity, because I don't. I may have risked my chance of a (BARTS) medical school place, something I'll have to live with, but I accept that it rests solely with me.