Post-exam Trumatic Stress Disorder

When is an ethics paper not an ethics paper?

When St. George's decides not to call it one.

Because in all other names and guises, our last paper was more or less an ethics and population medicine paper. And if they bothered to arrange our papers better, the 75-odd% questions in Paper 3 could be merged with the 50-odd% questions in Paper 2 to make a special ethics and population medicine paper, which, it seems, a lot of the other universities do, to make things more straightforward to study. But no, St. George's doesn't think that way. Not only that, they give ENT questions as GP questions in Paper 3 while they grouped ENT in Paper 2; and each day there were mistakes in the paper - silly mistakes, but mistakes nonetheless.

Okay, enough grouses. At least Paper 1 (the POP, aka Psychiatry-Obs&Gynae-Paediatrics paper) was pretty straightforward and fair. At least I had a little debating background (thank you Sheena!) to fall back on. At least I remember reading about the Mental Capacity Act, enough to actually remember the name. At least Melvin recited the 4 ethical principles to us, although I did forget one (it's Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-maleficence, and...? ah justice. Right.) Speaking of justice, I felt half like I was sitting for a law exam halfway through Paper 3. And if that's what a law exam half feels like I'm glad I'm not doing that! At least I'm not doing law.

It's over, it's over, that's all I can say for certain now. Results on 5th September, so it's happiness and rainbows till then!

And till then, I've got my whole holiday planned out. Started today with a pleasing catch-up with 2 doctors and some Sotonians, then a sojourn up to Edinburgh for more of that fried haggis and fried Mars bars. Not only that (of course), but trips up and down Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill (to work off those fried stuff) and shows and explorations and discoveries with the Edinburgh Month of Festivals (Arts, Fringe, Books, what else could I ask for?!) Then stops at Berlin, Munich, +/- Salzburg, then Paris. Then back to 5th year (if all goes well) and AHO postings, where I meet Mr Loftus in vascular - that'll be interesting.

Well, this holiday was supposed to make up for how life seemed to shut down when studying, but really, it didn't. There were weddings, engagements, visitations, breaking news, leavings, enlightenments, frustrations, graduations, gifts, surprises, laughter, tears... in other words, life as usual. But life without the needling need to study is far more enjoyable!