After five long years of medicine and two years of "extra", I have at last passed everything and am legally permitted to call myself doctor. Oh, and look after patients, under supervision.
People keep asking what I've done to celebrate, and although fizz bottles were waved around (my sister and I shared a tiny bottle of pink cava on a bus, and the other half produced a bottle of proper fizz and a bottle of French kids' fizz, which is the lovely non-alcoholic fruit juice version, wish they sold it here) I have done very little. I don't feel particularly celebratory - my main response was "well thank goodness for that". At least I don't have to go through that ordeal again. "That ordeal" can be either final year or the entirety of medschool, depending on how exhausted I'm feeling at the time.
Honestly, I am just so glad it's over. I have been thanking the friends who got me through that last exam, and the other half for getting me through the whole thing, but I haven't really reflected on my achievements. One day, when I recovered from the relief enough to actually think about it, but not yet.
Maybe that's partly because the celebration is tinged with trepidation and nerves in the "OMG now I actually have to go and be a doctor and have responsibility for people" kind of way but I haven't been dwelling on that. I think gynaecology is a good place to start - there aren't too many life threatening mistakes that a junior can make. Don't miss an ectopic pregnancy (then someone actually could die and it be my fault), and if there's any risk that anyone has a lady-cancer, get a senior to check them out. I think starting in Accident & Emergency (or the Emergency Department, depending on the hospital) would be a lot more scary.
And so, non-existent reader, you may be wondering what's next for this blog - clearly the title doesn't fit any more. You can't try to be a medical student if you're already a a doctor. Or you'd be a bit odd if you did. I have it all planned, I will be moving to pastures new, or basically nextdoor, to www.tryingtobeajuniordoctor.blogspot.co.uk when the time comes that I actually am a junior doctor (i.e. next week). Please do join me there, and don't join me in my hospital, at least not in August - being ill in August is statistically not good for you*.
* I intend to find a reference for this at some point! In the meantime, don't test my claim!
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