my week #286

On Friday, I came down with flu and have been feeling pretty rotten this weekend. Though before that, I did have a very productive week at work. October is already shaping up to be a busy month and my to-do list is extending at a faster rate than I can currently tick things off. No matter though - some of the things have a deadline months into the future :)

How has your week been?

my week #285

Four tough night shifts on ward cover survived! And to add to this good news, I heard that Rollercoaster Tycoon was being released on Steam for Mac... So no prizes for guessing what I've been doing this weekend while trying to re-jig my sleep pattern for tomorrow.

My free time has been kept busy with a secret, but exciting, project which will undoubtedly be blogged about in due course :)

How has your week been?

my week #283 and #284

Two in one this week! Unfortunately, I was working last weekend so was unable to post last week's pages. They were much more interesting than this week's though. I've blurred out an awful lot as always, there are some things I just don't feel comfortable with sharing with the internet.

Anyway! The weekends really are as awful as they sound and I was glad to get my first out of the way. And now onto nights this week (again)... Eek!

my week #282

A busy week with some exciting developments which will be revealed in due course :)

The one thing I don't like at the moment is the fact that my friends are all so scattered which makes it extremely hard to do impromptu meets. Not least when we factor in weird working hours and days... If any of you are in the same situation, how do you get around this?

How has your week been?

my week #281

This week was a good one. A four day week can never be a bad thing and it was nice to catch up with a good friend on Monday - someone who is doing their foundation years on the other side of London, up in the heart of Essex.

How is it September already?! It only feels like yesterday I was sitting finals (back in April) and now it's almost autumn? As much as I love Christmas, it does feel like 2017 has flown by so far.

How has your week been?

my week #280

After a nice week off, it was good to get back into the swing of work. I was on-call twice this week but the fact I'm not on at all this bank holiday weekend more than makes up for it.

I saw my sister for the first time in weeks on Thursday for a National Burger Day dinner. Even though we only live about 5 miles away from each other, we've barely seen each other since I started work. I suppose this was to be expected and will just take some getting used to!

How was your week?

my week #279

After coming off a mammoth week, I had this week off in return. I spent it catching up with friends, doing some life admin and just relaxing! It's been nice and in a weird way, I'm looking forward to going back to ward work this week.

On Thursday, I met up with a good friend at Dominique Ansel's bakery in Victoria, London. We chose three pastries to share and they were delicious (though pretty pricey!). We opted for the DKA, the Lime Me Up Tart and the Paris-London pastry because the Cronut was sold out by the time we got there. Good company with good food is always a winning combination :)

my week #278

This post is a bit late this week as I was on a mammoth 68 hour week! Anyway, I came off nights this morning and now get a week off for my efforts which is nice.

It's been a tough week as I've been asleep when my friends and family are awake and vice versa. And being the only doctor on dedicated ward cover at night is pretty scary! I'm well supported though as my seniors keep reassuring me that I can ask all the questions I want.

How has your week been?

my week #277

So, I've somehow survived my first week! There have been more good moments than bad ones so I'm counting this week as a success. I'm really enjoying the added responsibility compared to when I was a medical student. Being a foundation year 1 doctor is just about being organised and well... You guys know how I feel about that! (I do love a to-do list!)

I now go onto a seven day week which entails 68 hours of work (minimum) so wish me luck! I get a week off after though; a week I'm filling with friends and family.

How has your week been?

my week #276

This week felt very strange - we had four intense and long days of induction and it felt much more than four days. It was an interesting week though and it was nice getting to know the other foundation  year 1 doctors who we will be working with over the next twelve months.

This weekend has been filled with life admin and just relaxing while I still can...! Tomorrow and Tuesday are 'shadowing' days before the fun and fear sets in properly on Wednesday...

How has your week been?

my week #275

This week has been super hectic - it's the week before work starts on Tuesday (with an induction week) - and it was all about life admin with a graduation ceremony on Thursday.

Graduation was at the Barbican Centre in London - very different to the (ahem, humble brag time) Royal Albert Hall which was my first degree's place of graduation. It was much smaller and more intimate. Now that medical school is pretty much done and dusted with this ceremony, the feeling of being let loose on the wards is scary and exciting in a 50-50 split. Can I please go back to Vancouver where I didn't think about this madness once?!

As a bonus, here is an Instagram photo of myself and two friends at graduation on Thursday :)

How was your week?

my week #274

Yesterday, I returned from a holiday in Vancouver and it was a pleasant relief from the craziness of everything else going on back here in the UK. My planner this week is very bare because I bring a separate notebook when I travel. I'll do a proper write up of the holiday soon as I did have an amazing time :)

Now that I'm back, my to-do list is as long as my arm... Can I go back into holiday mode, please?!

How was your week?

my week #273

This week was all about getting as much life admin done before I go on holiday! On Friday, I jetted off, away from the United Kingdom, for a week's holiday. Graduation is the week after, and then work starts the week after that (eek!). For now, I'm just going to relax and forget about everything else :)

How was your week?

my week #272

So my planner pages are really plain this week which is usually a reflection of how busy I've been. With it now being just over three weeks until the foundation programme starts (eek!), I'm preparing for that, preparing for my holiday (I leave the UK for just over a week on Friday!) and just sorting some general life admin. Everything seems to have come at once which has made things even more stressful!

How has your week been? And how do you cope with times such as these?

my week #271

With just over a month to go until I can no longer say 'sorry, I'm only a medical student', I spent this week making the most of the sunshine and fitting in as much downtime as possible. On Wednesday, I took my mum out to the London Eye and then we spent the rest of the day as tourists. It was blistering hot though and we didn't last that long in the heat. All I'm saying is that I'm glad it got cooler towards the end of the week.

How has your week been?

my week #270

This week has been crazy on various fronts. I had a whole load of life admin to do at the beginning of the week (stuff that I had put off for quite some time!), capped off by a great weekend.

I gave blood for the first time on Friday. Originally, an appointment was booked for last Friday but when I logged into my account the night before, the appointment was gone so I rebooked for this week. It's been a long time coming! So emotional story time: a few decades ago, my mum needed two blood transfusions to save her life and as a result, she can't donate. Hearing this inspired me to give blood in her place and I'm glad I took the plunge. Though I'm not scared of needles/blood/anything gory, it's a different ball game when a huge needle is winging its way towards you! A friend told me to man up and the rest is history...

Yesterday, the Scotland rugby team played Australia in Sydney. Last November, my sister and I saw the same game but at Murrayfield in Edinburgh, only to witness a one point loss. Thankfully, the outcome was different this time: a five point win to Scotland. I've been grinning ear to ear since...

How has your week been?

my week #269

This week, I received some job-related documents and it's all beginning to feel very real! I know how many hours per week I'll be working on average, have deduced how many night shifts I'll have each month and also how many weekends will be sacrificed. It's not looking too bad! Fingers crossed my rota (when I get it) reflects this initial gut feeling.

I've spent the week doing a load of life admin and just taking things a bit easier. My holiday is booked for next month and it's all getting quite exciting. My plan this weekend is to draw up a list of things I want to visit during my holiday and then an itinerary for each day. I did this for my Stockholm trip last summer and it worked out quite well!

How was your week?

my week #268

This is officially my last week on elective and I've had such a good time. I've loved every moment and have learnt a lot more about paediatric surgery. However, with two months free until I start work, the team have allowed me to continue going in if I get bored/have a day off, etc. As someone who struggles to sit still and hates not feeling productive, this is something I really appreciate!

We've had some sweltering weather recently too and the commute has been a sweaty and disgusting mess. Any ideas for how to keep cool in humid conditions?!

How has your week been?

my week #267

This week, London saw a heatwave. Commuting on the tube at the moment is unbearable, particularly during rush hour.

The events on Monday night in Manchester were awful and I cannot fathom how anyone could do something like that. My thoughts are with everyone affected. Seeing armed policemen and policewomen out and about in central London is petrifying and it does make you wonder when all of this madness will stop.

How was your week?

my week #266

Week three of my elective and I'm really enjoying it all! It's tiring with very long days (as it takes so long to get there and back) but it's worth it. I did a whole load of life admin at the beginning of the week too so it feels like I've succeeded in some adult-ing!

I also finally caught up on Grey's Anatomy this week and woahhhh, that finale. Shondra Rhimes does a good job of writing season finales.

How has your week been?