learning medicine

this is a big week for you

it marks the first time you are part of a clinical team (however loosely)

you are also let loose on the general public whilst wearing stethoscopes round your necks

so make the most of it!
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more than anything else SEE PATIENTS!!!

nothing teaches you medicine like your patients, no amount of wonderful professors or brilliant lectures can substitute for getting to know the stories of real people (and having responsibility for making them better)

i strongly recommend you make a spreadsheet/notebook/database in which you record every patient you see

list: initials, hosp number, age, gender, PC, diagnosis & outcome

if you are disciplined you will have an unparalleled learning resource by the time you hit finals

how many patients do you think you will see?

go on, have a guess
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whilst patients are by far the most important thing, they are not sufficient

you will also have to read

i have already offered suggestions for neurology texts

i like davidsons (more chatty & coherent than kumar & clark, but less detail)

harrisons is excellent - don't let its size put you off - the first 50-odd chapters on presenting complaints are really useful & often the first thing i look at



Salaam


sabih