I thought the mornings couldn't get any earlier. Sadly had to get up at 0650 today, although on the plus side managed to get a lift in with Tom, instead of walking through the rain. The reason for the early rise was a 0745 tutorial with one of the surgeons, this morning's topic being fracture management. I'm always impressed when people teach completely off the cuff, no powerpoints or gimmicks, just a whole ton of knowledge and the ability to feed off the group and turn it into a constructive session. Very impressive. Covered management of fractures generally, as well as specifics - I think the surgeon intended to do a quick run through most of the main ones but there was so much to talk about that we only managed fingers and wrist!
Following that we trudged downstairs for the board round. This was the first day I'd met the new F2s, as I was not around the hospital yesterday when they started (cough). Four new F2s, working with two F1s. They all seemed really nice. Amazing how pretty much everyone up here went to Glasgow. I guess it makes sense, but kind of expected more mixing, as I meet junior doctors in London who are from all over, yet everyone here seems to have trained locally (that means within a 3 hour drive in Scotland...)
Tried to help with some of the mornings jobs, before chatting to the new F2s. Tom disappeared off to A&E early on, didn't see him for the rest of the day! Those of us left behind occupied ourselves with small jobs before heading to the accomodation upstairs for a bit of TV and lunch. Managed to catch Helicopter Heroes, quite strange watching it whilst sat in a hospital.
In the afternoon we had a long teaching session run by one of the anaesthetists, the subject of choice being airway management. Common topic that gets covered alot, but as they were saying it's vital and everytime we cover it we'll pick up small new things and just reinforce the old ideas until they're automatic, subconscious, which is what they need to be when shit hits the fan. For example picked up that an adequate jaw thrust should dislocate the temperomandibular joint, something I hadn't realised before. Also when doing a jaw thrust thinking about where my hands are placed on the patients face - ie not squashing the eyes with my palms or crushing the submental tissues and making the airway worse. Simple things that I hadn't appreciated/thought about before so useful to cover. Had a chance to practice on the models, play around with all the different bits of kit including an intubating laryngeal mask airway (ILMA) which I'd never seen before, as well as a surgical tracheostomy device. I've come across these insitu in patients, but had never seen one out of the body before - basically the bottom half of a normal endotracheal tube with a bend at the top, instead of coming out of the mouth they come straight out of the front of the throat!
A brief look round the doctors office signalled not much going on, so I headed back to the house via a wander through the shops. Managed to print off some scales/pieces once back and cracked out the violin, ended up practising for over 2 hours. Sounding so much better now, but think I need some rosin. Getting the broken thirds going, never really enjoyed exercises/scales on cello but I think playing lots of Bach on the piano over the past year or two has got me into the mind set. I used to avoid playing Bach as I didn't find the preludes enjoyable on the piano, and the fugues were always just insanely complex and impossible to get my head around. After reading a book on my Dad's recommendation though, on Bach's life, Pablo Casals and the authors experiences trying to learn to play the suites, I started to get into it. Coupled with playing the organ again, and going back to the preludes and fugues for piano it was as if I'd suddenly just discovered the music properly for the first time.
Tuna/sweetcorn/mayo/baked potato dinner, sticky toffee pudding desert - Grand Designs and then Little Miss Sunshine = evening over. Enjoyable film, bit nauseating at the end but surprisingly moving. Amazing performance by girl playing Olive (Abigail Breslin), I read after that she was nominated for an academy award. Also skyped folks, trying to arrange a visit to Lewis for the end of August, would be great if they can come up!
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