8 sleeps to go until D-Day
8 more days and counting to the start of biggest exams of my life.
This is it, the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Final Examination. For about 9 months I've been preparing for this, and for the last 3-4 months, it's been pretty much all I've been doing. Other than the podcast, I haven't been out, I didn't do Mardi Gras, I don't have any chat accounts on any sites any more, and I've even removed things like ISpQ and MSN/Yahoo from the computers as well - such is my desire to not be distracted.
I've been waking up, going to work, coming home and studying. On weekends or days off, I go to the The University of Sydney or the State Library and sit there all day, with drinks, lunch and snacks, and study until it's time to come home for dinner.
Most of my life is now on hold. Friends, family, everyone. No one sees me at all.
Needless to say, I'm completely over it and just want it done.
But it's a big exam - one where they can ask you almost anything relevant to Anaesthetics, and in multiple formats. I'll be given questions like:
In patients with phaeochromocytoma
A. Paroxysmal hypertension is the most common presentation
B. Initial treatment should be with beta blockade if tachycardia is present
C. Excesses of adrenaline and noradrenaline occur with equal frequency
D. Urinary Vanillyl Mandelic Acid (VMA) studies may be normal.
E. Extra adrenal tumours occur in 2% of pts.
A 40-year-old woman presents having been trampled on by a horse. She has a compound fracture of her arm requiring surgery and bruising over the centre of the chest with a fractured sternum. List the injuries to the heart that may be caused by this blunt trauma. If she had no signs or symptoms of cardiac injury list and justify any screening investigations for cardiac injury you would perform prior to anaesthesia.
A 75 year old man, who already is on your Hospital’s waiting list to undergo Aortic valve replacement and Coronary artery bypass grafting, is admitted at midday with a diagnosis of acute pulmonary oedema. You are contacted at 5.30 pm by the Head of Cardiac Surgery who wishes to operate on this man immediately. What will be your response to the Surgeon?
This is only a subset - there's a massive collection of things that could be asked.
I go through phases of thinking "I can do this" and then hours later have phases of "I haven't got a hope." It's nerve-wracking.
I'll do a series of papers and live examinations with real patients next Friday and Saturday 3rd/4th April, and then another series of live examinations in Melbourne in late May. I'm just hoping that this is the only time I have to do this - I'm not really keen to put my life on hold for much longer.
Things that I'm dreaming of being able to do after the exams are done are the things that are keeping me going: Travel (overseas and domestic), Guitar Hero 3 World Tour, lazy Saturdays in coffee shops with new and old friends, and finally being able to sign up on the chat sites again - they're the reason I haven't gone mad yet!
May I say, Russel has been sterling through all of this - putting up with all of this, and not complaining at all. Must take him overseas when it's all over as a thank you.
See you all when I come up for air next.
This is it, the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Final Examination. For about 9 months I've been preparing for this, and for the last 3-4 months, it's been pretty much all I've been doing. Other than the podcast, I haven't been out, I didn't do Mardi Gras, I don't have any chat accounts on any sites any more, and I've even removed things like ISpQ and MSN/Yahoo from the computers as well - such is my desire to not be distracted.
I've been waking up, going to work, coming home and studying. On weekends or days off, I go to the The University of Sydney or the State Library and sit there all day, with drinks, lunch and snacks, and study until it's time to come home for dinner.
Most of my life is now on hold. Friends, family, everyone. No one sees me at all.
Needless to say, I'm completely over it and just want it done.
But it's a big exam - one where they can ask you almost anything relevant to Anaesthetics, and in multiple formats. I'll be given questions like:
In patients with phaeochromocytoma
A. Paroxysmal hypertension is the most common presentation
B. Initial treatment should be with beta blockade if tachycardia is present
C. Excesses of adrenaline and noradrenaline occur with equal frequency
D. Urinary Vanillyl Mandelic Acid (VMA) studies may be normal.
E. Extra adrenal tumours occur in 2% of pts.
A 40-year-old woman presents having been trampled on by a horse. She has a compound fracture of her arm requiring surgery and bruising over the centre of the chest with a fractured sternum. List the injuries to the heart that may be caused by this blunt trauma. If she had no signs or symptoms of cardiac injury list and justify any screening investigations for cardiac injury you would perform prior to anaesthesia.
A 75 year old man, who already is on your Hospital’s waiting list to undergo Aortic valve replacement and Coronary artery bypass grafting, is admitted at midday with a diagnosis of acute pulmonary oedema. You are contacted at 5.30 pm by the Head of Cardiac Surgery who wishes to operate on this man immediately. What will be your response to the Surgeon?
This is only a subset - there's a massive collection of things that could be asked.
I go through phases of thinking "I can do this" and then hours later have phases of "I haven't got a hope." It's nerve-wracking.
I'll do a series of papers and live examinations with real patients next Friday and Saturday 3rd/4th April, and then another series of live examinations in Melbourne in late May. I'm just hoping that this is the only time I have to do this - I'm not really keen to put my life on hold for much longer.
Things that I'm dreaming of being able to do after the exams are done are the things that are keeping me going: Travel (overseas and domestic), Guitar Hero 3 World Tour, lazy Saturdays in coffee shops with new and old friends, and finally being able to sign up on the chat sites again - they're the reason I haven't gone mad yet!
May I say, Russel has been sterling through all of this - putting up with all of this, and not complaining at all. Must take him overseas when it's all over as a thank you.
See you all when I come up for air next.