The third time I’m keying in an entry into my laptop.

It’s been getting increasingly difficult to find time to spend in front of the computer for the purpose of blogging. It’s not that I’m spending less time with the computer. The assignments are starting to pour in and things get more and more challenging, complicated and complex. Before I go on, let me just elaborate a little more on how our medical education’s been organized. I’d more or less expected to go through an education that would bring me through Anatomy, Physiology, Biochem and the likes and then slowly proceeding to the hospital. But I guess not. In fact, for this first 8 weeks, it’s termed ‘Foundations’. And for obvious reasons.

We go through lessons on IT – learning to make use of the library and online resources that the faculty subscribes to (which is a lot, they have like all those electronic books, journals and stuff for downloads; we also have lecture podcasts that we can subscribe to; man we even learn how to use Google effectively). IT’s fine. Really. Next comes something which I totally didn’t expect to get myself into. For one, I used to think that medical education would mean learning all about the human body, interacting with patients, you know, all those stuff. But currently I would call our Foundations course something more like personal development. This 8 weeks gives s a chance to participate in 4 major projects:

1) Individual assignment. This is where we pair up to interview an academic. After that, we’re supposed to write up on the interview and do a reflective essay. I chose to interview a pediatrician. Hehe. Oh, a pediatrician is a doctor who specializes in seeing children. Babies!! Cute babies. To treat them when they get sick and start to cry.

2) Group project. In our scenario groups (the second smallest grouping that we have here. Since I’m on the topic of grouping - the largest being the lecture group, ranging from 236 if only Med I to double the amount when the Med II students would join us; then comes the collegia, the 4 major big groups Med I students are classified in, I’m in College A. So within each college of about 60 people, we’re further divided into 5 smaller scenario groups. My group is A1 and has 13 people. Standing by itself is the clinical group of about 7 people. So we would go to the hospital together and learn stuff there together. My principal teaching hospital is Liverpool Hospital in South West Sydney.) Alright. Back to the group project. So we divide our scenario group into 2 and the main project title? The integrated model of health care. Whatever that means???!!! Nevertheless, it’s a group project we have to do. But not the traditional way. It’s kinda like survivor style? Ok, maybe not that bad, we don’t vote people out of the group. Rather, for every meeting, one group member is supposed to sit out and observe how the group functions. Like, no talking at all. He/She is NOT suppose to do anything but just to observe and then later write a report on how the other group members perform or work together. It’s kinda weird? But they say it’s supposed to address 1 of the 8 graduate capabilities – Teamwork. So after everything we’re supposed to do lots and lots of research and come up with a presentation and a report and a reflective essay (yet again).

3) Portfolio – This basically is (yet again) a major reflective essay that addresses everything. We’d have to talk about the things that we’ve learnt, how we can build up to improve on the 8 graduate capabilities we should have. Oh, these are the 8 graduate capabilities by the way:

a) Understanding basic and clinical sciences

b) Social and cultural aspects of health and disease

c) Effective communication

d) Teamwork

e) Self directed learning and critical evaluation

f) Ethics and legal responsibilities

g) Reflective practitioner

h) Patient assessment and management

I mean, they want us to write a 3500 word essay on these… Don’t ask. One really wonders how extremely well I loved GP.

4) Online assessment. We’re supposed to do an online exam in week 7 or something…

5) End of course exam. Basically what they told us was a 2 essays and objective answers paper. Bah, multiple choice say until like that.

Anyways, I’m really happy with this course they’ve planned and everything. Alright, think I will end here and go and study liao! Bye bye!