GP (1)

Sometimes sitting in with GP can be very frustrating. For a start, I resent the university forcing us to attend the GP every monday throughout the whole of the fourth year. That's a fifth of the time spent at the GP. And it has to be a full day - I was told off for going back to the hospital one monday when the GP let us off at lunch time. I'm not saying that there is nothing to learn in GP surgery. I just feel that our time as medical student is limited, I much rather be learning and seeing as many specialised things that I might not see again until I qualify as possible. For example, I spent the last four weeks attached to Neurology and I am still not sure if I am absolutely confident diagosing and managing neurological disorders. I thought four weeks were simply not enough to grasp everything in such a massive specialty - and this is worsened by compelling us to spend bloody 20% of the time seeing cough and cold, sick note, medication review etc. The community medical education advocates argue that the common things are what we are expected to face most of the time when we qualify. But people expect doctors to know not only common things, but also a breadth of weird and wonderful disease. Whether it's rare or common, it's irrelevant. I mean that's what people go to doctor, isn't it? Every sensible parent know sore throat in children is quite normal and may well be aware that bit of calpol, fluid and rest will suffice, but they see the doctor 'just to get it checked out'. I certainly want my doctor to have at least seen some very ill patient, so when he sees one himself, if he cannot diagnose it, he would at least think about it. There's an old saying in clinical medicine 'if you don't think about it, you'll never find it'. One day I must compile a statistics on the proportion of time we spend on each specialty throughout medical school.

GPs are not all bad. When I do get enthusiastic tutor, the day can be rather enjoyable, sometimes to the point of inspiring me to contemplate a career in GP. When I am allowed to do stuff, like taking history and examination, apply plaster, dip some urine or play with baby for example, I'd be even more elated as oxygen fills my dying brain. Unfortunately, medical students are shoved to the corner for the entire surgery most of the time.

This semester, the GP is a let down. He's alright - he goes through the PBL case with us before the start of surgery every morning. But he just rambles on and on. I like to talk and demonstrate my knowledge but I hardly have the opportunity to open my mouth. He's so patronising. We are fourth year now and he talks to us like first year students. More often than not, my monday morning freshness is killed just 10 minutes into his incoherant lecture. With the patients, his listening skill was awful (doesn't surprise me - it's all about him talking). And my goodness, the way he drags his sentences drive me up the wall! However, the good thing is that he does arrange patient with conditions relevant to our PBL case for us to meet each week. So PBL wise he's been quite helpful.

To be continued.