Meddies

I have 2 medical students who come to the ward once a week for an afternoon. They go and see patients and examine them.

I am the one who they ask for "interesting cases".

Yesterday I told them to see Mr B and do a lower limb neurological examination on him. I wanted to see if they could detect his sustained clonus. They did and they were so jakun. I smiled looking at their excited faces. I know what it's like...seeing with your own eyes all the symptoms and signs that you've only just read in books.

I also told them to do a hand examination on Mrs H. She has severe rheumatoid arthritis hands and Raynaud's phenomenon.

All I can say is they had a very enjoyable afternoon!

I know it is insensitive to get excited over people's sufferings. We are only excited on an academic basis only. Diagnoses are sometimes made just through observation. If you see a hand like that, you don't need to ask any questions, you know straight away that the person has rheumatoid arthritis.

On that note, I have seen many things as an intern which I never got to see as a medical student. Mostly because I was a lazy medical student and secondly because things always happen when you (the medical student) is not there. Hehehe.