3 down, 2 to go

Written finals, I never want to see you again!

On Wednesday I had my pathology and data-interpretation paper for 3 hours, followed by my clinical single best answer paper, for another 3 hours. The path paper was off the map, I have never seen an exam like it, and we have been examined at least twice a year for the last 6. The paper bore no resemblance at all to the pre-exam lectures. None. We were told to look at some pictures of histology, but not to worry too much, because we'd get a history with the picture in the exam, and that's what we were really expected to interpret, with the picture for added clues. Well, there were at least 3 pictures with no history at all and one that said "this patient has a cough". Well, that narrows it down! For Heaven's sake, if you want us to learn histopath, fine, we're trained to learn what's required. But why tell us outright not to do so?! Nutters. I was not a happy bunny.

Then in the afternoon, shattered, we went back for the clinical questions. Ok, clinical is easier for final year medics than path, because it relates much more closely to what we do and see on the wards. Still, there were some startlingly ambiguous questions. One started with a patient who had sensory loss in the feet, then went on to say they had no sensory loss. Helpful. Did they or didn't they? I was now not happy and disgruntled, and exhausted!

Luckily, the paper on Thursday morning was so incredibly straightforward that I worried I might have been given the 3rd year's paper instead. Baffling. All that stress on Wednesday and a perfectly reasonable Thursday morning. So on Friday my body gave up and got my usual post-exam cold. I have been so sleepy ever since, you'd think I was gearing up for summer holidays. This might prove to be a mistake as I have my long cases exam on Tuesday and a short case OSCE ('objective structured clinical exam', which is a pretty biased and chaotic exam for medical students) on Wednesday. Let's hope I start getting the fear back or I risk falling asleep in the middle of the exam...