Category: Uncategorized
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I’m done. Final year is over. Twelve weeks at Bara — over. Where do I even start? It’s been one and a half weeks since I got back home, and everything feels a bit numb. Life was so intense, so stimulating, that it almost feels strange to just… exist in normal surroundings again. I don’t…
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Depending on how things go, this might be the last post on my blog. My last shift is Friday night – which also means my last shift as a medical student. Ever. I can’t quite believe how fast time has passed. So, what happened at work? Honestly, I’m way past the point of what you…
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I honestly don’t even know where to start. Last weekend was payday – and I ended up working about 38 hours out of 48. And holy smokes, that was pure madness. Friday night started off quiet, almost suspiciously quiet, until around 5 AM we suddenly got completely flooded. Eight patients from an MVA (motor vehicle…
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Okay, long time no post here – sorry for that! I was busy, as always 😀 My extension here is finally confirmed and I’m really happy about it. Not only because I can keep learning, but also because I don’t have to spend another 8 weeks in a far less exciting surgical setting, my final…
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Almost 2 weeks since my last post. A lot has happened. I continued working most days and i did plenty of procedures. Suturing and scrubbing as usual. Most „interesting“ scrubbing patient: IV drug user, 0,0 veins so i inserted a 16 Gauge I.V. Into his external jugular vein…..Back home I would’ve gotten killed for that.…
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Insanity. There’s really no better word to describe what’s going on here during night shifts – especially on weekends. I just woke up after my last one and the impressions are still intense. So many patients dying. One came in with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest – they opened his chest in resus for…
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It took me almost a week to get back on my feet again. Still not fully at 100%, but with ibuprofen and a bit of nasal spray I’m doing quite alright. I already did two shifts in the ER – and today I had my first flight in a helicopter. It felt really strange at…
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It looks like that traveling for thousands of kilometers and then just working 7 days straight is not one the best ideas i had so far – after my night shift i kept sleeping for almost 2 days and developed a cold….even a bit of fever. So i am out for the next few days….its…
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Since my arrival, I worked every day between 10–12 hours on average, including one night shift so far. That night really hit hard – like being in a war zone. Words can’t really describe how i feel after that shift, it is just so different to everything i have ever experienced. At around 3–5 a.m., there…
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So apparently everything worked out pretty well. The flight was smooth, I got picked up at the airport and my apartment is actually pretty nice. But what hit me immediately: it’s cold. Especially in the house – there’s basically no insulation. The windows are leaky and there is no heating. I usually sleep in a…
My elective as a medical student in South Africa 