This has become the year of placements. Currently, we are learning medicine systematically; after studying each system (renal, GI, respiratory, etc) we then do a week-long placement in hospital, learning basic clinical skills, such as history taking and examination, which are relevant to that system. Sounds great, but for me it has meant spending half my week on a bus, being dagged across the west country and vomiting repeatedly in front of everyone I know.

Next week is our gastro placement, and I have to say I'm looking forward to it significantly less that my cardiac or respiratiory placements. Partly because the shine is off the apple now, and the format of these weeks has started to become repetitive; partly because the hospital at which I'm on placement is very small, meaning that it can be difficult to find patients prepared to be manhandled for the umpteenth time, bt largely it's just because I really don't like intestines one little bit, and even my new and beautifully pink stethoscope can't cheer me up.

However annoying the placement may be, it is far less troublesome than what we're doing after it: the dreaded neurology. The nervous system is really the chink in my armour, and I struggle to grasp even fairly basic concepts. But the system is six weeks long, and I know it's going to pass as quickly as the hundred years war. But for all that the course is becoming difficult and at times, dull, I still wouldn't rather be doing anything else.