It is hard to believe that exam period is finally over. After exactly three weeks of studying like crazy, not studying enough, worrying about exams, doing exams and eating everything in sight they are over. The worst part most definitely was the roller coaster effect of studying like mad for an exam, getting nervous for the exam, the relief of the exam being over then being really tired and not wanting to do any study for the next one.
I found this exam period to be unrelenting. For a start there were 6 of the damn things, all but one focused on familiarity/ memorisation of content rather than grasping and explanation of concepts. This was a completely different experience for me having spent the last 3 years writing essays and doing exams that were rarely worth more than 25%.
Even though I have done well in my course work throughout the semester, the exams were worth between 30-80% of the total mark.
My first written exam was for anatomy and physiology. A&P was the most content heavy subject by a mile and given that it has been 5 years since I did biology, the sheer volume of information that I needed to memorise was very daunting. Just to give you some idea of that volume, for the one week of classes on the endocrine system we had to know the name, function and effect of hypo and hyper-secretion of about 20 different hormones. That was on top of understanding all the structures of the endocrine system and their function. Times that by 11 weeks and you get the picture.
Subsequently, I didn't study anything else other subject in my swotvac week and I know many others who did the same. I found the written exam tough but more doable than expected. This was certainly an exam where those with a background in science were at a significant advantage.
My first written exam was for anatomy and physiology. A&P was the most content heavy subject by a mile and given that it has been 5 years since I did biology, the sheer volume of information that I needed to memorise was very daunting. Just to give you some idea of that volume, for the one week of classes on the endocrine system we had to know the name, function and effect of hypo and hyper-secretion of about 20 different hormones. That was on top of understanding all the structures of the endocrine system and their function. Times that by 11 weeks and you get the picture.
Subsequently, I didn't study anything else other subject in my swotvac week and I know many others who did the same. I found the written exam tough but more doable than expected. This was certainly an exam where those with a background in science were at a significant advantage.
My second exam was for IPE, the "fluffy" subject about interprofessional communication taught by the scary "mutton dressed as lamb" lady. This exam was all multiple choice and only worth 30%. I was already sitting on a 61 before the exam so I didn't intend to do anything more than quickly revisit my lecture notes. This was the only subject where the "airy fairy arts bullshit" background worked in my favour.
The "human development and health across the lifespan" exam was on Thursday afternoon. I had spent so much time focusing on A&P that it felt weird to think about anything else. The title of the unit pretty well says it; we had to know the physical, cognitive and psychosocial changes that occur at each stage in the lifespan. It was a really interesting subject and my classmates and I did find it amusing to learn how the development of the brain impacts every part of your being at every stage of your life. This exam was the most unpredictable. The assessment tasks we'd previously completed ranged from rediculously easy to impossibly hard, so noone knew what to expect. In the end, I was relieved that it was fairly reasonable.
After lifespan it was back to studying A&P again. The second exam was a test in the lab known as the "flag race". The lab was partitioned into stations each with a model of a heart, muscle or bone or a set of test tubes. We had exactly 2 minutes at each station to answer the 4-5 questions on the corresponding worksheet. We had to know the names of the bones and muscle as well as key bone landmarks. We also had to know the origin and insertion points of each muscle.
The actual paramedics subject was assessed over the last two exams. The written one was just plain nasty; if you hadn't done the memorising, you were screwed. That exam was worth 50% and was a hurdle meaning that you have to get a pass mark for the exam to be eligible to pass the unit, regardless of how many marks you've already accrued. The mid semester exam for that subject wasn't too bad, so I prepared for a similar level of difficulty. That proved somewhat of a mistake. I was not at all confident when I left that exam.
The practical assessment is call an OSCE - objective structured clinical examination. In this particularly delightful form of assessment we get to pretend to be a real paramedic and fulfill a long list of criteria whilst surveying a pretend patient third year student. It was a pass/fail hurdle. The thing that had me most worried was the 8 minute time limit. Thankfully my assessor was really nice and my pretend patient was being an 88 year old with an injury to his right wrist. This kind of assessment is so nerve wracking but at least you do get to know straight away whether you passed, which I did.
It was a real team effort studying for that one. My family were great and tolerated having their blood pressure taken often and volunteered their time to act as patients. When ever I saw an exposed arm, in a few seconds a cuff would be on it. I got together with some pals from uni to practice, too, which was a lot of fun. Pretending to be the patient is so much fun!
During exams my Mum went away on a big business trip and my sister had surgery, which added additional stressors, but that's family life for you.
I have not felt so drained in a long time.
Thinking back to some of the early weeks of this course, I can't believe that I made it through. It has been such a steep learning curve in so many ways. I was presented with challenges that I certainly did not anticipate and I have met some wonderful and interesting people whom I hope will stay my friends regardless of whether I pursue paramedics.
Now I finally have some time to contemplate my path forward for next semester. Once I decided that I was going see out the semester, I put my head down and did not allow myself to entertain alternate paths. I knew that it was going to take all of my focus to keep on top of my work and I knew that if I allowed my focus to wander too far into the future, my expectations of my work in the present might slip.
At this point I have many ideas about what I might like to do next semester and I haven't definitively ruled out continuing with the course. I feel certain at this point that whilst I have so much respect for the paramedic field, it is not my vocational calling.
I have a lot of thinking to do, just for a change. Thankfully with a 5 week break, I finally have time on my side.
The "human development and health across the lifespan" exam was on Thursday afternoon. I had spent so much time focusing on A&P that it felt weird to think about anything else. The title of the unit pretty well says it; we had to know the physical, cognitive and psychosocial changes that occur at each stage in the lifespan. It was a really interesting subject and my classmates and I did find it amusing to learn how the development of the brain impacts every part of your being at every stage of your life. This exam was the most unpredictable. The assessment tasks we'd previously completed ranged from rediculously easy to impossibly hard, so noone knew what to expect. In the end, I was relieved that it was fairly reasonable.
After lifespan it was back to studying A&P again. The second exam was a test in the lab known as the "flag race". The lab was partitioned into stations each with a model of a heart, muscle or bone or a set of test tubes. We had exactly 2 minutes at each station to answer the 4-5 questions on the corresponding worksheet. We had to know the names of the bones and muscle as well as key bone landmarks. We also had to know the origin and insertion points of each muscle.
The actual paramedics subject was assessed over the last two exams. The written one was just plain nasty; if you hadn't done the memorising, you were screwed. That exam was worth 50% and was a hurdle meaning that you have to get a pass mark for the exam to be eligible to pass the unit, regardless of how many marks you've already accrued. The mid semester exam for that subject wasn't too bad, so I prepared for a similar level of difficulty. That proved somewhat of a mistake. I was not at all confident when I left that exam.
The practical assessment is call an OSCE - objective structured clinical examination. In this particularly delightful form of assessment we get to pretend to be a real paramedic and fulfill a long list of criteria whilst surveying a pretend patient third year student. It was a pass/fail hurdle. The thing that had me most worried was the 8 minute time limit. Thankfully my assessor was really nice and my pretend patient was being an 88 year old with an injury to his right wrist. This kind of assessment is so nerve wracking but at least you do get to know straight away whether you passed, which I did.
It was a real team effort studying for that one. My family were great and tolerated having their blood pressure taken often and volunteered their time to act as patients. When ever I saw an exposed arm, in a few seconds a cuff would be on it. I got together with some pals from uni to practice, too, which was a lot of fun. Pretending to be the patient is so much fun!
During exams my Mum went away on a big business trip and my sister had surgery, which added additional stressors, but that's family life for you.
I have not felt so drained in a long time.
Thinking back to some of the early weeks of this course, I can't believe that I made it through. It has been such a steep learning curve in so many ways. I was presented with challenges that I certainly did not anticipate and I have met some wonderful and interesting people whom I hope will stay my friends regardless of whether I pursue paramedics.
Now I finally have some time to contemplate my path forward for next semester. Once I decided that I was going see out the semester, I put my head down and did not allow myself to entertain alternate paths. I knew that it was going to take all of my focus to keep on top of my work and I knew that if I allowed my focus to wander too far into the future, my expectations of my work in the present might slip.
At this point I have many ideas about what I might like to do next semester and I haven't definitively ruled out continuing with the course. I feel certain at this point that whilst I have so much respect for the paramedic field, it is not my vocational calling.
I have a lot of thinking to do, just for a change. Thankfully with a 5 week break, I finally have time on my side.
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