Aestivation
AESTIVATION
Coming back from Spain, I had some serious business to attend to. It was time to sit down, buckle up and prepare myself for everything that lay ahead.
In less than a month, I would be resitting the MRCEM Part B exam. This time around, I was studying as much as I was supposed to, writing my own notes and going through question banks over and over again like crazy. While I would still have one more attempt to progress to the next stage of my career if I failed it a second time, I didn’t want to use it for one simple reason: I didn’t want to waste any more time or money. By my count, I still had seven exams left before I could specialise. That was already way more than enough exams!
A few weeks after that, I would also have the biennial departmental exam, which consisted of OSCEs – live, scenario-based clinical stations that we would have to work through in front of examiners. I hadn’t sat an exam like that since my attempt at the MRCS Part B, which I had failed by a measly two points, although I had been severely underprepared for it. So yeah, I really had to roll up my sleeves and get my crap together if I wanted to pass both exams.
Add to that the seemingly endless list of academic requirements I still had to complete before my training programme came to an end, and I was on the brink of yet another mental breakdown. I had to finish my portfolio, complete the write-up for my audit and attend several remaining skills and simulation sessions. I’d have to lock myself inside and prepare for my summer hibernation. In just one month, I had to have everything ready.
Balance (Once Again)
While I was going full steam ahead trying to get everything done, I was also acutely aware of how important it was to maintain some of the balance I had found over the years.
I had to take a step back from fitness, reducing my six-day training programme to just two days a week, with the occasional bike ride, kayaking trip or scuba dive to keep me from pulling all my hair out. Going to work only to come home and lock myself in my room to study was driving me crazy, to say the least. I therefore challenged myself to cover as much material as possible whenever I sat down, allowing me to free up more time to do whatever I felt like doing.
Most of the time, that meant going to the beach and spending an hour or two freediving. The number of snorkelling masks I managed to retrieve from depths of around 15 to 20 metres towards the end of the summer season was insane. My close friends had happily given them a second home and a fresh start. The rest I’d hand out to people hanging out by the beach like some misunderstood, deranged weirdo who’s only intention was to spread joy and have everyone become an ambassador of the sea.
And that’s how it went for the rest of the summer. It was a period characterised by equal parts hard work and fun. With my rotations still ongoing, I had way more free time than I would otherwise have working at the ED, and so, I made sure not to waste any of it.
Big Plans
There were also a couple of other things keeping me busy. While I was working extra hard to make the best of my present, I had great expectations for the upcoming months.
You see, my thirtieth birthday was right around the corner – just one day after the MRCEM exam, as it were. While I’m not usually big on birthdays, I figured I’d want to celebrate this one. In fact, wanted to spend an entire week doing my favourite things, surrounded by my favourite people, which required a fair amount of logistics and planning in itself. And, as it turned out, compartmentalising a ton of different friend groups and fitting them into individual events reserved specifically for them wasn’t particularly easy. In the end, however, I managed to do exactly that.
Then there was yet another matter to deal with – my annual big trip. Ever since returning from Jordan, I had felt somewhat uninspired when it came to travelling. Following my trekking trips through Albania and Spain, I had to admit that I was experiencing a degree of travel exhaustion. Planning my next trip felt more like a chore than something to look forward to, and although I had chosen a fantastic destination, I simply wasn’t feeling it. I figured I might feel differently once I had finished my BST training programme, provided I managed to finish it at all. Until then, I continued doing my best to create an itinerary that packed in as many adventures as humanly possible.
By the end of the month, I had done everything in my power to cross the remaining tasks off my list while biding my time for whatever lay ahead. The rest would be up to fate.