A candid medical memoir on feedback, training, low pay, night shifts, burnout, responsibility and the reality behind emergency medicine.
BST 1 – Q1: Journal Entries
Journal entries from my first quarter in my first year of basic emergency training.
Sacrifice
I sacrifice my time and patience in emergency medicine, growing into a sharper doctor while questioning the life the job demands.
London Calling
I face the MRCS Part B in London, then trade exam anxiety for museums, theatres and a city I could imagine calling home.
Resolute
I question my lifelong path to neurosurgery as emergency medicine awakens a passion I never expected – and a choice I can’t ignore.
Emergency Medicine – First Day
I begin my final house officer rotation in emergency medicine, juggling multiple patients and discovering I thrive in the chaos.
Healing
I find family, purpose and belonging in geriatric medicine as my favourite rotation draws to a close.
Offside
I work pitch-side with Malta’s U16s, reduce my first shoulder dislocation and realise I need more emergency training.
Geriatric Medicine – First Day?
I reluctantly begin geriatric medicine, only to find warmth, friendship and a slower hospital life I never expected to enjoy.
Privilege
I discover the weight and privilege of neurosurgery as life-or-death decisions and fragile patients transform me as a doctor.