Out of all the clinical skills sessions so far, BnB’s has been the one with the least new to us. It was identical to last years in practice, but in theory was a lot more in-depth. We weren’t allowed to whack a knee or tickle a patch of skin without saying what we were checking for and why.
Being taught by Foundation Year Docs is usually a mixed bag. Don’t get me wrong; they’re all skilled and give me confidence that I’ll know my stuff by the time I’m let loose on the public, but the way they articulate and teach this knowledge to us in clinical skills is either hit or miss.
Luckily we had a decent FY1 on Friday, and I came away more sure about how to carry out the examination and the theory behind what I was checking for, mytomes, dermatomes, reflexes – the lot. And I mastered the art of using the tendon hammer. Just hold the thing right at the end so it wobbles around and thump the intended area. Hasn’t failed me yet.
Clinical Skills can often seem pointless as we never find anything vaguely pathological on each other, and we never see anyone of the opposite sex. I was glad, then, that I saw the Parkinsons patient in EPC earlier in the week as it really helped me and hopefully my colleagues who I tried to describe cogwheeling, etc. to.
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