6th year – first semester

Everybody was affected in some part of way regardless of vocation. As medical students, it was particularly harder not only due to disruption of education and clinical clerkships but also joining in the first line fight against this virus. This being one in a generational occurrence brings a lot of opportunities but also brings subject to personal trauma having zero to none pandemic preparedness training.

Having started preparing for my state exam during pandemic, it was an unusual circumstance. We had to adjust to a completely different style of learning. A lot of our clinical rotations were cancelled or diverting while more often than not we had lectures at particularly odd hours in order to fill in the gaps. My first state exam was Internal Medicine which is a heavily clinically based subject. The situation was so dire whereby some of the original wards were turned into Covid-19 wards just to accommodate these patients.

I am currently on my surgical rotation. I have to admit it is not as bad as my previous one even we can only be allowed to go the operating theatres once or twice per week. Nevertheless, we are slowly adjusting to what seems to be the new normal.

My last two state exam will be paediatrics and obstetrics & gynaecology. I am sure the situation will be more adaptable to the situation and we hope to get more clinical lessons rather than the current online structure.