Had clinic all day Monday. First part was Video Clinic. Here the students sit most of the time in one room, while the tutor treats a patient in another room that is fitted with camera (the patient has consented to being filmed). The case is discussed, before and after, treatment is planned and discussed (followed-up, if it´s a returning patient) and the tutor will then come back and explain what he or she did, and why. A lot of case notes are taken, and students are taught how to look at the diagnosis through Chinese medical eyes, but also with some differential diagnosis from Western medicine and Western pharmacology.
The second part of the day was Observation Clinic. Here we walk around and observe the Third year students as they take their first, stumbling steps in treating people with needles. The first two years of the course is all observation, with rarely any needling done. Diagnostics are done though, and the main process of looking, pulse-taking and tongue-diagnosis (see the earlier post on this for more detail. We will go in more in depth on them later on) are repeated and checked, and a slow internal database of references and concrete experience of how patients look, feel or talk is put into place. A third year student will be in charge of the patient, do the main diagnosis, then walk out and talk it through with the tutor or the clinic supervisor. Advice will be given, both on diagnosis, treatment-plan done to get clearer intent, and the selection of points, then the student goes back to implement it. This is done in the University clinic but also in the Gateway clinic, which is integrated into a London NHS hospital. All through this, extensive case-notes and patient files are kept, checked, and logged.
It´s now barely more than a week before the first semester is over. So...only five more to go before the Bachelor is done. Hooray. Add another two semesters for the full Masters.
We´re going out for drinks tomorrow, students from all three years of the course. That feels like a very good idea right now.
Next week, three tests are due. Two essays and the final test in Anatomy. There is also a presentation as part of one of the other modules.
Drinks. Yeah. Drinks.
