As a second year med student I've done about 45 academic weeks so far, in that time I've had about 40 P.B.L.s, seen about 60 patients in person and had 15 sessions in the skills lab.
Some things I've done to (willing) patients
- History taking
- GI exams
- Cardiology Exams
- Respiratory Exams
- Neuro Exams
- Fundoscopy
- Taken blood pressure
Things I've done to other students and Myself
- Blood sugar levels
- Urine analysis (dip stick)
- Backslabs (Plaster Casts)
Things I've done on dummies
- Used an AED (defibrillator pads, quick somebody shout "CLEAR!")
- Venopuncture
We've also had teaching blocks with lectures and PBLS on
- Metabolism (Yr 1)
- Gastrointestinal system (Yr 1)
- Cardiac system (Yr 1)
- Respiratory system (Yr 1)
- Renal system (Yr 2)
- Musculo-skeletal system (Yr 2)
- Nervous system (Yr 2, in progress)
Anyway you're basically up to date with where I am now, suffice to say that at the end of the first semester of second year, I love medicine, I look forward to going to uni and hospital and I still come home excited abut what I've learned (trust me all my friends and family have come to know my ophthalmoscope, tendon hammer, tuning fork, stethoscope, sphygmomanometer etc etc). Buying new toys is fun, though I don't know how many more I'll be buying for a while as I resigned from my paid job last week so that uni could have my full attention.
30 Days until my first exam block of second year.
Melanie, most schools have embraced PBL, however to a varying degree. We, for instance, integrate 4 hours of weekly PBL with about 4 hours in the hospital, 8-9 hours of lectures and 4 hours of histology or anatomy (cadaver lab) pracs. Some schools have PBL's but as less of a focus. Virtually all of the schools now incorporate PBL to some degree.
That's amazing. I just started my 2nd year of medical school. It seems like our PBL curriculum is quite different. Although, I am not a student in an Australian University, I am interested in gaining experience there. I assume by PBL you mean problem based learning? Are there any schools in Australia that still incorporate traditional method of teaching?