Exam Tips
Interpreting Diagnostic Tests
What are diagnostic tests? A diagnostic test can be defined as ‘any kind of medical test performed to aid in the diagnosis or detection of disease, injury or any other medical condition’. Typically with any diagnostic test some of those at risk will be missed (false...
Understanding the Oxygen Dissociation Curve
What is the oxygen dissociation curve? The oxygen dissociation curve is a graph that plots the proportion of haemoglobin in its oxygen-laden saturated form on the vertical axis against the partial pressure of oxygen on the horizontal axis. The curve is a valuable aid...
Improving Your Confidence
“With confidence, you have won before you have started.” Marcus Garvey The importance of self-confidence Psychologists have long reported that intelligence isn’t the only predictor of academic achievement and that self-confidence is also an excellent predictor...
The Basics of ECG Interpretation (Part 3 – Waves, Segments & Intervals)
Waves, Segments & Intervals In Part 2 of ‘The Basics of ECG Interpretation’, we learnt how to calculate the rate, rhythm and axis. After this has been done the final step in ECG interpretation should be the evaluation of the waves, segments and intervals. ...
The Basics of ECG Interpretation (Part 2 – Rate, Rhythm and Axis)
The ECG Tracing In Part 1 of ‘The Basics of ECG Interpretation’, we learnt that the ECG is a simple diagnostic test that records the electrical activity of the heart over a set time period. The ECG machine does this by creating a trace in which voltage is plotted on...
The Basics of ECG Interpretation (Part 1 – Anatomy and Physiology)
What is an ECG? The electrocardiogram, or ECG, is a simple diagnostic test which records the electrical activity of the heart over a set time period via the process of attaching a series of electrodes at particular points on a patient’s body. Many medical students,...
Making the Most of Your Memory
“Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved” – Thomas Fuller Tricks of the mind There are numerous methods and tricks available that you can use to help you recall information. I have tried all of the ones I...
The Art of Breaking Bad News
Breaking bad news is something that every doctor will have to do many times during his or her career. It can be a tremendously difficult job for the doctor involved and is fraught with potential problems. Many experienced clinicians still find this task anxiety...
