Flying Solo!

I was asked to do consultations with patients by a consultant in his clinic today - alone!

Took histories. Did examinations. The works, basically.

After each patient, I had to present the case history and the examinations' findings to the consultant, who would "follow up" on what I did.

It was pretty nerve-wracking at first.

Mainly because it wasn't like they were the consultant's "regulars" or anything - all of them were new referrals by GPs.

I mean, what if I miss something really important in the history?

What if I fail to pick up some really obvious sign?

What if I offend any of them?

Thankfully, 4 patients and a cup of tea later, the consultant didn't have to retake any histories or redo any examinations from scratch.

Phew. What a relief.