End of 4th year

There is no doubt that medicine is time-consuming. Successful students and graduates agree in at least one thing- it is necessary to study regularly and quite intensively. If you have the determination, you have a great chance of successfully completing your studies. Therefore, it is fair to say studying medicine is a kind of constant struggle with time.

But I think we can always find time for things that matter to us and deserve our attention. It is only given by what things we put the top ranks in the imaginary ranking of values. Because the number of hours we receive each day is exactly the same for everyone. It then depends on what we use them for and what we prefer. It is simply our choice. Well my choice is rather obvious I would say and it has been nutshell for my fourth year. Since the beginning of fourth year our schedule has been transformed into block teaching. We always have one subject intensively for about 2-5 weeks at a time, and at the end of each block we have a credit and/or an exam hence the struggle with time. 
In my case in terms of blocks, I was somewhat unlucky to get the most demanding blocks in my last third of my academic year. This include: internal medicine (5weeks), Radiology (4 weeks) and Pharmacology - every Monday for the whole year and 1 week for prescription of drugs. 
Radiology was one of the most enjoyable blocks to date. And the subject itself is interesting and intriguing to me. It is rather like a puzzle. Although initially it did not look at all easy, mainly new information came continuously every day and only two days before the test this rush stopped. However, the professors as well as doctors at the department were always willing to explain in a clear and concise manner the way the ultrasound examination, X-ray, MRI or CT works and they made it seem more understandable than the previous "Well, what is this? You don't know the Morison’s pouch?" kind of attitude. Identifying and describing of images, whether from ultrasound, X-ray, MRI or CT scan, is also part of the exam. You will be able to prepare well for this, as four images are always selected from one presentation with a total of about 170 images, which you will go through in recent practice and describe each image. 
Internal Medicine is a just a continuation from previous year. It is good to note that Internal medicine at the 2.LF is one of the state exams and taken very seriously. This year, we mainly concentrated in cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonary as well as diabetology. However, this year was mostly about diagnostics and treatment of the diseases involved as compared to the previous year which was just propaedeutic. 
Last but not the least, Pharmacology. This one was a bit tricky in that it was like learning a new language. I suppose everything in medicine is, really. Pharmacology knowledge is relevant for clinical clerkships where it is frequently revisited hence making it one of the vital core subjects in medicine. Therefore, it equips students adequately enough to prescribe drugs upon receiving their diploma. 
As part of part of my summer internships, I will be undertaking pediatric cardiology & surgery and internal medicine departments in FN Motol. I am excited and looking forward to it to this invaluable experience. 

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