A day in the life of a medical student and Resident Assistant

A day in the life of a medical student and Resident Assistant

Ever wondered what life is like for medical students? Or what it would really be like to live on campus?

Priyanka Sagar, third year Bachelor of Medicine / Bachelor of Surgery student and Resident Assistant at UWS Campbelltown Residential College, gives CampusLife a glimpse into both worlds…

7.00am: Ward round

I started my day at Campbelltown hospital at 7am, following the doctor around on a ward round. We speak to each patient and see how they are progressing.

I’m asked to put an IV drip into one of the patient’s arms. I get a bit nervous but get it in the right spot.

1.00pm: Operating theatre

Later in the day, I scrub up to prepare for surgery to remove an appendix. In the operating theatre the surgeon tells his intern he requires new gloves. The intern naturally turns to me (as the bottom of the food chain) to run and get the size 8, latex-free gloves! During the surgery, I get to assist the surgeon while getting grilled on my anatomy knowledge. By the end of the busy day, I’m pretty happy to head back home.

4.00pm: Home, sweet home

As an interstate student, I live at the UWS Campbelltown Residential College. It is always such a relief to come home everyday to unwind and discuss the day’s happenings with a group of close friends, who, conveniently, are also my housemates. Living with a group of peers who are faced with similar situations everyday is valuable.

Having all having moved out of home for the first time, we have had many adventures together. Once we had to teach one of our domestically-challenged housemates how to turn on the oven! The fire alarm went off twenty minutes later proving that in fact, none of us knew how to use it properly! These sorts of misadventures and challenges form a bond that I am sure will last for the rest of our lives.

5.00pm: Boxing session

After heading home, and snacking on some goodies I really shouldn’t be snacking on, it’s time for some exercise to de-stress. Thankfully I live on a campus that has many options including a Boot Camp and Boxing Club run by one of my fellow Resident Assistants. Boxing is a fun, but gruelling hour of exercise that ends my evening nicely.

6.00pm: On duty

As a Resident Assistant, it is my job to assist in any emergencies (and some non-emergencies!) that arise at the College after office hours. After the boxing session, my time on Resident Assistant duty begins, and I am on call if anyone needs assistance.

Tonight there is a party at the Residential College, run by the social club (which is made up of all the Resident Assistants). There is a theme, decorations, a DJ and a big sound system to kick it off. Since I’m working it is a busy night for me but eventually it’s time for bed, and while I am exhausted, who knows what tomorrow will bring!