Introduction

I'm a fourth year medical student at a northern university in the UK. I'm not quite sure why I chose this particular time to start a blog, maybe it is because my medical degree will start to get interesting soon. Or maybe I am just avoiding the revision I am supposed to be doing for my upcoming exams. What I do know is that I would like this blog not just to be a vent for my thoughts and feelings, but something which might just make you think, even stimulate conversation and once in a while will hopefully put a smile on your face. For that reason I hope you comment on my articles and I will endeavour to reply, it should keep things more fluid. This first paragraph brings up some interesting points: why we do things, procrastination and examinations all of which I hope to touch on in the first set of articles. 

Over the coming two years I've got placements in paediatrics, sports medicine and rheumatology. Those will run until summer at which point I will be going on an elective to South America. Following that I'm hoping to do a masters degree which includes a six month research project. 

I'm going to publish a few articles to begin with to get the ball rolling, then hopefully I will be able to manage one a week. 

So if that's not enough to keep you interested then I don't know what is. 

So a few notes as to how the blog is going to work:

- everything I write on this blog will endeavour to keep the identity those involved hidden, this is in line with GMC guidance. This is necessary because I will be working with vulnerable people and it would be a serious breach of trust if I were to reveal anyone's identity.

- further to the last point I am going to try and keep my identity and location from you, this is again not for my sake (OK, maybe it is a little bit) but for the sake of those who I may be writing about. 

- I would really welcome any critique you have on the blog, as medical students we are used to receiving lots of critique and as a result are thick skinned. I think feedback is a more apt term because it implies some sort of constructive criticism, and I would ask you to tell me how I could improve.

- as of yet I have not been sponsored by anyone and do not intend to be. Hopefully this will mean that bias is avoided, although inevitably my opinion will creep into my writing (otherwise what would be the point in me writing these articles).

- my grasp of English isn't quite what it should be, with my punctuation being particularly haphazard. Maybe this is due to being raised bilingually, so I hope you can forgive this minor discrepancy and read the articles for what they are.

- if you have any suggestions for an article or even wish to submit an article of your own then feel free to get in touch. I am open to suggestion.