Pink Mondays

"Welcome one and all to medical school. Now, the GMC requires (as stated in Tomorrow's Doctors Outcome 1, Section 10) that, amongst other things, before you leave here you should have a good grasp of sociological concepts of health, illness and disease. All with me so far, cos this is tricky stuff? Right, good. Now, we are aware you have all of the systems of the body to learn, as well as several completely new practical procedures, but we think you will pick all that sciency stuff up in a jiffy. So, and stop me if this is difficult for anyone, we thought it would be a fabulous idea to take up about 20% of your working week with a lovely double module called Health in the Community".

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Pink Mondays. Pink, as in "pink and fluffy". Now, before any sociologists reading this (and why would you be doing that? but anyway...) get offended, I have no problem with sociology as a subject, and you are very welcome to sit and study it for three years, but it is most certainly NOT what I signed up for. I put my name down for medicine, y'know, blood and bones and stuff like that? If someone walked into your sociology lecture room and started discussing mucosa, submucosa, muscularis and adventitia, you might well be slightly miffed perhaps?

Furthermore, these lovely sociologists are a breed apart when it comes to teaching their delightful subject. The introductory lecture included the statement "you're all going to hate this module". Hmm, well I had planned to give it a fair go, but if you are prepared to make my mind up for me, it saves me bothering. Next, a variety of newly qualified doctors were wheeled in to convince us that, actually, it's a really useful module and we will use what we have learned in it every day. Indeed. I'm sure I will use my stethoscope every day, but we haven't got a double module on that. And ultimately, they refuse to countenance that anyone in their audience has any life experience or common sense to bring to the party. Plumbing new depths in condescension, the standard assumption is that we are all spoilt, rich, inexperienced oiks that point and laugh at "poor" people.

So, what a way to kick off our weeks: reiniforcement of tired old stereotypes interspersed with periods of meandering around urban Warwickshire pointing at the locals. We are Tomorrow's Doctors. God help Tomorrow's Patients.