Assessed Presentation Time! The one thing I always dread…

Well, yesterday was the BIG presentation day for Fundamentals of Pharmacology and Toxicology. I have heard that a lot of people didn’t particularly enjoy Pharm and Tox as a module however, I have been looking forward to this module for so so so long, since well, before I joined the uni… probably due to the fact Toxicology can play a key role in well, the role of working in a morgue doing Tox screens on bloods on unknown deaths so, of course I am going to enjoy this module! And… it’s interesting to know how drugs actually work in the body. I feel like now, I know a lot about paracetamol that I didn’t know before haha

This piece of coursework was worth 30% which may not sound like a lot… but in reality, in my head anyway, it is a huge amount of a lot! I am not a particularly huge fan of presentations: I may seem confident but in reality, I am the most nervous and anxious wreck known to man! I feel I have to know something as deeply and thoroughly as I can before I present it, and forced knowledge of a subject for a presentation is just the most daunting thing known to man, since forever! The one presentation I have done that I enjoyed, was for College in 2014 when we could pick any topic, so I chose my cat… and took her to the presentation as well as a show-and-tell piece. I think having her there, helped a huge amount.

SO, this presentation!

Basically, it was split into Case Studies, of which we could choose. Me and Chris desperately wanted to do the Paracetamol Overdose one… don’t ask why, we just had to do that one. And then Ruari joined us too and we got it! Luckily, a lot of paracetamol information had come up in lectures which helped, but we truly had to dig through everything and as it is university, use our initiatives, to come up with a conclusion for ours. It was hard work, but worth it.

Basically, a young woman with a history of anorexia nervosa has taken an overdose due to an argument with her boyfriend. They gave her a treatment of something named N-acetylcysteine and lab results were obtained two days later.

And that is all we had to work with. But… we all have brains and we pulled out a rather snazzy presentation haha

Lets just say, through much research, this girl was not going to do particularly well… we were certain she would be dead within a few weeks due to her history and the lab results. And sadly, because of that, I felt the presentation needed to be lightened up from start to end… with a cute little guy named Peteacetaminophen (aka, Pete the Paracetamol, renamed by mes amino, Sam Jones).

And that is were this cute little guy joined in the party!

Fig 1: A compilation of Pete the Paracetamol, to make things a little happier!

So, as I have mentioned in previous blog posts, I keep being told that drawing for any kind of poster or presentation is a very good idea… and I guess, as well as drawing important diagrams and pathways for metabolism, I wanted to put my little mark on the work. Hence Pete. I think everyone liked him… including the lecturer who marked it, who was also called Pete. I think you can see what mes amino did there with his name haha

And my group were all cool with it as well which was truly wonderful! They really let me go to town on all our diagrams and illustrations and I must admit, it felt pretty cool announcing that I drew them at the start of the presentation!

My group were fantastic as well! We all definitely knew out stuff and we all worked super hard together! We met up loads, Ruari brought us cake and chocolate and Chris slipped in a lil funny joke in regards to knowing what he would prefer to drink 12 drinks of instead of instead of the nasty rotten egg tasting antidote! And with how the presentation rolled out, I am hoping for once I am actually right in thinking that we have done super duper well, because we were told we definitely undermarked ourselves, people outside the room that couldn’t hear it but see it, said it looked fantastic and some people gave us super high marks! It’s crazy, considering how much I was panicking about messing the whole thing up!

Fig 2: From left to right we have Christopher Scott, Peteacetaminophen, myself and Ruari Blake.

This was taken before we did the presentation and we were pretty happy and smiley afterwards so fingers crossed, for once I am right in thinking we have done well! (Usually when I think I have done well, I have done bad, and when I think I have done bad, I have done amazing haha).

I absolutely loved working with these two and I would more than happily work with them again too!!!
So, that is it for assessed presentations for this year! Shocking!!! (I do have another but it is not assessed.) Just three assignments and some online questions to go and then begins the excessive over-revising panic when nothing sinks in!
OH, and because this is not just a University blog… let’s just say… all the cool people go and watch awesome movies after a presentation and let’s just say, I have seen Deadpool twice now, and will more than happily see it again! Me and Ruari took Peteacetaminophen with us too, for he totally earned it after all his hardwork on each and every slide of our presentation!
Fig 3: A great end to a pretty good day!

Well, that is it for now! Everyone go and watch Deadpool! It will brighten your day tremendously!!!

Until next time my friends~

 

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