All entries for Tuesday 07 July 2020
July 07, 2020
A holiday, of sorts
Working for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly been a rewarding experience, not only for my education and life experience but also financially. Before I started medical school, I worked full-time for two years, so returning to life as a student was certainly an adjustment! Having the opportunity to earn a bit of money has been really helpful as the nature of our course means that it is difficult to earn money, so my overdraft has definitely thanked me in recent months!
I finished working at the beginning of June, to give me time to get some academic work done before resuming placement. Over the last 2 weeks, I have been using some of the amazing online resources available to us. Many resources are now free to medical students due to COVID-19, and one that I have found really useful is the K2 Obstetrics and Gynaecology website. We currently have access to all of these resources, and the K2 packages are very good, interactive introductory courses on Obstetrics. I am a very visual learner and love pictures and videos to help me to remember things, making the online resources a really useful way of reintroducing myself to the world of medicine.
I have also been using Warwick Medical School’s own online resources. All of the lectures delivered at the medical school are automatically recorded and uploaded for us to re-watch whenever we want to. As my next block is Musculoskeletal, I have been revisiting some of the anatomy lectures delivered in our first year. I thought I had forgotten all of my anatomy knowledge, but actually once I start watching the lectures, all of that information comes rushing back. It really does demonstrate that actually whilst there is a lot of content to learn at medical school, actually a lot of the information is revisited in every phase of the course, with actually little new information being added. Thus, by the time of final year, there is less new information and lots of revision. Let’s hope I feel that way when I go back to placement on Monday!
Hattie Trigg
07 Jul 2020 11:46
| 
Tags: Covid19 Jordan Mbchb Student Warwick Wms
| 
Comments (1)
| 
Report a problem
Please wait - comments are loading
Hanging up my PPE (for now!)
The last two weeks have brought a partial reversion to normality. Last Saturday was my final shift on the Gerontology ward at University Hospital and the end of my COVID-19 work placement. Reflecting on my time, it has certainly been a worthwhile and enlightening experience. Whilst it has been a struggle (and a worry) to step away from the usual studies and placements of a medical student, the COVID pandemic has still provided key learning opportunities that I will carry forward as I pursue my medical career. My fellow students and I have taken on roles with more direct patient care – such as bathing, feeding and helping to mobilise patients. These are jobs that we have not really trained for, so it has been a steep learning curve at times! We have also been doing some observations, which are normally done by the nursing staff. I feel as though while I haven’t done much medicine for the last 3 months, I have learned a new and complimentary set of skills. Interacting with confused patients is something I was very anxious about before my time on the Gerontology ward. Now, I feel as though I can look after these patients much better. I hope that when (if) I pass my final exams and graduate, that the acclimatisation to clinical practice will be that small part easier because of the work I have put in now.
I’ve now left my job and it was really sad to say goodbye! I have really gotten on well with the nurses and other staff members I have worked with and they’ve said that I’ll be missed. I feel as though the one big change in me over the course of the COVID situation is my confidence. Everyone has wobbles and doubts from time to time, but I think that maybe I’m more prone to these than most. There probably hasn’t been a day since I started the course that I haven’t secretly wondered if I’m good enough to complete the course and graduate and be able to be a doctor. I think from the positive feedback I have received while working from my colleagues, I may finally feel slightly more confident (get it!) at putting those doubts to rest. I think the lightbulb moment came during my last week at work. It so happened that two patients needed cannulas putting in and someone needed to do it. Despite my nerves, I managed to do both. I think the nurse could tell I was terrified – they cheered when I did it successfully and gave me some sage advice from their experience. They said to me – it doesn’t matter how scared you are – say yes to every opportunity to do a skill or put a cannula in or examine a patient as this is how you build your confidence. I think I was quite good before at getting stuck in, but now I will approach these clinical opportunities with less fear, and less self-doubt.
Since finishing work, I have really gotten stuck back in to my medical studies. I start my Musculoskeletal block at the end of June and I am determined to do everything I can to be prepared and do well during the block. I’ve decided to revisit my anatomy teaching from first year to prepare – I definitely need a refresher! Anatomy teaching at Warwick is superb, and I have been watching the lectures again, and am slightly reassured that they make a lot more sense in hindsight, and that a lot of the detail has come rushing back. What I once knew, but had forgotten, has been (at least partially) remembered. Clinical practice really is so dependent on that basic anatomy and physiology knowledge that you learn in First year of the course. Going back to basics provides a strong foundation on which I can hopefully build during my musculoskeletal block which begins soon.
Hattie Trigg
07 Jul 2020 11:45
| Tags: Covid19 Jordan Mbchb Patients Student Warwick Wms
| Comments (1)
| Report a problem
Loading…