All entries for Monday 16 May 2016

Orthopaedics

At the beginning of each CCE block we are assigned to a new consultant, whose job it is to teach us about their speciality and assess our competence in particular areas. The theme for CCE1 was “history and examination”, and the theme for CCE2 is “investigations and diagnosis”. My trust has assigned me to an orthopaedic surgeon for this block, so I’m seeing lots of bone and joint conditions – a lot more than I ever expected to!

Block 4 in the first year was called “Locomotion”, and it was a very anatomy-heavy block. We learned all about the muscles and bones that help humans move, the blood vessels that supply and drain them, and the nerves that control them. It was a very intense five weeks, but since I love anatomy, it was by far my favourite block. Being with an orthopaedic surgeon (or orthopod, as they are commonly known) has brought all of that knowledge back to the fore. My consultant loves to quiz me on random musculature and arteries. Lumbricals? The posterior interosseous nerve? The attachment point of fibularis brevis? It’s all fair game, and my powers of recall have been put under serious stress – but I suppose I had better get used to it.

We see patients in many different scenarios, depending on the nature of their visit. Some patients turn up in the fracture clinic (which actually has little to do with fractures, and apparently more to do with either re-assessment of injuries after surgery or ongoing assessment of chronic conditions). These fracture clinics have themes as well: some are focused on foot-and-ankle injuries, some appear to be more focused on hip-and-knee complaints, and so on. It’s been a really good way to practice hands-on the musculoskeletal examinations that we learned during the first year on real live patients.

Of course, since my consultant is a surgeon, he spends a fair amount of his time in operating theatre as well. I have also been lucky enough to accompany him on a few occasions. He does all sorts of things, from joint replacement to bone revisions to trauma and accident repair. I have seen a few different procedures (mainly joint replacements) and it is amazing – it’s like an anatomy lesson come to life! The knee in real life actually looks like how it does in the diagrams and flashcards. I don’t know why this surprises me, but it’s been fascinating all the same. My consultant also seems to do a lot of x-ray-guided joint injection of steroids – this is because the synovial space for some large joints can be difficult to reach with a needle in the absence of some guidance, hence the x-ray to help show the way.

It’s been a very interesting rotation and I’ve been enjoying myself. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be an orthopaedic surgeon – it seems to take a very specific skillset – but I’m still willing to remain open-minded. In any event, I’m glad to have the chance to see something entirely new.

Megan Earle : 16 May 2016 10:03 |  Tags: John Mbchb Orthopaedics Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem