Time off & teaching

After the end of transition week, November ended, and so did our term. We now have a good month off, from the end of November to the 2nd of January. I have to say, the break is very much needed! This term, we have done a 12 week stretch with no breaks at all and combined with the very full weeks that we have, means that most people are tired out! Medical school can be very busy and challenging, so you soon learn that taking proper time off to recharge is vital to your own wellbeing. I certainly needed a break!

Although term has ended, this doesn’t mean I will be doing nothing. For the previous two Mondays I have also been continuing my BLS teaching. Basic Life Support (BLS) teaches students the skills to possibly be able to save a life if they come across a seriously ill casualty in the community. Getting involved in teaching these skills is something I have been passionate about pursuing for a couple of years, so this year I decided to train to become a BLS instructor.

The overall idea is that senior medical students teach BLS to first year medical students, giving them the skills to assess a seriously ill casualty and intervene to perhaps save a life. This Monday was the last session before the exam and started with practice for the students before their assessment. I was nervous for them, having gotten to know my group over a number of teaching sessions, but am pleased to report that their skills were all very good. The ability to assess a seriously ill casualty and provide chest compressions and other interventions are key skills that all medical students must master, and as a teacher, it is very rewarding to see their skills improve over the length of the course.

On Tuesday I also taught my Student Seminar group at the Medical School. The other two teachers for my group were away this week, so it was just me teaching our group of first years, which was quite daunting! Usually we all support each other whilst teaching, so teaching alone was quite daunting. I taught a session on ECG interpretation, which is a key skill for the first-year students to learn at this stage of their training (at least to a basic level). I covered heart anatomy and physiology, before proceeding to the more clinical aspects, including interpreting an ECG. As well as hopefully being useful for the first years, teaching ECG also served as revision for me, which I’m sure will be useful as my first full-time clinical placement in the New Year is in cardiology and ECGs are like the bread and butter for this speciality.

Have a lovely Christmas!

Jordan

Charlie Gallan : 18 Dec 2018 12:20 |  Tags: Jordan Mbchb Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem