All 5 entries tagged Rachel

Summer's out, let the hard work commence!

So we are already two weeks into the second year and it’s feeling like the summer was ages ago. Although, this term our timetable is much nicer than it was last year, so we can’t really complain! We no longer have our Friday sessions at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire for anatomy, and now have a full day in hospital on a Monday. We also have a lot more free time during the week which allows us to go over the days lectures, do the Self Directed Learning work that has been set, and basically work at a much more relaxed pace.

The first week back mainly consisted of lots of holiday discussion. Most people wanted to make the most of our final long student summer and so went on fun, exciting holidays. Some people worked at jobs back home in order to have enough money for this next year (the NHS bursary can be great for some, or a real pain). For others it was just simply a time to relax and get away from studying for a while. A few lucky students went to Grenada for an anatomy master-class and spent five weeks doing dissection in the Caribbean. But whether people backpacked across Asia, or simply lounged on the sofa catching up on TV, I think everyone came back feeling more ready and prepared for another year.

Our second year starts with a 12 week block called Advanced Cases 1. This block is intended to build on what we learnt last year, adding more detail and information, and assisting us in understanding more about what is involved within the healthcare setting. It is also to help get us ready for after Christmas when we will be on placements. Our Mondays in hospital, for example, are split between bedside teaching (similar to what we had for half a day last year), procedural skills, and clinical learning opportunities. The clinical learning opportunities are to help give us the chance to spend time with various healthcare members and departments within our hospitals and GP surgeries, including management areas. Last Monday we had our first day and I had a great time first shadowing a matron and then spending my afternoon in the mortuary. It was fascinating finding out what matrons actually do – it was a lot more about ensuring the best opportunities and care for patients than I had realised. It was also really interesting to see what exactly goes on in a mortuary, and to understand how important it is to have a good relationship with all staff members to guarantee the best care, during and after life.

All in all I think this year will definitely bring new challenges and difficulties, but now that we have done the hard part of laying down the ground work, it should be much more enjoyable. Not that first year wasn’t – but I think after already having three years of a lecture based course I am looking forward to getting onto the wards, and hopefully we can start seeing what we have learnt and begin applying it!

Megan Earle : 09 Oct 2014 13:08 |  Tags: Gp Healthcare Mbchb Rachel Summer Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Being in a society at WMS

As I mentioned before, this year I have been involved with the paediatrics society. They always say that a medical student changes their mind on what they want to do a thousand times, and I’m in no doubt that I will want to try my hand at a fair few different specialities as I learn about them, but paediatrics has always been an interest of mine, and something I’d like to learn more about. So, when they announced that the committee was looking for 2 first year representatives I thought I’d give it a shot!

It has been such great fun being a part of the committee. The positions were filled with students from each year so it was really interesting getting time to speak to them about their experiences at Warwick and what they were currently up to. We also got to meet with a couple of doctors from UHCW so that we could arrange a careers information evening, which was held just after our first year exams, and to have a chance to look at opportunities for doing research or audits in the area. The society also works closely with Grace Research Fund – a charity that helps to support research into improving the wellbeing of babies and their families in the Warwickshire and Coventry area. This year the society also re-launched Bedside Play – where basically you pick a time to go onto the children’s ward at UHCW and play with the kids. I have done it a couple of times, and it has been really rewarding playing with the children, and giving the parents a chance for a bit of a break. Another part of the society that started this year was SABL – Save A Baby’s Life. A group of students from across the year spent a weekend getting trained in order to teach parents and carers how to provide first aid to babies and children, and what to do in situations such as choking. We have already run a few sessions this year teaching students who perhaps are parents, or who would just like to know what to do (such as myself!). They were great fun and good CPR revision!

My role this year was really pretty simple – help keep my year updated with any society events and news! Myself and my fellow first year rep did also have a great time organising a bake sale in aid of Grace Research Fund – I don’t think we had ever seen so much cake! It was really successful, and a good way to get the whole year (and staff!) involved. Next year I am taking on position as secretary – this role will be completely new to me but I wanted to stay involved in the committee as I have really enjoyed it.

There are so many different societies at Warwick University itself, but also within the medical school as part of MEDSOC. I would definitely recommend getting involved with at least one society – you don’t have to become a committee member like I did but you can just join in! It is a great way to meet people from other years and perhaps learn or try something new. Plus, if you are keen and there isn’t a group for your interests, why not start it up? There have been a few new societies this year that have started due to more interest (and man-power perhaps!) so you never know who else might share your passion unless you ask! And, a final bonus, think of it as another item you can add to your CV or application form! ;)

Anyway, I hope you are having a great summer and I’ll speak to you again soon!

Rachel :)

Megan Earle : 21 Aug 2014 10:00 |  Tags: Cpr Mbchb Rachel Student Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Case based learning

Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/med/study/ugr/

I cannot believe how fast first year has gone. It does not seem that long ago that I received my confirmation of getting in and was deciding on living arrangements, what colour stethoscope I should go for and where was the best place to get scrubs for our biggest fresher’s night! But what a year it has been! It has been challenging and difficult but I have also really enjoyed it. I didn’t know what to expect when we started as with the new course structure there was only so much the older years could tell us. I also wasn’t sure of how I would find case based learning (or CBL as it’s known), but I have actually been surprised at how good it has been!

The course is structured so that you have 3 CBL sessions a week – the CBL week starts on a Thursday, just to confuse matters, but that gives you the whole weekend to do any work you may have been set! Each week therefore has its own case – in the first session you are given a brief overview of the patient’s presenting complaint and a few details like their age. You then gradually build upon this information over the week, either in the sessions or at home. In each session you get given more information as the facilitator thinks you are ready for it – for example, once you have decided that your patient probably needs an MRI you get the results!

Most of the work though is done through discussion with your group. Each week we assign a chair and a scribe – and over the course of a block everyone gets a turn at something. The scribe records the discussion and highlights any key information, and the chair helps to keep everyone on track and ensures we move on when we’ve exhausted a topic! Normally ‘homework’ is assigned to everyone at the end of the first session which we then feed back to one another at the start of the second session. This has been a really useful way of covering lots of information and finding the important parts without you personally having to spend all your time doing so!

CBL wouldn’t be so effective if we didn’t all work as a team. I am lucky to get on well with all the members in my group, but that doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes have our squabbles! At the start of the year we, like most groups, we had a few lessons to learn and issues to iron out, but once they all got sorted we have all worked really well together. Spending time together outside of CBL has also been great fun, and a good way to build on relationships. I would not have enjoyed the year half so much if it hadn’t been for my CBL group. I always knew they were there for help and support when I was having a rubbish week or had a revision problem.

Not everyone will find best friends in their CBL groups, but so long as you can work together and help each other the year will be so much better. It’s common knowledge that not everyone gets on with everyone but being able to work alongside others from all backgrounds is so important for this career, and therefore it’s a good way to get the practice in early!

Sarah Hill : 15 Aug 2014 14:58 |  Tags: Case-Based Learning Mbchb Medicine Rachel Student Warwick |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The House Hunt

Well exams are finally over and the summer can now begin – well, at least until results day! It has been a crazy few weeks or even months to be honest. Revision has been all that anyone has been talking about, or indeed doing. I went a five solid days without ever leaving the house (except to take the bins out). It feels so good to now do whatever I want – and not having just a trip to Sainsbury’s as my ‘revision reward’.

However, there is still one task that needs to be completed: THE HOUSE HUNT. I don’t remember ever having much trouble finding a house on my last degree but there definitely are more things that need to be considered this time around.

First of all you need to decide where you want to live – Leamington Spa or Coventry being the main choices. This year there has been quite a large group of people living in both locations. I chose to live in Coventry this year, and am happy to stay in the area. Most of us who have chosen Coventry as our home have been living in an area called Earlsdon. It is pretty close to the university, about a 15 minute cycle ride or car journey (traffic depending, it can be double if you get stuck at the traffic lights). It also has a great high street with a good selection of shops, and even a May Day Festival. However, not everyone is happy with Coventry and a lot of people also opt for Leamington. I can definitely see the appeal – it is generally much nicer and cleaner, and saves you the expensive taxi fare on a night out if you haven’t got to get back to campus or Coventry. But the houses are also more expensive, and you need to consider the longer journey into university during rush hour in the mornings.

It isn’t just getting into university though; you also need to think about getting to the different hospitals. This year we were at UHCW every Friday. From where I am at the moment you could just about make it in 20 minutes, but again that was very traffic dependent. A lot of people from Earlsdon and nearby areas also cycled in. I only decided I was brave enough for this once on our last day, but it was actually a pretty good cycle. However, for my clinical skills I was based at Warwick – and for community placements I was based in Nuneaton and George Eliot. Therefore, wherever you live you can probably expect a bit of a journey to somewhere. It is just working out what you would prefer and planning things like car shares.

That is something you definitely notice about people being graduates – a lot more people have cars with spaces to fill. And, if not, buses run from Leamington to Coventry via campus, and others to UHCW, so you can always get to where you want to be.

Deciding between my friends where we are going to live next year has been difficult – some people wanted to be closer to Coventry for the train station, some wanted to be in Leamington for the night life, and others just wanted a better house! In the end we have looked in both places, and in other areas around Coventry. We still haven’t found anywhere yet but hopefully we will soon, and then we can tick that final task off the list!

Rachel :)

Sarah Hill : 24 Jun 2014 11:05 |  Tags: Accommodation Coventry Housemates Houses Leamington Location Rachel |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Greetings from Rachel

Hey! My name is Rachel and I am currently a first year here at Warwick, although it is very rapidly coming to an end! This is my first blog so let me tell you a bit about myself and what I did before coming to Warwick.

My first degree was Medical Science at Birmingham. I graduated last July and came straight to study Medicine afterwards. I have always wanted to do Medicine and cannot believe I am finally doing it! I had applied straight from college but unfortunately did not make my offer. Instead of doing resits I decided to look at other degree options and do the ‘long-route’ in! I have no regrets with that choice and would not change anything. I really loved my time in Birmingham and my course. My degree has laid a brilliant foundation for starting here at Warwick, I may not remember a lot of what I learnt but at least not all of it is completely new and scary!

I chose Warwick as I liked the idea of the course only being for graduates, and therefore you aren’t just a handful of students being thrown in with loads of undergraduate students! I also liked the proximity to Birmingham - only 25 minutes on the train! The course structure similarly interested me, especially the anatomy teaching. Having access every week to the plastinated specimens has definitely helped me – anatomy is not my strong point!

I love travelling and during my time at Birmingham I had the opportunity to visit both Kenya and Ghana. I organised the trip to Kenya myself and joined up with people from across the world. I spent time in a special needs school, nursery and health clinic. It was a really eye-opening trip and made me realise how I have definitely taken for granted my access to education and health care. There were times when you wouldn’t see a child in nursery or school for a few weeks as their parents had run out of money, or they would be sent in but with no food or drink for the whole day. Spending time in the health clinic was a fantastic experience but challenging. I witnessed old men crying in agony when their wounds of over 10 years were being dressed, people coming in with a ‘cough’ and getting given antibiotics without any investigation – a stethoscope was not in sight and they definitely were not worrying about antibiotic resistance!

My trip to Ghana was with Global Medical Brigades and I went with other students from Birmingham (mostly medics!). We set up a health clinic in a community where their closest health centre was hours away. We raised money so that we could bring out suitcases full of medication and supplies, and so that we could pay for doctors to come with us. We had a triage, consultation and pharmacy section, and were lucky enough to have both a dentist and gynaecologist so we could have specialist areas. We also got to spend a lot of time doing public health talks and demonstrations. Again, it was a really rewarding experience.

During the holidays I work at a special needs school and at a respite centre for special needs children. I love working with the children and really miss them when I am away! I think this is where my interest in paediatrics has stemmed from, and therefore since starting at Warwick I have helped at Teddy Bear Hospital and taken part in Bedside Play. I am also now a member of the paediatric society committee!

Anyway, I will stop talking about myself now and look forward to writing again soon!

Rachel :)

: 21 May 2014 11:28 |  Tags: Mbchb Medicine Rachel Student Warwick Wms |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem