[harmony23]

I've been keen on going to a certain hospital in the deanery I study in. I did a GP placement in the town, and to put it bluntly, it's a very deprived area with lots of very ill people very young. Call me weird, but I like that. It's also a major cardiothoracic centre (I don't particularly have an interest in this, but I take it to mean that it's a fairly good hospital) and has medical students (which is important to me as I want to be able to teach them).

I know it doesn't need a great amount of points to go there though, probably (I'm hoping) because of it's location. Now as well as I do most of the year, I get really good feedback from everyone I'm under, I'm satisfactory as hell in all my exams. I come in the middle of that bell curve, so my point score is unlikely to be fantastic. I'm the third youngest in my year too, no previous degrees or acolades, so no points for any of that. I feel like I need to be realistic about where I go-I'm not going to be getting into the most competitive hospitals.

However I have a friend who insists that said hospital is where all the 'crap' applicants go, and that I shouldn't waste my time. I try to take this with a pinch of salt, as she's an honours student hoping for a London hospital, but still. I'm not sure how seriously to take that? What considerations should I make when choosing a hospital?

[MJK91]

(Original post by harmony23)
However I have a friend who insists that said hospital is where all the 'crap' applicants go, and that I shouldn't waste my time.

I'm not a medical student yet, though I feel like I have to say this whole location as a judge of the quality of the hospital is BS. I currently work at Wythenshawe Hospital which is quite far out of Manchester, but it's still a major centre.

The London hospitals will provide you with unprecedented turnover of patients, but not everyone will thrive in that environment. If the quality of the medical teaching, it's specialities, and it's staff is good, go for it! Your friend sounds a little biased by their preference of the high-throughput London system.

[harmony23]

(Original post by MattKneale)
I'm not a medical student yet, though I feel like I have to say this whole location as a judge of the quality of the hospital is BS. I currently work at Wythenshawe Hospital which is quite far out of Manchester, but it's still a major centre.

The London hospitals will provide you with unprecedented turnover of patients, but not everyone will thrive in that environment. If the quality of the medical teaching, it's specialities, and it's staff is good, go for it! Your friend sounds a little biased by their preference of the high-throughput London system.

Cheers, I'm from Manchester, been operated on myself at Wythenshawe!

I'm just not interested in London for FYs, I'd rather stay up north, put some money away on the side, and be close-ish to my family for when I haven't had the chance to do my washing haha.

[MJK91]

(Original post by openyourmouth)
Isn't Whythenshawe near Moss Side? Do you see any patients who have been stabbed or shot? Do you fear your life whilst going to work?

Haha, if by 'near' you mean down the motorway then yes! Although I'd argue Wythenshawe has just as bad a reputation as Moss Side!

(Original post by harmony23)
I'm just not interested in London for FYs, I'd rather stay up north, put some money away on the side, and be close-ish to my family for when I haven't had the chance to do my washing haha.

Do it!

[-Simon-]

(Original post by harmony23)
I've been keen on going to a certain hospital in the deanery I study in. I did a GP placement in the town, and to put it bluntly, it's a very deprived area with lots of very ill people very young. Call me weird, but I like that. It's also a major cardiothoracic centre (I don't particularly have an interest in this, but I take it to mean that it's a fairly good hospital) and has medical students (which is important to me as I want to be able to teach them).

I know it doesn't need a great amount of points to go there though, probably (I'm hoping) because of it's location. Now as well as I do most of the year, I get really good feedback from everyone I'm under, I'm satisfactory as hell in all my exams. I come in the middle of that bell curve, so my point score is unlikely to be fantastic. I'm the third youngest in my year too, no previous degrees or acolades, so no points for any of that. I feel like I need to be realistic about where I go-I'm not going to be getting into the most competitive hospitals.

However I have a friend who insists that said hospital is where all the 'crap' applicants go, and that I shouldn't waste my time. I try to take this with a pinch of salt, as she's an honours student hoping for a London hospital, but still. I'm not sure how seriously to take that? What considerations should I make when choosing a hospital?

Wrong forum, you'll get useful answers when it's moved.

[graemematt]

(Original post by MattKneale)
I'm not a medical student yet, though I feel like I have to say this whole location as a judge of the quality of the hospital is BS. I currently work at Wythenshawe Hospital which is quite far out of Manchester, but it's still a major centre.

Ahh come on though, Wythenshawe is also a tertiary centre linked to the Christie, with a heart & lung transplantation centre with an international reputation! It was also the most competitive hospital to get into in the 2012 application (even more so than MRI!), so really I'm not sure if that's the world's best example

To the OP, I'd say apply wherever you feel comfortable. Although there are exceptions, chances are a smaller hospital will give you more hands on experience, as care in most tertiary centres is very senior-led (I.e. you'll be doing very little in terms of actual direct patient care...more paperwork!). If you've got an interest in a particular field of medicine, consider which hospitals have a major unit in that field too, bearing in mind that some aren't as competitive as you'd think! For the North West for example, someone with an interest in infectious diseases should probably apply to NMGH, where they do FY2 rotations. To get in there, your score doesn't have to be through the roof, but you'll get excellent exposure and being a teaching hospital, great supervision too

Hope that helps!

[Revenged]

your 'friend' sounds like an idiot ! i worked in huge teaching hospital and a DGH and definitely as a junior that a DGH will give you better training every time.

i am converted to DGH but bear in mind in a DGH hospital the job is much more demanding. most of us are on 1A jobs with high on call commitments and this can be the problem since so few doctors are in the hospital during weekend and nights it can be terrifying at times. also those that are there are not always very good ! i often find myself not well supported. my team might be an SHO (FY2 who is crazy busy cross covering other firms he has no idea about) and a staff grades reg who does not care about the hospital, the patients and who cares even less about you. luckily the place is small and everyone gets to know each other so you will find all the doctors help each other out if you ask. the on call is still mad.

in big teaching hospital you do fewer on calls and it is easier. the bigger and more specialised the place the less hands on you will be and so in the end the majority of the time it will be you doing the crap. you will be the one that is getting hassling other teams to review patients (which in big hospitals takes endless daily calls and the team still wont come), radiology - unlike in DGH where CT is saved for people that genuinely need it, in teaching hospital it is often requested for no good reason and since you have to phone every request through (for no good reason) it becomes a joke. in the end you are told by the registrar to give a made up-pretend story so the trainee radiologist will vet the form urgent so just to shut up the consultant (if not i would get told off because the scan did not happen straight away as everything has to happen NOW - absolute nightmare). in my experience bigger hospitals most often have the lowest reputation amongst the juniors because so much time is spend doing things like that. as for the doctors unlike in DGH the place is so big people can get away with being very obstructive. hated it !

go with where you want to go. good luck with the application .

[Da CorrupteD KiD]

(Original post by Revenged)
your 'friend' sounds like an idiot ! i worked in huge teaching hospital and a DGH and definitely as a junior that a DGH will give you better training every time.

i am converted to DGH but bear in mind in a DGH hospital the job is much more demanding. most of us are on 1A jobs with high on call commitments and this can be the problem since so few doctors are in the hospital during weekend and nights it can be terrifying at times. also those that are there are not always very good ! i often find myself not well supported. my team might be an SHO (FY2 who is crazy busy cross covering other firms he has no idea about) and a staff grades reg who does not care about the hospital, the patients and who cares even less about you. luckily the place is small and everyone gets to know each other so you will find all the doctors help each other out if you ask. the on call is still mad.

in big teaching hospital you do fewer on calls and it is easier. the bigger and more specialised the place the less hands on you will be and so in the end the majority of the time it will be you doing the crap. you will be the one that is getting hassling other teams to review patients (which in big hospitals takes endless daily calls and the team still wont come), radiology - unlike in DGH where CT is saved for people that genuinely need it, in teaching hospital it is often requested for no good reason and since you have to phone every request through (for no good reason) it becomes a joke. in the end you are told by the registrar to give a made up-pretend story so the trainee radiologist will vet the form urgent so just to shut up the consultant (if not i would get told off because the scan did not happen straight away as everything has to happen NOW - absolute nightmare). in my experience bigger hospitals most often have the lowest reputation amongst the juniors because so much time is spend doing things like that. as for the doctors unlike in DGH the place is so big people can get away with being very obstructive. hated it !

go with where you want to go. good luck with the application .

I like the idea of DGH where everything's more hands on with demanding on calls, which I'd imagine will offer plenty of learning and practice opportunities. That said I prefer living in big cities and so London is my top choice in that regard. Any advice for me on this dilemma?

Thanks in advance!

[Sarky]

I love being in a DGH, i'm not sure what the reputation was as I didn't go to the attached medical school but the big shiny hospitals aren't all they're cracked up to be in terms of experience.

[Jamie]

(Original post by Revenged)
your 'friend' sounds like an idiot ! i worked in huge teaching hospital and a DGH and definitely as a junior that a DGH will give you better training every time.

Disagree. So much variety its near impossible to draw such conclusions. Also varies from department to department.

DGH where I was a HO was great for acute medicine, but no different as an F1 compared to F2 for it. supervision by slightly dubious sprs, good turnover of patients
Whereas the F2s in the big teaching hospital were doing acute medicine in busy teams including in the ED. Supervision from some cracking consultants, and great opportunities for study leave and courses.


But this isn't me bigging up teaching hospitals, because I've heard and worked and seen it every which way.

The only way to judge a hospital is what those who have worked there previously have said. PMETB surverys are a good start. Rumours never really work.