Work Experience..

I've got work experienced lined up for me in a few weeks at local hospital, with a consultant in Orthopedics.

I was just wondering, what can I expect? What should I get ready for? Just any general advice would be appreciated.

Also this might seem silly, but what is the general attire for work experience at hospital?

thanks.

Reply 1

Fluffy

15

You wanna be asking Touche - send them a PM...

Reply 2

bohemian_like_you

2

CCJ

I've got work experienced lined up for me in a few weeks at local hospital, with a consultant in Orthopedics.

I was just wondering, what can I expect? What should I get ready for? Just any general advice would be appreciated.

Also this might seem silly, but what is the general attire for work experience at hospital?

thanks.

Hi,

I recently did work experience in a doctor's surgery which isn't exactly the same as a hospital but might help.

I wore black trousers and smart top, and brought a suit jacket so I could wear the jacket if everyone was smart-looking and take off the jacket if everyone was wearing casual clothes.

At the doctor's surgery I couldn't go in to any consultations because of patient confidentiality :rant:

but I watched people take blood, and talked to every member of staff at the surgery. At the hospital I imagine you'll do something similar - they might organise for you to have small meetings with people who work there just to get an idea of what each job involves.

Hope that helps!

Cat

Reply 3

CCJ

OP

14

Fluffy

You wanna be asking Touche - send them a PM...

Damn.. how can I do that? I tried searching, but no avail.. plus theres no search option on the memberlist :s-smilie:

Reply 4

Democracy

20

CCJ

Damn.. how can I do that? I tried searching, but no avail.. plus theres no search option on the memberlist :s-smilie:

Yeah there is.

Anyway, here's his profile, there's a PM link on the right hand side

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/member.php?u=176500

Reply 5

Fluffy

15

CCJ

plus theres no search option on the memberlist :s-smilie:

Erm - there is. On the blue bar ont he members page... Right hand side...

Reply 6

CCJ

OP

14

Ohh sorry, thanks. :smile:

.

Reply 7

Democracy

20

CCJ

Also this might seem silly, but what is the general attire for work experience at hospital?

I just wore a clean, white shirt, black trousers and a tie. Sometimes they also give you an ID tag with an NHS lanyard :redface:

Don't be surprised if people mistake you for a random FY1...

Oh and don't listen to anyone who tells you to wear a suit, or else. You're not a consultant, it'll look OTT.

Reply 8

Touche

15

Copied from PM cos it might be useful to someone else... who knows.

Orthopaedics in a hospital consists of clinics, theatres (for the more senior doctors) and ward work (usually left to the more junior doctors :redface:

). In clinics you're expected to be smart which means shirt, tie, trousers, shoes. If you turn up like that you can't go wrong. You'll not be expected to wear a suit. In theatres you'll get changed into fresh hospital scrubs, so don't worry about clothing for that.

The day starts at 8am. There is a trauma meeting where all the new/complex cases are discussed and best management decided. You might go round seeing the patients on the ward and deciding what needs to be done for them, but if this happens it can be very very quick like 10 mins sometimes as orthopods don't like ward rounds! The boss will want to get away to theatre or clinic to start their morning session as soon as possible. They might leave the junior doc in charge of the ward patients, and you'll prolly have to follow them around at some point. In clinic they see patients who might need an op at some point, or have had an op and need to be followed up. In theatres they do the actual ops. The boss will have a mixture of work, so you'll see all that.

There is elective stuff, so planned surgery like joint replacements for arthritis... and there are trauma lists where your fall down stairs -> broken leg ends up to be sorted. Try and get to see a couple of elective and trauma lists.

It's been shown that operating at night is a bad thing and leads to mucho mistakes, so the day might end at around 5-7pm and only a mega life/limb saving op would take place after that... so you'll not be missing much by going home.

Advice... er... ask questions at appropriate times (so at 8am in the middle of a quick ward round when the boss wants to get away as soon as poss is probably not a great time). Ask the junior docs as well as the consultants. Ask about career, satisfaction, training. Don't be put off cos the surgery is boring... generally watching someone else do a procedure is insanely boring unless you know what's going on and can think the steps through yourself. Try to get to see some different speciality ops if allowed.

Reply 9

MaybeMedic

Hi. I'm also interested in getting work experience in orthopaedics, especially sports trauma becuase i'm into my sports.
I see Touche does this, and if i get into medicine then i would intercalate in sports and medicine aswell.
The hospital which i currenlty volunteer at dont do work expereince, so i have made inquiries about volunteering on a ward instead.
But i was wondereing -will i see more physiotherapists than doctors? I need to see more of what a doctor does.

Reply 10

Fluffy

15

MaybeMedic

I see Touche does this, and if i get into medicine then i would intercalate in sports and medicine aswell.

Do you know how few places offer Sports Medicine as an iBSc and how competative it is? We are one of the few places that offer it, and it is hugely oversubscribed, with as many external applicants as internal...

you *might* get to intercalate in it if you interview fantastically well and are in the top 10% of your year :wink:

What you will see and who with depends on where you apply for experience (in terms of settings), and to be fair, a good rounded placement will involve time spent with all of the MDT...

Reply 11

Renal

17

Democracy

I just wore a clean, white shirt, black trousers and a tie. Sometimes they also give you an ID tag with an NHS lanyard :redface:

Don't be surprised if people mistake you for a random FY1...

I borrowed one of those when I did an SSM at GSTT. Nobody knew what my bastard QM card of **** meant so I stuck it in my shirt pocket and left the lanyard hanging out - had no problems getting anywhere after that. :p:

Reply 12

Democracy

20

Renal

I borrowed one of those when I did an SSM at GSTT. Nobody knew what my bastard QM card of **** meant so I stuck it in my shirt pocket and left the lanyard hanging out - had no problems getting anywhere after that. :p:

What's this? You diehard BLers are being forced to wear QM attire? :eek:

Reply 13

Fluffy

15

Not for much longer! AIUI, the draft BL card has already been through, and approved by, Warden's Team

Score!

Renal

I borrowed one of those when I did an SSM at GSTT. Nobody knew what my bastard QM card of **** meant so I stuck it in my shirt pocket and left the lanyard hanging out - had no problems getting anywhere after that. :p:

Haha lol
That is so true about being mistaken for FY1 docs- whilst on a ward round with a SHO a nurse asked me if i had a minute to quickly write a prescription for a patient, i just gazed back and said "sorry im busy at the minute" god knows what came to my head to make me say that but it just came out. She then gave me a funny look and the SHO replied- "shes only a student". I was so embarassed!

Also, just thought I would like to share that the only reason I was able to arrange my work experience placement was by emailing practically every doctor/consultant/surgeon etc on the websites for my local hospitals! Only then did one of them (a Consultant Cardiologist) get back to me and tell me that he would be very happy to see me. I was sooo chuffed because I really thought I wouldn't be able to get any work exp before applying to uni. Anyhow- my first day of work exp was on monday and then he began asking weird questions like "o ye so how is your dad doing nowadays" and "o i see you have moved areas"
As you can imagine I started getting reallly freaked out because as far as I knew my dad had never heard of the Consultant Cardiologist i was shadowing.
It was then that he looked at my badge and said "oh why is your surname spelt differently?"
I gave him the weirdest look. Then he asked me if my dad was Dr X who he had worked with as a Junior doctor like 5 years ago.
I just shook my head and said noooo my dads not even a doctor lol. Dr X being a doctor with a similar surname as me but spelt slightly differently
Then he said "oh i thought you were his daughter, if i'd have known that your dad wasn't Dr X i would not have arranged this work exp for you!!"
I was soooo shocked lol but couldnt stop laughing at him in my head. Haha i still managed to work shadow him for 2 days after which he sent me to A&E which was A LOT more interesting than Cardiology
Therefore, just a piece of advice to all you people trying to find work exp out there. This might sound slightly stalkerish lol but here goes.
1) Type in your local hospital name on google
2) Visit their website
3) Write a standard email, just a few lines (doctors generally dont have time to sift through lots and lots of writing) introducing yourself, where you study etc, what A Levels you are studying and state you hope to study medicine at uni
4) Send this standard email to all the doctors on the list lol
5) Hopefully, one of them at least will get back to you thinking you are Dr Ys son/daughter and offer you a work exp placement
6) Voila!
NB- this method may not work. From my experience if there co-incidentally is a doctor with a similar sounding surname to you working at your local hospital then you are sorted lol! If your surname is more popular- e.g. Smith/Jones etc then you may find yourself bombarded with emails from doctors. If you don't get anything back then, oh well, at least you tried!
GOOD LUCK!

Reply 16

isi333

*Princess*

Haha lol
That is so true about being mistaken for FY1 docs- whilst on a ward round with a SHO a nurse asked me if i had a minute to quickly write a prescription for a patient, i just gazed back and said "sorry im busy at the minute" god knows what came to my head to make me say that but it just came out. She then gave me a funny look and the SHO replied- "shes only a student". I was so embarassed!

I bet you were!

Reply 17

MaybeMedic

Thanks for the reply fluffy. I didnt know just how difficult it was to intercalate in it, but because i am really interested in it i hope that if i get into medicine that i can get good enough grades.

I understand that i should see other staff too, but i have from my other voluntary work, and thought it would be more useful to me, as i want to be a doctor to shadow one.

Reply 18

Touche

15

I reckon concentrate in getting into medicine 1st, then think about specifics from there. Get a solid application sorted.

Sports medicine is pretty competitive, just like most other attractive specialities but it's all do'able. Someone has to get the jobs etc, so why not you? Just stick some fingers in a few pies as you go along and you'll be fine. Don't stress about a BSc, if it happens great, but it's not essential (unlike an MSc/PGDip which is needed for faculty membership). If you're around London and wanted to be really cheeky you could email Dylan (http://www.qmul.ac.uk/expert/details.php?index=1147) and try to sort some work experience. He's a nice chap, isn't too busy at the moment as this year's BScs are finished and is good with email... he picks the BSc students heh.

Reply 19

JPT

Should i get work experience in a GPs place or the NHS as i plan to take medicine. And will doing voluntary work really actually improve my chances of getting into a uni.
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By the way sorry for my ignorance.....but how do u hide text? (like creating a spoiler).....im new to this

Work Experience..

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