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What to ask on work experience

As the title says, I'm starting my work experience on a urology and orthopaedic surgery ward next week I've done a week before but I always freeze up when the doctors ask me if I have any questions. So does anyone have any general questions o can ask the doctors. Thanks guys 🙂


Posted from TSR Mobile
Useful questions come into two main subtypes:

1) helping to understand the daily work of doctors

2) helping to understand progress within the field

Examples of (1) questions:
- Do you see many cases like this?
- What's your favourite part of the day?
- What's the worst aspect of the job?
- Why did you choose this specialty?

Examples of (2) questions:
- How long have you been doing this operation for?
- Are there any different types of prosthetic joint?
- Why did you choose this type of joint?
- Is this operation becoming more or less common?
- Might it be possible to do this surgery with a robot?

And so on. Of course what you ask depends on what interests you, but I wanted to give a few suggestions in case your tongue is stuck at any time.

Hope that helps

UniAdmissions
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by medicapplicant
As the title says, I'm starting my work experience on a urology and orthopaedic surgery ward next week I've done a week before but I always freeze up when the doctors ask me if I have any questions. So does anyone have any general questions o can ask the doctors. Thanks guys 🙂


Posted from TSR Mobile


Hi
I've started my work experience today. A two-week attachment to shadow a surgeon. Got off to a shaky start because, as it turns out, that surgeon was just suspended last week for 3 months by the General Medical Council for writing fake patient feedback cards (apparently they spotted patterns in the handwriting and also in the style of writing). So I was left with no one to observe. They eventually allocated me to a different surgeon who basically told me I could ask anything but frankly it wouldn't bother him if I stayed quiet and just watched. so I got the hint. He did say though that it was important I watched not just him but also the whole team dynamics and that I should make an effort to talk to theatre staff and other people in the unit. And since this is a colorectal team, he advised me to brush up on the common conditions including things like bowel cancer as he was pretty sure that if I mentioned the attachment in my personal statement, they would ask me about some of the conditions they treat.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by UKCATrocks
Hi
I've started my work experience today. A two-week attachment to shadow a surgeon. Got off to a shaky start because, as it turns out, that surgeon was just suspended last week for 3 months by the General Medical Council for writing fake patient feedback cards (apparently they spotted patterns in the handwriting and also in the style of writing). So I was left with no one to observe. They eventually allocated me to a different surgeon who basically told me I could ask anything but frankly it wouldn't bother him if I stayed quiet and just watched. so I got the hint. He did say though that it was important I watched not just him but also the whole team dynamics and that I should make an effort to talk to theatre staff and other people in the unit. And since this is a colorectal team, he advised me to brush up on the common conditions including things like bowel cancer as he was pretty sure that if I mentioned the attachment in my personal statement, they would ask me about some of the conditions they treat.


wow, what incentive is there to falsify patient feedback? sounds like an SJT scenario we just did haha. glad to hear youre having a productive start to your shadowing placement. did you literally shadow the surgeon everywhere, or just during surgery? and will you be following the same person throughout your 2 weeks?

mine starts next week in an oncology department, the consultant who accepted me organised the entire week for me to follow various people in her team around the wards. i am both excited and a bit nervous. anyway looking forward to hearing your shadow updates.
Original post by Hugh Laurie
wow, what incentive is there to falsify patient feedback? sounds like an SJT scenario we just did haha. glad to hear youre having a productive start to your shadowing placement. did you literally shadow the surgeon everywhere, or just during surgery? and will you be following the same person throughout your 2 weeks?

mine starts next week in an oncology department, the consultant who accepted me organised the entire week for me to follow various people in her team around the wards. i am both excited and a bit nervous. anyway looking forward to hearing your shadow updates.


Well, obviously people were a bit 'quiet' about the whole thing but it sounds like they need to collect a number of patient feedback cards for their appraisal and this guy had either forgotten to get it organised or maybe he did and they all came back with rubbish feedback so he thought he would write his own. Today is first day in operating theatre. The funny thing is: I don't want to be a surgeon. I faint when i see too much gore! Maybe I'll end up on the table :smile:
Original post by UKCATrocks
Well, obviously people were a bit 'quiet' about the whole thing but it sounds like they need to collect a number of patient feedback cards for their appraisal and this guy had either forgotten to get it organised or maybe he did and they all came back with rubbish feedback so he thought he would write his own. Today is first day in operating theatre. The funny thing is: I don't want to be a surgeon. I faint when i see too much gore! Maybe I'll end up on the table :smile:


ha i know the feeling, though perhaps with more time and exposure you get de-sensitised enough to not let it phase you.

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