Wales Deanery/ Foundation school 2018

Anyone else going to wales this year?
I have recently found out we get free accommodation everywhere in Wales - anyone know what this is like?

Which hospitals are well-supported? /which ones to avoid?

Which ones are more social?

What sort of scores you need to get in to various hospitals?

Hospital accommodation depends on the hospital, but generally I would recommend avoiding it. People sometimes say that the accommodation in North Wales is amazing, but that is usually the medical students accommodation which tends to be different to the doctors accommodation.
It can also get a bit depressing living on site right next to where you work. You can't really get away from work. Finding a house to share is quite easy - there will be plenty of doctors looking to share and it's a good way to get to know people. Having said that, I do know a couple of people in Wrexham who don't mind staying in the hospital accommodation there (avoid the accommodation at UHW though!).

In terms of ones to avoid, I have heard some pretty bad things about doing F1/F2 in West Wales. While it is a lovely place, the hospitals are small and as a student you get a lot of teaching etc, most of my friends who did their F1 there felt unsupported when it came to clinical management. This is only a small number of people though, so it'd be interesting to hear from other people. Friends in North Wales seem to love it, particularly Bangor. Royal Gwent also has a good reputation for juniors - it is very, very busy, but staff are eager to teach and it is a nice atmosphere. If I had stayed in Wales, I would have applied to the Gwent as my first choice (the parking is horrendous though, as is the traffic if you decide to commute from Cardiff - you'd be better off getting the train).

Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny is also a great hospital to work in; very small, staff all know each other, everyone is very friendly and it doesn't feel hierarchical. Also surrounded by beautiful countryside.

For scores, UHW generally tends to be the most competitive alongside Morriston. North Wales is generally uncompetitive, but I don't think that necessarily reflects the teaching/atmosphere/day-to-day job of an F1. I think it's the location that makes them competitive more than anything else, and the fact that they are big teaching hospitals.

I should emphasise, I only studied in Wales and haven't worked there; most of this information comes from friends who are working in Wales and my own experience as a student there talking to doctors while on placement. Hopefully someone else will be able to offer a broader perspective.

Do you know anything about Wrexham Maelor? Or Merthyr Tydfil? Thanks in advance.

I have friends in both Wrexham and Merthyr and most of them have enjoyed their time at both hospitals.

All of the F1s in Wrexham get to know each other well and generally feel well-supported. It's also in a good location as it's close to Liverpool/Chester etc. Wrexham itself though is not the best area to live in. Most F1s stayed in the hospital accommodation and were able to go back for lunch etc, but there isn't much to do in Wrexham itself.

The postgraduate team there are also very, very nice and there's some good teaching there. Unfortunately I can't say anything about specific jobs there as I was only there as a medical student rather than as an F1.

As for Merthyr, it's a small hospital with very friendly teams (both the medical education team and the clinical teams). Quite a few F1s I know decided to stay there for F2 despite thinking they'd want to go to a bigger hospital after F1 because they enjoyed it so much. They were encouraged to get stuck in and received some good teaching, so it didn't always feel like service provision. The interior (and exterior) of the hospital isn't the loveliest I have to say, and the area is quite deprived - definitely don't stay in the hospital accommodation there. The commute from Cardiff isn't too bad though, as people tend to commute into Cardiff rather than out of it.

Hi Can someone give me the feedback of Prince Philipe, Llanelli?Thanks

It is a small DGH with 8-9 wards. Friendly and supportive environment. The consultants and regs are mostly approachable and willing to teach. Essentially, when you start working there, you will pretty much know everyone from different teams. There is a mess where everyone goes for lunch or to have their breaks. Overall, I would say it is a good place to start as an F1 (making a daring assumption that you are starting as an F1. My apology if you are not!)

Yes it is for a F1 post. Thank you very much for you reply.
Can I ask you if there is medical student?Sorry I am a foreign doctor and I am asking this,because I know when there are students we can teach them, and there, do you think in that hospital I will have opportunity to teach, do audits and so on? Basically if I can built up my portfolio?

No problem. Yeah, PPH does get medical students from Swansea Uni and Cardiff. The postgrad is great. Just liaise with them and they will arrange accordingly. I managed to teach final year medical students over the period of 6 weeks back then. In terms of audit, I guess you just have to seize the available opportunities or even take the initiative to start some projects.