Since I last posted the ground has become scattered in Autumn leaves. In the US, campaigning has come to an end in one of the most entertaining presidential elections in modern times. The hugely fast paced nature of the course really is making the days disappear at an alarming rate. As I edge towards my 23rd birthday and the final pennies from my summer job are dissipating, the reality that I will be scavenging money off my parents until I'm nearly 30 has begun to hit home. I've spent much of my free time in the last couple of weeks frantically applying for jobs, but finding something that won't take up too much time whilst still bringing in enough money to survive is proving quite tough. I'm unlucky that I'm at the age where I don't count as a mature student, so my student loan is still dependent on my parental income. This therefore leaves my bank balance at minus £400 after paying rent. I am told that once you are 25 or over, or if you can prove you've been financially independent in all of the 3 years prior to starting the course, then you can receive at least a liveable amount of loan, however neither of these apply to me. Another option would be parenthood, but I think at this point in my life social services would be forced to ruin that plan and I would undoubtedly end up before a fitness to practice committee. That leaves very few options. I've contemplated starting a T shirt business, becoming an uber driver on the side, I've even briefly considered accompanying older women to corporate dinners after hearing how lucrative it is, but I think working as a male escort would likely result in a black eye from my girlfriend at best and I'd be lucky to escape some kind of GMC sanction. After some soul searching I have now decided to try and market myself as a science tutor (shameless plug - spread the word) and I've applied for a couple of 10 hour a week bar jobs. Essentially though, what I'm saying is if you want to be a doctor and you're still at school, for God's sake park everything else and get those A's. It will save you literally thousands of pounds. Also, if you wanted to do the degree in my situation and you didn't have anyone to help pay the £9000 tuition, then you probably wouldn't physically be able to do it. There is very little help out there these days for graduates studying medicine. That seems crazy to me considering we, as a nation, are facing an NHS staffing crisis that will cost us billions in the long term. However, our 5 year political system doesn't think in the long term and the government is currently trying to save a quick buck by imposing these tuition fees with no option of a loan.
However, just as the reality of how financially difficult the next 5 years may be has begun to sink in, the amazement of just how incredible this profession is has also continued to hit home. Last week I got my first opportunity to go in to theatre and it was an absolutely brilliant experience. At my medical school every student is given a personal development tutor who provides them with one to one pastoral support and careers advice. I recently received the details of my PDT and I contacted him to arrange our first meeting. Most of my peers have gone for a coffee with their tutors, or met for lunch, but to my amazement my tutor invited me to join him in surgery! The following week I nervously made my way down to the hospital. I was lucky that a jolly anaesthetist, who was just starting his shift was on hand to let me into the theatre area and he found me a set of scrubs. He also lent me a spare pair of theatre shoes, as I wasn't aware that you aren't supposed to enter theatre in shoes that have seen the outside world. My tutor soon came and retrieved me from the doctor's room. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of formality he commanded, he told me to address him by his first name and he seemed genuinely interested in my future plans. However, you could tell from the way he spoke and the way his colleagues sought his advice that he was hugely knowledgeable. That is one thing in general that I love about the medical profession - there is a distinct hierarchy in terms of knowledge and experience and first year medical students are at the bottom of that pile, yet no one ever talks down to you. All the doctors, lecturers and other medical professionals I have encountered have spoken to me as though I am an equal, as though we, as medical students are their proteges. This is a stark contrast to my undergraduate Biology days, when we were often made to feel like we were purely a pay cheque to those above us. Bar a couple of great tutors, I felt most of my Biology lecturers viewed teaching undergraduates as a chore they had to do because it was in their job description. We were merely a distraction from their own research. Anyway, rant over... My tutor took me into the theatre where his first patient was already anaesthetised ready for surgery. Now came possibly my biggest challenge so far here, scrubbing up. I never thought washing my hands could be so hard, but every time I thought I'd succeeded I would turn around and scrape the wall or accidentally touch the tap and I would have to start all over again. Once my hands were finally passed as clean I attempted to get my gloves and gown on. Now I hit the wall trying to get my arms into the gown and I had to re-do that procedure. After literally 10-15 minutes I was finally ready to enter the operating portion of the theatre. However, bar a couple of jokes at my expense, no one made me feel like a fool. We saw three patients and the scrubbing procedure was repeated between each one. For the first couple of patients I stood next to the registrar and he explained what the team were doing. They removed bone and ligament fragments from a patient that had fallen off a 12ft wall and shattered their ankle. Next they reconnected a severed big toe tendon, this injury occurred after the patient dropped a knife on their foot. Finally, we saw a big lad who had broken an ankle playing sport and now needed screws inserted after previous treatments had failed to repair the fracture. I noticed the nurse struggling to hold the patients leg in the correct position and offered to help carry some of the weight. I was surprised at how much strength it required to hold a leg up. Towards the end of the surgery, I was asked to suck blood up from the wound using the kind of plastic tube you'd find at the dentists. The consultant had previously induced bleeding from the healthy bone above to promote the release of growth factors that would encourage the broken portion of the bone to heal, but now the team needed a clear line of vision to insert the screws. I felt really fulfilled that I had been able to actively participate in surgery so early into my med school career, but now my tutor even asked me if I would like to insert the final screw (disclaimer: there was very little risk involved in me doing this, as the hole had already been drilled, I purely had to turn a screwdriver a few times under very careful supervision). I left feeling so ecstatic! I had observed a multidisciplinary team deliver three successful operations. I always thought I would be a GP and never imagined that I would enjoy life working in a hospital. I had an impression that as a surgeon my communication skills would be somewhat wasted. However seeing my tutor command a team such as this has opened my eyes. For them it was a routine afternoon, but for me it was a reminder that all doctors have to be leaders, team players and teachers on a daily basis. Medicine is a world of opportunity with so many different avenues. I left in the knowledge that one day I will be part of a profession which will allow me to earn a decent, honest living. One day my scrounging will come to an end and it will all be worth it. I then legged it back to my car, as I realised the time was 8 o clock and I'd only paid for parking until 6. A £70 parking fine really would have taken me to the limit of my overdraft. To my relief I found no ticket on my car... Happy days.
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AuthorMy name is Stephan. I'm a 23 year old medical student. I like to travel, play the odd game of rugby and I'm very vocal on formula 1 fan forums (yes I am a bit of a sports nerd). Archives
April 2021
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