Student doctor Review

I was able to do a medical placement at Lewisham hospital, which allowed me to observe the work that takes place in district general hospital. I was able to get close to doctors and patients, and see the professional relationship between them to treat patients of their medical condition. I really enjoyed the attachment.

I was introduced to my supervisor on the first day, and he was responsible for my attachment. He made sure I was fully involved, making the most of my time there. This ranged from seeing operations, talking to patients, and see doctor interactions. I was able to make the most of my time in the two weeks.

I have to say thanks to my supervisor, my time at hospital was a great experience. This is definitely down to the support and guidance given by him. As part of the job I was able to see the good and the ugly, and things I found difficult to see I was able to discuss with him.

I was able to further enhance many skills required to thrive in this profession, this ranges from team work to leadership. In terms of team work, I saw doctors working with other healthcare professionals, making sure the patient was given the best care and treatment to help with their medical problem.

The work experience was very well structured, and it was obvious they had been doing the programme for a long time. I was given an overview of what I would be doing at the hospital, and was able to give my input about particular areas I wanted to see whilst I was there.

As I had expected, the atmosphere was a hectic environment, everything felt so fast paced especially in the A and E. There were a lot of patients with plenty of different conditions, and the doctors would have to see which patients were more risky and triage them accordingly. At the end of the day, very rewarding.

I believe during the work experience attachment, I definitely had the opportunity to develop my skills which will definitely help me in my future career. This includes the importance of working in a team, and the importance of continuously expanding on your knowledge with new research and information that are discovered.

I was able to see the work of a doctor, although it is rewarding helping patients get better, is full of challenges. This is especially the case when are patients are severely ill, and often end of dying. It is important not to get so emotionally attached, it starts to affect your judgement.

This experience was extremely valuable, as prior to starting my knowledge of the work that takes place was very limited. I was able to see the different aspect of the work, being on the wards and being in clinics. Seeing patients be discharged after being treated, and also sadly seeing death. It made appreciate the work even more.

In terms of travel to the hospital, and buying food I had to cover this money, which was not a problem. The experience gained from the attachment outweighs this. I had to take one bus to and from the hospital, and the hospital has a nice canteen where you can get hot food.

I would definitely recommend this attachment to other people who are in a similar position to me. The experience from this is so valuable and the team looking after you are truly fantastic, always making sure you are making the most of your time there. You can apply for the attachment through the hospital website.