Medlink 2, December 2012

In December of last year, I attended the second Medlink conference for three days, from the 19th to 21st of the month. It was a great experience that I feel I have gained alot from.

On the first day, we were given alot of lectures on what medlink can do for us, how the next few days were going to run and how to get to know our fellow delegates. Although these did not seem as helpful at the time, it did help me to make friends and feel less nervous about the whole process and also gave us time to orientate ourselves and leave our belongings in our rooms. We also heard from current medical students at different Universities in the UK which gave us the opportunity to ask questions and learn about how courses are usually formatted. Before the conference started, there was an exhibition which was one of the most helpful aspects of the four days as it gave me a chance to speak to representives from some of the Universities I wanted to apply to and learn about opportunities to gain experience before applying to medical school and how to successfully convey my passion about medicine to help me to get into medical school.

On the second day, we had lectures about the process of application into medicine, the roles of Doctors in different areas of medicine and even a charity lecture on 'Liking and Sexual Attraction'. I really enjoyed hearing about the dramatic experiences Air Ambulance and Army Doctors, as well as 'regular' doctors had experienced throughout their careers. I especially liked the aspect of being able to ask questions to the people who were, in short, my role models and who had successfully achieved what I had such a passion to achieve and had gotten to where I have been working so hard to get to. I also enjoyed learning about the different specialities of medicine and although it was far too early to choose one area, I began to realise how I feel I could happily work in any area of medicine. What I also loved was seeing the passion on Doctors' faces and realising that the people standing before us genuinely enjoyed every working day that they spent. The 'Liking and Sexual Attraction' lecture was also very interesting as it gave me further insight into the research side of medicine, even if it was with a rather humorous attitude towards it.

The third day featured more lectures but also Clinical Skills sessions which allowed us to learn how to use Otoscopes, Ophthalmoscopes and Stethoscopes. This was really interesting for me as I could see exactly what the people I had been observing the year before were looking for and I gained further insight into specialist areas of medicine. We were also given the opportuniy to interview actors, posing as patients, to try and discover why they had come to the hospital. This session was also very enjoyable, especially when I found that I had diagnosed one of the patients correctly.

The final day consisted of lectures about opportunities of studying abroad which looked very exciting, but sadly also very expensive. I also attended the extra Chemistry A* session which was very enjoyable as half was run by an examiner from OCR, the board whose exam I was due to be sitting in the next few weeks, I also enjoyed learning some Chemistry from the lecturers, giving me an insight into how I would learn when I got to University and also helping me get back into the working mindset for my exams that would be coming up in the next few weeks.

I feel overall I was truly inspired by Medlink and as I left the conference I realised just how passionate and determined I am to do everything I can to become a Doctor and spend my life helping others. I also really enjoyed the atmosphere of learning with and talking to many like-minded young people who were in the exact position I was in and I discover two unexpected benefits of the course; despite learning lots about medicine and becoming a Doctor, I also felt that I got a glimpse into University life, which I loved, and I made friends who I can talk to along the journey to getting into medical school.

My First Work Experience Placement

In Summer 2011, I spent a week with the Ophthalmology Department at South Warwickhire Hospital. This was my first piece of medicine-related work experience and it really helped me to realise what I wanted to do after school and university.

On my first day, I was taken around the department and my supervisor explained the various roles within the department and how the department, as a whole, worked. I spent the morning observing the Children's Clinic and Glaucoma Clinic. This really helped me to understand the main patient groups that people working in healthcare have to deal with. I also enjoyed learning more about Opthalmology and was amazed by the simple techniques that help to change someone's life dramatically buy giving them clear vision; such as, the use of prisms to help the two eyes to work together and the use of plaster patches to help strengthen childrens' weaker eyes.

I also observed a very interesting case where a patient had been in a motorbiking accident and the months of treatment she had to go through to help to get her vision back to anywhere near normal again. This case also showed me the wonderfully amicable relationship between the Ophthalmologist and the patient who had seen him many times.

In the afternoon, I observed a Doctor checking patients' eyes and explaining treatment plans for their various eye-related conditions. This helped me learn about the close contact between doctor and patient and the importance of communication within the healthcare profession, as well as teaching me alot about how the eye works and how modern-day medicine can help with so many conditions.
From Tuesday to Thursday, I spent the majority of my time; with nurses observing vision tests and injections of fluorescein or with the Ophthalmologists; observing Orthoptic Clinics. Although I had started my placement with the mentality that I wanted to be a doctor so that I could make a real difference in healthcare, these days helped me to understand how vital all the various roles really are and the great importance of communication between Nurses, Doctors, HCAs and everyone who works within a hospital.

I also felt that I learnt alot from spending lunch with the department. I really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and the relationship between all the employees, it felt as if I was really part of a team and inspired me to want to work in a department like it when I was older. It also gave me a chance to speak to the Nurses, Ophthalmologists and Doctors about why they chose their careers and reaffirmed my desire to want to become a Doctor.

On the Friday, I went out to local primary schools with my supervisor to observe vision tests on reception class children. This was an area of medicine I knew little about and I enjoyed learning about the good that the NHS does for the people and how every child in the country's vision is checked at primary schools and the lengths the employees of the NHS have to go to, to ensure everyone gets the healthcare they deserve.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement in the Ophthalmology Department that week,  I feel that I learnt alot about the work NHS does, what I wanted to do with my life and how departments run within themselves as well as, as a whole hospital. During my placement I mainly observed but I also got to perform simple tasks such as handing notes out to doctors, helping elderly patients to get to their appointments and switching off lights for the fluoroscein injections. I recieved alot of satisfaction just from the smiles on patients' faces as they left and although I had done very little to help, I learnt from this placement that by helping others, you can gain great job satisfaction and really enjoy working and also that I definitely wanted to work within the NHS when I was older.