Month: May 2017

The Home Straight

/ Sebastian Owczarek

So, here we go. I only have four and half weeks left of medical school. In some ways it feels like it has been a long time coming, but in other ways, it doesn’t seem that long ago that I was in first year going to watch Contagion in the cinema with a large group of fellow medics and the then lecturer in Public Health, Dr Rachel Isba. How times change, she has now only recently just become the Head of the Medical School and I’m a few months away from working on the wards of Dewsbury and District General Hospital.

I count myself pretty lucky to have got the jobs I wanted in a place I wanted to be. I spend my first (FY1) year in Dewsbury and my second (FY2) in the heart of Leeds, placed mainly at the Leeds General Infirmary. There I’ll be the house officer in Emergency Medicine, Cardiology and Neurosurgery. It feels unreal, but after 6 years, my time as a student is drawing to a close.

On Monday this week, the staff at the medical school put on a light afternoon tea as celebration for being given approval by the General Medical Council to award Lancaster degrees (as opposed to Liverpool whose programme we had been following and degree we had been awarded thus far). It was a joyous occasion for all and not least for us fifth years who will now officially become and graduate as Lancaster’s first cohort with a medical degree of its very own.

The only thing stopping me from graduating now is completion of my portfolio, and that just requires time to invest!

First Year – Term Two !

/ Katie Burrell

It is finally Easter break – aaaannd it’s going to be a holiday of studying. It’s 9 weeks until summative exams and everyone is starting to sense how close that really is. We’ve been here 6 months and I think it’s safe to say everyone underestimated how much knowledge and content medical school expects you to fit into your brain. Saying this – term two was so much easier than term one. We have settled in and felt more at ease, both inside and outside of studies. From the structure of PBL to the layout of the campus and city, all aspects of our lives here have become a little more familiar and comfortable – Lancaster truly feels like home now.

The curveball of term two (apart from mock exams and the SSM) – the Community Clinical Teaching sessions. This initially terrifying notion turned out to be my favourite part of the whole term. CCT’s are the first real clinical exposure we get in year one, where we get to talk to real patients and practicing GPs about their lives and thoughts on health care. Considering the most we’d had to worry about up to that point was making sure we introduced ourselves and gained consent to speak to a ‘simulated patient’ (actor/actress) – the prospect of talking to a real person was scary for all of us. We had 3 placements in 3 different GP practices, which meant that for 3 days in February, we got to break out of the Lancaster bubble and discover some beautiful places – Kendal, Sedburgh and Grange–Over– Sands. Talking to patients with chronic diseases was so eye-opening and inspiring. Each brought their own unique story and one patient in particular was the most positive and lovely person I have ever met. She will be somebody who I will remember throughout my career. The doctors also talked to us before and after we met the patient, informing us of what it is really like to be a GP and the vast amount of opportunities open to us in GP land! I also loved exploring the hidden gems that are on our doorstep at Lancaster. Eating chips on the promenade of Grange-over-Sands with some of my fabulous medic mates – you can’t get much more northern or much more relaxed– but the places we visited were serene and it was great to see everyone appreciating the beauty the North has to offer. (FYI – I am a northerner through and through).

Other personal highlights of the term include using the on-campus cinema, Take 2, for the first time. It’s brilliant and it’s pretty safe to say La La Land gained an extra fan! The Medsoc Take Me Out was also a brilliant event for charity, and a night to remember!! (Medics just KNOW how to party.)

So, as we enter what is bound to be an intense last term of our first year of medical school – I can’t wait to see what caffeine-fuelled memories I make with the incredible friends I have made here at Lancaster.