sometimes I find myself at a loss with a keen med student. I don't want to ignore them, but I don't always (or often!) have a structured tutorial to pull out of the hat
this often varies by specialty and ward anyway
EDIT 29/07/2023: to add stuff
Suggested
at the bedside:
examine a friendly patient
pt with a rare condition? tell me what you can about it – better, what can the patient teach you about it?
when asked to review a patient, do an A-E together, or get them to lead the A-E examination
observe a blood transfusion
do a MOCA/ACE etc. (other patient questionnaires exist) talk about the advantages and limitations of those tools.
procedures:
take a postural BP then talk about risk factors for postural hypotension
take and interpret an ABG
any other procedure in the GMC core procedures is game obviously
troubleshoot a catheter/NG tube/cannula
prescribing:
mock prescribing – antibiotics, gentamicin (grrr)
let's talk pain relief...
let's talk antiemetics and their mechanisms...
let's talk parkinson's meds...
take a medication history
do an admission meds reconciliation
do a meds reconciliation for discharge – why were meds stopped?
teamwork:
ask a friendly AHP if the student can shadow them – e.g. specialist nurses, therapists, pharmacists
follow a patient down to scan
ask a friendly specialist if the student can shadow them
write a referral together
calling micro for a specific question
take a handover
doctoring:
write a scan request together → discuss why this modality
chat about on calls
do they know how “the take” works?
doing a DNACPR? write the “red form” together
investigations:
describe an ECG/scan systematically
look at some bloods, ask them to tell you what it means
parse reports, historical or otherwise (I was asked to look through 6 years of clinic letters once...)
I have two days off after a weekend on call with a steep learning curve, so my brain does need that break.
Just writing some reflections and portfolio sign offs now and thinking
It was pretty fitting that one of my first big learning events was recognising when people were actively dying. That was something I was afraid of, starting off – knowing what was reversibly unwell and what wasn't, and with all the things around that: discussing when people might not survive resuscitation; when to make the call to involve palliative care.
Being in Frailty has helped with making these conversations much more common, and led by seniors used to making these decisions compassionately and sensibly.
Listening to the palliative care team was an education. Listening to how they navigated difficult conversations and family dynamics helped show a way that was calm and clear about uncertainty. In medical school, palliative care teaching was often about generic “breaking bad news” and prescribing. Let's be frank, most of my “palliative care revision for finals” was 80% prescribing, 20% “soft skills”. Learning about palliative care in FY1 has been 20% prescribing, 80% communication skills and styles of patient assessment.... like most other clinical specialties, really!
I have no answers. Coming alongside people and talking about this with them is becoming a bit easier with practice, especially when I know it can be done with compassion and gentleness.
I've just finished a run of nights off the delirium ward
I now see delirium everywhere
where before it was “agitated confused” or “drowsy confused” I now recognise “hyperactive delirium” and “hypoactive delirium”... and I see the dangerous transition points where valuable information gets missed, or plans are never actioned.
A log for wins at work, because I think I'll need it.
Got drawn into medical take for £40ph with escalated escalated rates after discharge ward round. So having done 10-12 TTAs on the new system, went on the take with a ridiculous number of people to see...
And I've only spent 2 days on frailty, but was immediately given a patient who would clearly benefit – care home resident, came in after a fall, history of dementia. Meaning I knew what sorts of things were good to do for this patient! Had a good conversation re risks and benefits of admission too.
Feels good to have seen and thought about this lots, and be able to apply this in an undifferentiated situation.