Running Playlist September 2015

I love a good run, first thing every morning....well if I haven't been out till stupid o'clock at work.... I can't normally run without my music, I don't like the silence (especially when the run is longer than 4 miles).

I like to shake things up a bit as well, nothing worse than listening to the same 20ish songs every morning for months and months. Here's my summer running playlist, hope it inspires some of ya to get out and get your miles on.

Song	Artist
Worth It	Fifth Harmony ft Kid Ink
Uptown Funk	Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars
Mr. Brightside	The Killers
Don’t Stop Me Now	Queen
Like I Can	Sam Smith
Work Work	Britney Spears
Shut Up and Dance	WALK THE MOON
Bohemian Like You	The Dandy Warhols
The Middle	Jimmy Eat World
Ever Fallen in Love	Buzzcocks
I Really Like You	Carly Rae Jepsen
Bills	Lunchmoney Lewis
20/20	The Vaccines
Emergency	Icona Pop
Want to Want Me	Jason Derulo
Heroes (We Could Be)	Alesso
Air Guitar	McBusted
Jerk It Out	Caesars
Fri-end	Kate Nash
The Night is Still Young	Nicki Minaj
Take Her Back	The Pigeon Detectives
Last Nite	The Strokes
Who Needs You	The Orwells
Dashboard	Modest Mouse
Cannibal Queen	Miniature Tigers

Top 5 UCAS Tips

This is the final in my current mentoring series! Here's my top tips to tackle the dreaded UCAS and that pesky personal statement... Next week, I am meetingup again with the students, so there may be more insights into the world of medical school application soon! But I will return to more foodie, vegan stuff soon!

1. Reflect

No matter how small or simple your work experience may seem, it isn't what you have done, it is what you have gleaned from it. Talking for 10 minutes about something that really affected you, or really interested you about your work experience is much more impressive than a long list of “exciting” placements.

2. Get something down fast!

It is very daunting looking at a big blank sheet of paper, and the hardest part is getting started on your personal statement. Just get the bare bones down as soon as possible. This might be basic notes on academic success, work experience and extracurricular. 

I was always told for a medical application to have an 80%/20% split, with the majority being academic. 

Once the basics are down, it can than be bulked up with details and reflection, and refined and read over by other people. But the hardest bit is honestly just getting the basics down!

3. Don't lie

You will be being interviewed by the leading experts in medicine. If you say you have read a research paper, or did some experience that you haven't, these people will quiz you and will know that if you haven't been honest.

A little bit different, but if you say you have a passion for a certain aspect of medicne, be prepared to know your stuff about said subject! You could be being interviewed by the leading consultant in that speciality!

4. Make it relevant

If you choose to do the 80/20 split, make even the 20% of extra curricular relevant to medicine.

For example, I love to run, and run 10ks and half marathons for charity. This may not immediately seem relevant to medicine, but the skills gained from my running are. These can be things like time management, organising runs and a training schedule, and commitment, signing up, training and actually doing the race! These skills are transferable, and illustrate some of the qualities wanted in our future doctors.

5. Remember - Any work experience is useful!

It is really difficult to get placements shadowing consultants if you don’t have one in the family. This is why this programme is amazing! I was looking at your timetable with serious green eyes! This is an amazing opportunity! But don’t worry if you can’t list off series of exciting placements, as medical schools understand how difficult it is to get work experience with age restrictions and issues of confidentiality. Any work experience in a caring environment will be helpful, even volunteering over a longer period of time can be useful as it shows commitment.

Also, overseas placements that cost money won't be seen as more impressive as any other placement. I spoke to 4 admission tutors during my application, because this concerned me as I had spoke to many fellow applicants who had been able to travel and volunteer overseas. All the tutors reassured me that any experience that requires payment will not be seen as more impressive than any other.  

My Placement Experiences

Here is the 3rd in my seris of posts on applying for medical school.... hope you enjoy!

• How I felt,

• First Impressions

My first placement with UCL was at the ITU in the Whittington Hospital. I was very excited for this placement as I find the busy, more fast paced side of medicine really interesting. 

This was also only my second time on the wards however, and I was nervous. There is no way for the patients to tell who is a clinical year medical student, junior doctor, or pre-clinical student. We were representing the hospital, the medical school, and making an impression on consultants we may meet again further on in our career. This is a terrifying prospect!

Working in ITU, all the staff were expected to wear scrubs, and the novelty of scrubbing up hasn't worn off yet! Hopefully during this week you guys will have the chance too!  

• Ward Round

At ITU, the ward rounds are always with a consultant, due to the nature of the patients and the severity of their illness. Luckily, the consultant my partner and I had was very welcoming, and really tried to involve us in the discussions. She even printed off blood gasses for us to interpret with the help from the junior doctors.

We were also with 3 FY1 (junior doctors), who explained more complex terms with us that we had not yet covered.

It was nerve wracking, and sometimes the discussions regarding the patient seemed very separate to the individual (which is understandable when the patient is unconscious), but also felt a little abrupt at times. This attitude is necessary though, as there are many patients to see, with complex, multi-morbidities (different chronic conditions at once), as well as acute occurrence which exacerbate the underlying conditions.  One such patient was suffering from an acute case of pneumonia, yet was already diagnosed with COPD, this made his treatment more complex, and hence why he was placed into ITU.

• What it’s like meeting patients;

• depends on how ill they are

Meeting and interacting with patients is a treat, especially after what feels like ages of revision and book learning during the preclinical years. How much you are able to get back from the patient however, depends on their condition. Due to the nature of ITU, a lot of the patients were unable to respond or where confused. On gentleman had been moved from another hospital and was unconscious since his arrival. He began to come around during the ward round, and was very confused. He was an alcoholic, and had passed out at a bus stop. He had severe liver damage and appeared very jaundiced (yellow skin, and a yellowing of the whites of his eye). It was very interesting to hear the registrar explain to the man where he was, why he had been brought to ITU, and how his current state had been caused by his alcohol abuse.

One thing I won’t forget is the man had a tattoo of a man’s name and date on his arm, presumable a son. The man had been found alone, and since he had been at the Whittington (3 days by this point), he had not received any visitors. Meeting patients brings home the humanity of medicine, these are real people with lives, not just biochemical malfunctions.

• How to deal with witnessing difficult circumstances.

you may see some upsetting things on the wards, but it is important to remember that everything is being done to help them, and to not take it upon yourself, otherwise you can be overwhelmed. This is something that I still find difficult, but it does improve with more experience in these settings. I used to cry every time we lost a resident at the care home I volunteered at, but over time I have built up some form of resilience.

• man with unexplained fitting, wife with him, was hospital worker

One gentleman was being admitted as my partner and I arrived for our placement. He was a porter at the hospital, and had become increasingly unwell over the last few days. He was suffering from idiopathic seizures (of an unknown cause) and was drifting in and out of consciousness. This was difficult enough to observe, but while we were being briefed by the reg in the staff room, we could hear the patient’s wife, distraught in the corridor, as the consultant tried to explain why the woman’s husband was being brought to ITU, and that they didn’t know what was wrong with him at this point in time.

My partner and I were a bit shaken by this, and understood the woman’s distress and confusion, as she said her husband had been fine 3 days ago. The lady was calmed slightly, but her husband continued to fit. Watching a seizure can also be quite difficult, but nothing can be done except to let them, and prevent them from doing any harm to themselves.

• you might see someone who had died, and whose family is very upset by the news, or worse, with no family there. Remember there are people you can talk to; others in your group, the consultant you are shadowing, or us mentors when we meet up again. Just don’t bottle it up.  

Professionalism

My Mum laughed when I told her I was giving a talk on professionalism. I was appropriately offended, but I can see where she is coming from.... Quite often people presume I study art, or drama, and I have heard, "Oh, medicine, so you're smart?", too many times to funny any more. Yes, I have 9 piercings, 6 tattoos, and the wardrobe of a "slut" or 12 year old boy, depending on my mood, but that does not lessen my ability to study medicine..... grrr

Saying that, I always turn up for placement, and a Mid-West old money grandmother (Dad's side) instilled a great appreciation of traditional manners and proper etiquette. (just trust me on this one, I know it seems unlikely). I can speak so proper when I want to, that my boss at M&Co didn't believe it was me when she overheard me on the phone to a customer.... I love smashing stereotypes

Here's some notes that I prepared for the students though, and I hope it covered all bases for them...

• Suitable clothing

You may be asked to scrub up for some of your sessions, which is really fun and exciting, I still get excited about it, but you still have to dress smart for the placement. It is all about first impressions, and you really want the team you will be working with how much this opportunity means to you. It’s kind of a respect thing.

The first priority is hygiene in a hospital, which is why there are certain rules that have to be followed. These include;

• Bare below the elbow - no watches, rings, bracelets, or long sleeves/ jackets
• for the guys, no ties, and or scarves/long dangly necklaces  
• for those with long hair, tie it back please.
• closed toed, flat shoes, that are comfortable enough for you to be on your feet for a long time

These rules are just here to prevent infections on the ward, also a health and safety thing, like if you were performing an experiment in science at school  

You will want to look smart, so for guys, a shirt (with the sleeves rolled up) and trousers (NEVER JEANS EVER! BOTH GENDERS). And for the girls, a nice blouse with trousers or a knee length-ish skirt, or nice (again) knee length-ish dress.

Hair looking nice and brushed, and pulled back if long. And minimal makeup, simple and fresh looking.

• How to conduct yourself professionally,

With placements, you are there to observe, so it important to not get in the way of the doctors, or their communication with the patient. This means being respectful of consultations, and only speaking/getting involved when the doctor invites you to do so. It is a little bit of common sense, and you definitely get a feel for when is, and isn’t appropriate to contribute within a placement.

Also, confidentiality is crucial. You are in a place of privilege, and may hear some sensitive information. It is your responsibility to keep this information confidential, to protect the doctor/patient relationship. Not to say you can’t discuss amongst yourselves regarding the things you see, or with a member of the health-team if something upset you, but it is important that names or other defining features of the patient are not mentioned.

Also, just general manners, hopefully these people may be your colleagues in years to come, so try to make a good impression. Listen when they give you instructions, and follow what they tell you to do. They have given up their time to help you, so please respect that

  

• How to get the most out of the placement

Be observant of all the things happening around the ward. You may be shadowing the consultant or doctor, but the rest of the health care team plays an important role in the workings of the ward. This includes the nursing staff, health care assistants, physios, and any other health care workers. The whole team make the ward, and understanding medicine as a multi-disciplinary unit shows a real understanding of the workings of a ward.

Ask questions, lots. There will be times when things are quiet, and you can ask the consultant things about the ward or their experience of being a doctor. Maybe you had seen a procedure, and wondered what was the follow-up to such a procedure, or other treatments that may be tried if said procedure didn’t have the desired effect, etc .

Following your placements, take 5 to 10 minutes to jot down some of the key events you witnessed, and really dissect them. Try to reflect on how the events affected the staff, the patient, and yourself. Try to work in the groups you do the placements with, and compare experiences. One person's perspective on an event may be very different to yours, and be invaluable when it comes to understanding the event and people’s reactions.

My Journey to Medicine

This is the first in a series of posts that I developed while working with IntoScience. They run a work experience course called IntoMedicine, that aims to help students from unconventional backgrounds (free school meals, "disadvantaged" students) to get into medical school. One of the topics I was asked to prepare a speach on was my personal journey into medical school, which I thought I would pass on to you too! (sorry, not a lot of vegan stuff at the moment, but not a lot of interesting things have been eaten since I have been back in Bognor, where being vegan is equivalent to having 3 heads) 

• A-levels and Background

• 5 AS (all A) = Ethics and Philosophy, Psychology, Maths, Biology, Chemistry
• 3 A Levels (2 A* and A) = Maths, Chemistry, Biology
• EPQ on “The Ethical Implication of Adult Genetic Screening” = A*
• Single parent family (Mum, and she is unemployed)
• comprehensive school and 6th form
• I was on free school meals
• I worked a part time job from 2011 to 2014

• Entry tests

It will be the worst score you have ever gotten on a test, they are supposed to be hard, but don’t worry, within the cohort, remember your score is good! I was better at the BMAT than the UKCAT - keep that in mind when choosing university, however the BMAT is in November, after you have to make your choices  

• BMAT

I did go to a BMAT preparation course, which went over basic formulas and essay preparation. One thing I took away from this course was to read a lot of random stuff, anything that can be added as an example to your essay will work, just ensure that it is relevant (always refer back to the question in a BMAT essay)

• UKCAT

The books with practise questions were enough for me, find out what is naturally easier for you, than hammer the stuff you find more difficult, there is not enough time to think about every question, it is better to guess than to run out of time - each university has different thresholds, so think about that before applying, you don’t want to waste an application - the abstract reasoning was really difficult for me, go with your gut, or guess, but never leave a question unanswered

• Work experience

It is harder to get really exciting work experience if you don’t have a doctor/surgeon/consultant in the family, but that doesn't mean it’s impossible or that it is a necessary requirement for applying to medicine.

Some people will have been able to sit in on a triple heart bypass, but it’s the reflection on your work experience that matters. So even if you are volunteering at a care home, making cups of tea and chatting to residents, it shows a commitment and level of compassion that others may not have (anyone can put these skills in a personal statement, but showing evidence is harder)

• Volunteering at St. Joseph’s Care Home - 2 years

• sitting with residents
• tea rounds
• organising activities
• preparing meals
• feeding the older, frailer residents

• Volunteering at St Richard’s Hospital  - 2 years  

• patient interviews
• dinning companion

longer time commitments show that you have really thought about going into medicine, and that you are committed, use this as one of your strong points,

here I performed patient interviews, lots of them, 5 or 6 in a 3 hour session. This taught me so much about the patient experience and what they want from their doctors   

• Work experience at Maywood Surgery - 1 week

• home visit and ECG
• sitting in on nursing consultations
• sitting in on GP consultations
• sitting in on partners meeting
• observing a GP teaching session with some of the junior doctors

• Work experience at Grove House Surgery - 1 week

Here, I performed my first audit, get used to them, you are going to do a lot as a doctor, and during work experiences when you are a medical student. Luckily my uncle is a GP, and had his reassessment coming up, meaning he would need to perform an audit. I helped him with this, and the statistical analysis. It helped me to see the importance of the background paperwork, that never gets the same recognition as the exciting resuscitations or surgeries, but that makes the real difference in improving care and the patient experience   

• How you selected universities

I cit my choices down by the non-negotiables for me which were the teaching methods, and the feel of the university and the city

• Teaching Methods - what you think may work best for you - I know I struggle with constant group work, I have trouble delegating, so PBL wasn’t for me
• PBL
• Traditional
• Mixture of the 2
• The feel of the university - go to open days! I love the city of Southampton, but when I went to the Open day, and looked around the Halls and the lecture theatres, it didn’t feel right. A little bit too cold and separate from the rest of the town. Sometimes little things can put you off a place and it’s best to trust your gut instinct   
• The feel of the city - you are going to be there for a long time, if you don’t like the city or area, than this can impact on your enjoyment of the course. I knew that I wanted to live somewhere busier than the small town I grew up in, so applied to all city university's

• The applications process,

• UCAS

Communicate with your teachers, ask your predicted grades, and make sure they line up with the requirements of your universities! One of my biology teachers predicted me an A*, the other an A. The A went to UCAS, and if I hadn’t had double checked before finalising my choices, I could have wasted an application to Oxford  

• Personal Statement

I had everyone read my personal statement, teachers, my uncle who is a GP, my friends. But at the end of the day, it has to be a true reflection of me and why I want to do medicine. In my statement, I had 80% academics and work experience and 20% about my extra curricular. But that 20% EC, I related back to medicine, explaining how they helped develop skills necessary to medicine. Working a part time job throughout GCSE’s and A Levels may not seem relevant, but I used it to my advantage, explaining I had developed my time management skills, and communication skills whilst working in retail.  

• The Wait  

The wait to hear about interviews is long for medicine, and it drove me mad! Some of my friends already had offers before I had my first interview in December (they were keen and had submitted earlier/were Oxbridge applicants). Again, this is normal (so I was told, repeatedly, but it didn’t stop me from panicking)! I had 2 interviews out of the 4 I applied to. Getting straight up rejected sucks, but when an interview invitation does come through, it is the most exciting/terrifying thing!  

• Interviews

2 main different types - Multiple station and panel, before the interview I did

I had 2 interviews, one at St George’s, and one at UCL. The SG interview was a multi station interview, where you had to move around 7 different stations, were given a scenario or question, and had to talk for 5 minutes. I was so nervous, and froze on the first station, which meant I was so stressed and worried about how badly I had done in the other stations, that I continued to more anxious, and didn’t perform my best. This wasn’t helped by the fact that the actor/interviewer in the room was silent for the 5 minutes, and didn’t offer any ques. Once you had finished talking, and there was still time left, you sat in silence...very nerve wracking. I had no preparation for this kind of interview, and was overwhelmed by the fast pace. I would recommend looking up some videos on the MSI and practising with your friends. I was not surprised that I was put on the waiting list for a place at SG, I wasn’t happy with my performance at all.

My interview at UCL was better. It was a panel interview, with 3 other people, but only 2 asking the questions, and one observing. I was really nervous for this interview, as UCL was my last university I had heard from and had been rejected from my other 3.

At the introduction, all the applicants had been given back their essays from their BMAT, and we were expected to discuss the essay topic in the interview. The other interview questions regarded my work experience an audit I had performed during a placement at a GP’s. My personal statement also included information regarding my EPQ I had performed over the summer, but they failed to ask me about it, they than said 7 minutes into the interview that they had run out of questions, and I was free to go. At this point I panicked, and got a little mad they hadn’t read my personal statement properly before they asked me in. I promoted them, explaining about my EPQ, what I had learnt from it, and how I thought it may benefit me during the IBsc year at UCL. This may have been seen as rude, but I panicked. I left that interview building in tears, and went to Ed’s Easy Diner outside of Euston Station to eat my problems away with fries.

• The Wait (Again)

After my interview at UCL, I was convinced I would have to take a year out and reapply next year. I didn’t give up on my revision and exams, but during this time, I definitely had trouble keeping focused and motivated. Keep the faith during this time however! I was having a bath when my email lit up on my phone 3 weeks after my interview, to see I had received a conditional offer to UCL. My mum thought there was a spider in the bath the amount I screamed, and it took me 5 minutes to calm down enough to say I had an offer, to study medicine!

I would say that is the worst part over but then you have the exams, and the long wait til results, but honestly, once you have your offer, the hardest part is over, and you just have to make the final push to the end of A-levels. Once you have that offer, you will never be more motivated to sit for hours and revise. This is what the last 4 years of exams have been leading up to, so you make it work.