I’m Amir, and I’m a final (fifth) year Medical Student at the University of Central Lancashire. I study at the Westlakes campus at the National Centre for Remote and Rural Medicine (NCRRM). However, the majority of my placements are in Barrow-in-Furness, so I’m based there. In this blog, I’ll be sharing with you what my week looks like.
Iran
To give you some background, we sit our theory final exams at the end of the fourth year, so the final year really looks like an ‘internship year’. We call it ‘Transition to Clinical Practice’. During this year, we work very similarly to a Foundation Year 1 (F1 / FY1) doctor — of course with appropriate supervision and support.
In the final year, we also focus on the skills required to ‘do the job’, for a very smooth transition to our first post as a doctor. In our final year, we get to select our rotations. I’m doing eight rotations this year. These are:
- General Practice
- Psychiatry
- Research
- Acute Medicine
- ICU and Anaesthesia
- Assistantship
- Medicine in Challenging Environments
- Pre-Hospital Medicine (unique module for NCRRM students)
And I’ll also be undertaking an elective in Tropical Medicine in Malawi. Currently, I am doing my Psychiatry rotations. While every week varies significantly, I will give you an account of last week.
Saturday and Sunday
The weekend was quite nice as I spent some time with friends. I went down to Preston to spend the weekend, as most of my friends and peers stay there. Manchester is only a 40-minute drive away from Preston, so we also celebrated my friend’s birthday there. Besides that, it was quite a chill weekend — just recharging my batteries and having good food around Preston. There are a range of international food options on one of the high streets (called Friargate). I personally enjoy the Mediterranean restaurant Jaffa, Coco’s which serves excellent Caribbean food, and Thai Royale (one of my favourite Asian restaurants).
Monday
I spent this day working on my portfolio and catching up on admin. Besides looking into my FY1 application, I did some work on a project I’m leading. I’m doing a national clinical audit in Stroke Medicine – which involves me assessing the compliance of the Stroke Department in my hospital against national standards. I had a relatively early night as the following day I had a busy one.
Tuesday
Woke up at 6am as a coach was picking me up to take me to NCRRM from Barrow for a 9am start. I had the Resuscitation Council ILS (Immediate Life Support) course. We spent the whole day working in a team to work through simulated cases of resuscitating very unwell patients. It was a jam-packed day so when I got back, I just sorted some chores out and got some rest.
Wednesday
We had an online class with a senior doctor in Psychiatry. Volunteer patients who struggled with their mental health would join the meeting and we would take turns to speak with them for some time. We would then discuss the cases from various perspectives. Because it was a quieter day, I had the opportunity to go to the gym and meet with one of my friends who also lives in Barrow.
Thursday
Another busy day, I had to wake up early as I had to drive for 1.5 hours to get to Preston. We had a phenomenal session in partnership with the School of Law, led by one of our senior tutors, who is also a Psychiatrist and Medico-Legal advisor. The session was held at the Preston Moot Court, where we worked through a simulated coroner’s inquest. We took turns to stand up and give evidence, as well as answering challenging questions from others present. It was great being back in Preston, and I enjoyed catching up with a few friends and having some excellent food again!
Friday
Well, I am finalising the last edit today. This Friday is my day off so I can catch up on various work, sort out my admin, and of course work on my projects and portfolio. This weekend I am hoping to travel to the Lake District, less than an hour away. My friends and I have rented a boat, and we are planning to have our lunch there as well.
For the past few weeks, I have had hands-on placements where I was seeing my own patients, but this week I had teaching. Either way, I hope you can see how we work on more advanced concepts and skills during our last year, and more importantly I wanted to show you how a work-life balance is very much possible. And that is why time management is a key skill of a doctor!
Of course, Medicine is a long course. But it is rewarding. You get to see yourself grow slowly into a skilled doctor. The years go by quickly, and one day, you open your eyes and realise how much you’ve learnt and how close you are to becoming a doctor. I can’t believe I’m only a few months away from qualifying; I still remember my first days in Preston… I wish I could live those days again.
More information
- Course
Medicine & Surgery, MBBS
