Sheffield MMI Stations Flashcards
Why is Sheffield the right place for you?
Nice environment- everything you need is within walking distance, big city small town feel
Accessibility to peak district- great opportunity to get away and clear head
Music- Sheffield symphony orchestra, wide range of musical opportunities within SU
Hockey- Sheffield Medics Hockey team, great way to relax, stay fit and make friends throughout the course
What about the course structure makes it right for you?
Full body dissection- very rare and incredible opportunity, I really enjoy doing dissections from school and feel you are much more likely to learn anatomy this way than being told or shown something that has already been dissected
Early patient contact- helps to build professional skills from early as possible which is very beneficial;
Patients as educators- I think this is really beneficial as nobody understands what makes a good doctor than the patients that have been treated by them
SITraN- Sheffield Institution for Translational Neuroscience, incredible opportunity to work alongside and be taught by some of the leading researchers in the field, I have read about research into stopping progression of Parkinson’s and MND and would love to be able to learn in this environment
What will you do if you don’t receive any offers?
Take a gap year and reapply next year.
In that year I want to:
Increase volunteering- apply for places at local hospitals to get more patient contact
Apply for a job at SCGP- understand healthcare at a deeper level and again get more patient contact which would help my communication and professional development
Read more research and get a greater understanding of what is going on in healthcare
These would make me a stronger applicant for when I reapply
Why do you want to be a doctor?
Medicine is a deeply satisfying career- realised by adopting caring role the satisfaction of helping others and how improving their lives improved my own self-confidence/worth
Challenges + stress- I believe by staying open and making connections with other people in my situation and people outside of medicine I can handle it and the challenges presented can be enjoyable
Intellectual- amount of knowledge available is endless, encourages lifelong learning and growth which I aspire to.
Deep scientific passion- interest in medicine has been deepened by reading books such as ‘The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat’, attending lectures on topics like the treatment of depression and reading articles on things like the progression and diagnosis of motor neuron diseases. These all fascinated me and inspired me to research further and learn more in the field.
Reviews- encourage reflection and constant personal + professional growth
Skills- suited to the career, by developing communication, empathy etc. I have equipped myself to become a doctor that can treat any patient at the highest standard of care possible.
Speaking to doctors- passion they have for the job being maintained throughout long careers and how the job never grows old I confirmed to myself that medicine is really the right path for me.
Tell me about a patient who has taught you something you want to take into your career?
John,
105 years old when I met him, despite his ill health he still called me over with a smile and talked to me about his life and his son he was very proud of. Had a chat he told me about the tumour on his head which he got serving in Afghanistan and what he learned from the wars he served in.
He believed in spreading love and how he believed all conflicts could be settled if we appreciated our common ground.
Finally he would tell me I made his day when I cam over and spoke to him.
The power of that compassion and his kind words is what I’d like to take with me. Above any clinical knowledge I gained from time in a GPs or hospital I think that compassion and empathy is what makes a good doctor.
Staff shortages and their impact on waiting times has become a big challenge for the NHS. How do you think it should be tackled?
More medical/dental school places- shortage of doctors + dentists, particularly in harder to fill specialties e.g. GP, Psychiatrist
More primary care staff like physiotherapists, nurses etc.
Recruit from overseas + stop our doctors leaving. Create a better working environment within the NHS e.g. environment where mistakes are accepted and used to learn
‘Golden Hello’- recruitment into primary care in areas where it is most needed
Social Prescribing link worker, reduce unnecessary GP appointments and can provide more effective care suited to the patient
Training clinical pharmacists- provide support within primary care
How does Good Medical Practice apply to you as a medical student? How does it change when you qualify?
Knowledge, Skills + performance- build a good basis of knowledge to develop skills on. Must be fully engaged in the course, listen to advice and feedback and reflect + look for ways to improve performance Recognise limits of competence, this means no treating patients unless under supervision. Always let patients + staff know you are a student. Ask for help when needed!
Safety + quality- be open and honest about any mistakes, duty of candour. Raise any concerns about patient safety you may have. Protect from risks due to your own mental/physical health. Get independent assessment from a GP. Tell the medical school about any changes in health that impact patients/peers.
Communication, partnership + teamwork- be honest about your level of knowledge, seek support to help communicate effectively where patient struggles to communicate. Be polite. Work together and treat colleagues with respect. Mentor other students + be honest with peer feedback. Patient confidentiality
Maintaining trust- respect the patients. Do not engage in emotional/sexual relationship with patients. Do not express personal beliefs in a way that would cause/distress. Do not discriminate, judge based on needs/priorities and effectiveness of treatment options. Do not let personal opinions effect how you treat patients. Honesty. Tell medical school and GMC about any issues with fitness to practice.
Mostly themes are same for qualified doctors as rules as medical students are trying to encourage them into behaviours to follow as doctors. Some like don’t act except supervision change + still introduce yourself just no longer as a student. Still acknowledge competency and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
It can be common to work with patients who have communication difficulties due to illness or dementia. How might this affect the way you care for them? How would you manage confidentiality in such a case?
May have to rely more on non verbal communication. This makes it harder to understand what the patient needs or how they are in pain etc. however consent can be given non-verbally and is still valid. If you struggle to communicate with them you should seek support to see if there is any other means of communication or somebody else may be more able to comprehend. In some cases of dementia etc where they are no longer deemed competent you would have to address any treatment options with the person with lasting power of attorney.
Make it clear to the patient whenever you are going to share their details with another clinician for support in their care. You can disclose patient information to Attorney to allow them to make the best medical decision for their Donor.
While working at your Saturday job in a shop you find that one of your colleagues has arrived at work smelling of alcohol. They appear to be intoxicated, and you know that they drove to work. What actions would you take?
Start by making small talk to make them comfortable.
Then ask open, non-confrontational questions hoping they will give up the information willingly e.g. what have you been up to this morning?
If they will not give it up willingly then be more direct and ask them about it, if they do admit to it, try to be supportive and suggest they should take the rest of the day off work and call them a taxi back.
If they still refuse it and you are certain they have been drinking then bring up the issue with your superior within the shop and ask them for advice on what to do and file a report in line with the shop’s policy.
Tell me about a time when you have made a positive impact on someone else’s life.
A resident at the care home I volunteered in, he was 105 years old when I met him. I never felt like I did anything extraordinary for him but every time I went in to volunteer I would always go over and brink him a drink and have a chat with him to see how he was. He liked to tell me about his son and his time in the army but he would always ask about me and how I was doing as well. Every time I left him he would shake my hand and tell me that I had made his day by coming over to speak to him. Unfortunately one day when I went into the home I saw he was not in his usual spot and when I asked a carer about it they informed me he had been taken into hospital and had passed away. While I couldn’t help his health I hope that he would agree that I made some of his last days more enjoyable. The time I spent talking to him and some of the knowledge he passed on to me will truly stay with me forever and I will never forget the gratitude I feel for him and the kind words he gave me when I was having a hard time.
What does working together for patient care mean to you? What factors might impact on our ability to do this?
Working together for patient care means putting aside any personal issues to provide the best care possible.
Forming good relationships + open communication- work together + problem solve
Include patients- more engaged in their own care if they understand it
Breakdown in communication- care plan may be contradictory and lead to patient not following it, if people can communicate they can overcome issues
Personal issues- hopefully people can put these aside and stay open but it can create tension which can lead to a breakdown in communication
Showing compassion and empathy is important when we deal with patients. How would you try to do this? Is this different from showing respect and dignity for patients?
A large part about showing compassion is being relatable to the patient, you have to be professional but still be a human and let them understand that you are there for them and you genuinely care about their health/concerns. Start consultations by putting patients at ease/making them comfortable, try to understand the difficulty of their position and do whatever you can to help.
Within the GMC guidelines treating patients with respect generally refers to not abusing your position of power by pushing personal beliefs on them or pursuing a relationship with them, whereas compassion is understanding the patient and being kind to them and their family in their time of need
Charlie Gard- dignity for patients, quality of life needs to considered
At this station you will meet a patient with a long-term illness. You are asked to engage them in conversation and find out about the nature of their illness, how it is managed, what effect it has on their daily life and how they think it is likely to affect their life in the future. You are NOT expected to play the role of a Medical Student or other healthcare
professional – you should be yourself! The patient will be scoring you on your ability to interact with them.
Start with small talk, introduce myself ask for their name.
I understand you’re here to talk about your health condition today, would you care to tell me the nature of your illness?
How does it impact your daily life/where do you feel its consequences?
How do you manage your condition?
Moving forwards in your life, how do you think your condition will effect you?
Studying Medicine can be intense, so maintaining a work-life balance is important. How do you relax and unwind? What does the city or University offer that can support this?
Music- I enjoy the comfort in playing instruments and forgetting about the day’s stress. As part of this I would be interested in signing up for the Sheffield University Symphony Orchestra or a smaller group like the string orchestra as I think its a great way to make connections outside the course as well as a great way to relax
Hockey- I really want to join the Sheffield medic’s hockey team as I think that’s a great way to make connections with other people on the course as well as stay fit and enjoy some good hockey. Playing hockey has been a great way for me to relieve my frustrations positively and I always feel better after playing.
On a more general note on dealing with stress I think its really important to set aside time that doesn’t involve work as Medicine has the ability to bleed into all aspects of your life and become all consuming, but by maintaining connections and making friendships outside of the medical course we can avoid making an echo chamber and it can help us to appreciate the challenges
Medical students are selected from students with a wide range of backgrounds. How will you cope with moving from an environment where most students have a similar background to one where everyone has a wide variety of experience and knowledge? How might that impact you or those around you?
I want to move into university with a very open mind and stay open to all new ideas and experiences while sharing mine with others as well. Growing up in Birmingham I already come from a very diverse background and I really enjoy spending time around people with different perspectives and beliefs and although it can sometimes lead to disagreement, I believe this is the only way to become a rounded person. However it can also be daunting jumping into an unfamiliar environment filled with new people so I want to try to support those around me and in turn hope they will also support me and create amazing new experiences and memories.
In regards to knowledge,
