i'm in chorley this week - it's a relatively small hospital but the A&E department has been busy nonetheless. in fact, the A&E departments in the trust (preston+chorley) are apparently the busiest in the north west, seeing on average 350 patients a day between both sites! chorley doesn't take in trauma patients as they all get sent to preston, so no gory injuries to be seen as of yet. that said, i really like how i've started at this pace before i go to preston - i've been dealing with loads of general medical emergencies (and NON emergencies), and these are essentially what a junior doctor should expect to deal with. history-examination-investigations-management-plan after A&E, all of which have to be done in a 4-hour window. so loads of pressed-for-time issues, learning how to set priorities and being able to justify why things are done. i'm so glad i get to be part of the team as i not only want to learn to pass my exams but i also yearn to be competent, and this is a brilliant place to gain all the experience.
the doctors and nurses have been sublime, as with all the staff in the other departments at chorley. i just never thought they'd be just as nice at the A&E department! teaching is excellent given the amount of work they each have to do, on top of being timetabled for a whole morning of proper A&E tutorials by consultants every week. two students in each hospital A&E department at a time is more than ideal and they've stopped taking in 3rd years so there's no one else to "fight for jobs" with! nurses are ever-willing to help out, taking time to ask us what procedures we're not good at and consequently alerting us when a patient needs something to be done, and actually staying with us throughout the procedure to guide us through if need be. sometimes they'd even eavesdrop on our conversations even though they appear to be busy! like today i was telling becky how i needed to be more slick in doing a full neurological exam and this nurse picked this up while he was writing up his notes and actually found a patient with neurological signs for me to examine later on! i love it when you get this sort of support. just makes your days so much better and fruitful!
well here i am, exhausted from what a day it has been, but with major satisfaction. i hope this streak goes on for as long as possible. here's hoping that i won't experience a burnt-out period any time soon!
