I'm so lucky to attend a college that are so encouraging of healthcare careers. Recently, they offered a workshop called 'operating theatre live' [click here to see their website],it was such a great day!
Lets begin at the start of my day. I got to college early filled with excitement and anticipation for my upcoming day, we weren't really sure what we were in for. Me and my friends (all either Biology or Chemistry A level students) entered our sports hall, greeted by flashing lights and loud music- totally not the seminar we had expected. There were about five mannequins lying on hospital beds and a large array of medical contraptions.
We were all given scrubs to wear, along with a face mask and hat to wear, even a stethoscope. This was so funny, and although it seemed a novelty, it was protection for what we were about to do.
Sam Perri, the physician who runs and presents the show, gave us a quick introduction to the day, then ran through some of the many healthcare careers. During this he gave: an overview of the career and responsibilities; average salary; necessary skills and finally, needed grades for the specific university courses. Although I already knew these things for my desired course (physiotherapy), it was interesting to get an insight into other options and my friends found this so helpful- especially those who were unsure of a possible career route. I found it particulary useful when he told us about competition when applying. Although I knew physiotherapy was popular, I had never read or heard statistics. This definitely motivated/ scared me to hear!!
After this we had a super speed medical basics lesson. This included the 'proper' terminology for certain things (lateral, medial, posterior etc) and the names of limbs and muscles. Although this knowledge isn't particularly essential, it was great to learn something new, and it helped the whole day to feel even more 'real', like a true operating theatre.
The rest of the day happened in sections. For example we started with the respiratory system, learning the main parts in the body, and then common diseases. Then we would go in groups to a mannequin and perform a common operation. In this section it was a tracheostomy, using tubes and balloons to assist breathing. Each of the other sections of the day ran like this, a short lesson so we had some knowledge, then an 'operation', eg heart transplant, leg amputation, we even touched a brain(!!!!)
I honestly had such a great day, it only confirmed my desire to work with the human body. However it also affirmed my previous decision to NOT study medicine or just anatomy, I wasn't particularly stimulated by the surgery.
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