Something a bit different

I met a number of these 'real patients' this week. The ones I spoke to were happy to be involved as they'd appreciated the help they had had with their various illnesses and conditions.

I have done this a few times, I found it a good experience. The main thing is that the junior doctors are tested on their communication skills, and on how they ask questions and listen to what is being told to them by the 'patient'. Then how to feed back to the patient and the examiner what he/she has learned, with an explanation and plan for treatment or further investigations that may be needed.

This becomes more important as the junior doctors progress in their training through the various parts of their membership colleges -MRCP; MRCS: MRCGP; MRCOG are a few. The exams for these colleges have a Part 1 and a Part 2, and some have a Part 3, and the parts have a timeframe to be completed in. The colleges also have an F (fellowship) along with the M (membership), and there is pressure to get the exams done along with the written elements. The further along the career pathway the more difficult the examinations are.

Some consultants (physician or surgeon) will have patients on their caseload who have very interesting or rare illnesses and conditions, not all that are 'visible', who agree to be in a 'pool' of people who will help out at these examinations. The examinees are then tested on what questions to ask to find a diagnosis. The real patients in these circumstances are greatly valued and everyone is hugely grateful to them. It is understood that the examination day is busy and tiring, and that these wonderful people can say when they have had enough. Many of the consultants will reimburse their patients - these consultants are most likely to be the examiners too.

I do it with medical students at my surgery. It is different from Aveline's remit.
The students know my condition/s, then are assessed on the questions they ask and how they respond to my answers. It is very rewarding.

I always make suggestions about what they can do, in order taht the patients has a positive experience.

Aveline many thanks will do some browsing tomorrow 🤞

There is a separate section of volunteers with actual conditions or injuries. I'm just a role playing patient. It is surprisingly hard to maintain concentration for such long periods. The clinical ability and expectations varies enormously from academic year to year. Yesterday was only second years. I'm doing the fourth year's exams in a couple of weeks. I suspect that'll be very different.
I'm sure most medical schools will have programmes like this. Well worth investigating.

This sounds like a really interesting volunteering opportunity. Maybe something I should look up as I'm becoming less able to do the gardening volunteering I do currently.

When I was 19 I was in hospital after a car accident with quite an unusual nerve damage/paralysis injury to my face and right arm.

Doctors often came on their rounds with students and questioned them on what they should be looking for and asking me to do (or try to do). After 2/3 weeks of being asked this I knew the answers were 'smile and wink' and would try to surreptitiously try to do both without being spotted by the doctor.

Our local Medical School has a long established "Patients as Educators" programme. Where people with the actual conditions meet up with medical students in a carefully structured supported way.
Taxi to and from and lunch, and 3/4 hours max, and certainly not paid, its a way of giving something back. The students are not given many details, the idea is they have to try and work things out.

Canadiangran I don't know what to say. It's not my organisation, I just found it by googling. It seems to be a very big organisation and does lots of different things. I'll attach a screenshot of their opening screen.

Aveline, I'm interested in your volunteer website. We don't have such a thing, but I've always thought that our town could use one. Is it a locally developed site, or is in an app, and if so, what is it called so I can see how it works?

Ignore me if this is being too intrusive.

My son does something like this but for trial emergencies such as multiple traffic accidents, train crashes etc . But he gets paid for it . They get makeup artists in to do the injuries and like you follow a script . He went to drama school and found it through the school.

Bea65 I don't know where you live so can't say exactly what you might do to register for it. I found it by idly browsing on our local volunteer website. I just put the days I could be available and a long list of possibilities appeared. I saw this and applied online. There was no screening or interviewing which I suppose is fair enough as patients come in all shapes, sizes and general types. I hope you can find a similar opportunity near you.

Ah, well in that case it was very perceptive of her!

I had a series of scans to monitor a low placenta, so she knew what it was all about!

V3ra

^Maybe it was a class on how to patronise patients - 'mummy's tummy' indeed^

Doodledog it was my 18 month old daughter who made the comment about mummy's tummy, not the doctor or the students, so I think we can let her off 😉

The students said nothing and the doctor was quite impressed with my daughter's comment, if rather exasperated by his students' lack of participation 😁

Ah, well in that case it was very perceptive of her!

Aveline I would love to do this… how do you apply?

I re.member this from the very early 'Doctor' films
😂

Maybe it was a class on how to patronise patients - 'mummy's tummy' indeed

Doodledog it was my 18 month old daughter who made the comment about mummy's tummy, not the doctor or the students, so I think we can let her off 😉

The students said nothing and the doctor was quite impressed with my daughter's comment, if rather exasperated by his students' lack of participation 😁

Was there a large stork in the room at the time?

Maybe it was a class on how to patronise patients - 'mummy's tummy' indeed

I re.member this from the very early 'Doctor' films

My only experience of medical students was during a scan with my second baby.
I was asked if I would mind if a group came in to watch.
My husband and 18 month old daughter were also in the room.

The scan was carried out and the doctor in charge asked the students to describe what they could see.
Lots of shuffling, umming and aahing...

Eventually after a long pause, a clear little voice said,
"It's a baby in mummy's tummy."

"Well I'm glad someone knows what we're looking at," replied the rather exasperated doctor 😂

The scenarios we're given are pretty full and detailed. We can't ad lib unless we ad libbed exactly the same for each student. I must say my acting becomes less lively as the day wears on!

It sounds like fun. Do you have to stick to a script, or can you ad lib to make it more like real life?

Well I did my first few days of this. It was incredibly well organised. It had to be as there were about 300 students who each had to do 9 'stations'. I was absolutely wiped out after the long days of concentrating hard to stick to my various characters. The first day I had ulcerative colitis in the morning and dyspepsia in the afternoon. The second time I had Asthma all day! Learning and sticking to the scenarios wasn't as hard as I'd thought really but repeating them 20+ times helped.
We were well looked after. Posh lunches and teas. The other simulated patients were a great crowd. Lots of stories about their experiences. Most had been doing it for years. I'm doing the 4th year's exams in a couple of weeks then might get involved in training on their fake ward.
All a complete change and very interesting.

Sounds so interesting , I’d love to do that , but I’m too far away from a teaching hospital

Oh yes, medical role play actors. It’s a way for med students to learn and hone their clinical and/or communication skills, amongst other things. Med students really appreciate the people who help them do this. Hope you enjoy it, Aveline!

I recall "Doctor in the House" by Richard Gordon. But they apparently had real patients in those days!