To the Kidderminster Medical Society

I would like to begin by extending my gratitude for the awarded bursary. Starting medical school as a mature student is a big leap especially when moving to a new city and dedicating your time to studying once again. Thanks to the bursary I was able to commit fully to my course and partake in the many opportunities available at the university without any financial worries.

First year of medical school has been a challenge but incredibly rewarding. My pre-clinical course has a more traditional approach with lectures, small group teachings, lab-based activities and weekly dissection sessions with our generous donor whom we spent all year with exploring the complexity of the human body. As this is an accelerated course the Cambridge term is very short and packed thoroughly to keep you busy with pre-clinical content. During everyone’s holidays we would head out to our hospital and GP placements for a much-needed break from the academia to gain very valuable clinical experience. Luckily, we were able to spend time with patients and clinicians face to face despite COVID and this challenged us to put what we learnt into practice. My highlights were taking bloods for the first time and practicing my cardiovascular, respiratory and abdominal examinations on patients.         

I would not have been able to do this without your help as it allowed me to support myself and as a result use my spare time to immerse myself into not only studying but getting involved in college activities and soaking in the scenic views here at Cambridge. I look forwards to working just as hard during second year to hopefully shape me into a more competent and compassionate doctor in the future. Once again thank you Kidderminster Medical Society for your kindness and giving me a fantastic first year at the graduate medical course.

Bahishta Sidiqi

Thank you

Emma Porter

I am writing to convey my gratitude for the opportunity and support provided by the Graduate Entry Medicine Kidderminster Medical Society Bursary during my preclinical year at the University of Birmingham. This bursary has been invaluable during these hard times, where the Covid-19 pandemic continues and the cost of living rises steeply. My first year has been an incredible experience, filled with challenges and many moments of motivating reward. I have benefited from exemplary teaching and a wide variety of informative experiences during my first year of study, all of which I have been able to apply my maximal attention and energy to thanks to the Kidderminster grant.

The bursary from the Kidderminster Medical Society has meant that as a Graduate Medical student, returning to education after 2+ years away, I could reduce my working hours and take more time to focus on my studies. Reflecting upon this now, I realise even more so how valuable the support from the bursary has been. I spent most days, nights and weekends at the library learning the preclinical medical content (2 years in 1), this left me with restricted spare time to work and volunteer, without the Kidderminster grant I would have had to have worked more hours which would have impacted on my learning. 

Prior to studying Medicine, I studied Biology. During my degree, I worked part time as a Health Care Assistant and it was during my experiences working in care that I first explored the possibility of becoming a Doctor. I found it rewarding and meaningful to have a role in supporting patients’ recovery and being able to put some of theory of what was learnt during my Biology degree into practice. Following my degree, I began volunteering at the hospital and arranged work experience with Doctors, I also worked as a Research Assistant within the NHS. During the peak of the pandemic I was working in A&E and on the Covid-19 wards, this was a particularly challenging, but also highly rewarding time to be a frontline healthcare worker. Returning to studying after 2+ years out, was undoubtedly a challenge. I had to confront the vast extent of the theoretical content that I was required to learn, but as time went on, and I could dedicate more time to my studies following the bursary award, I grew more confident in my degree and felt better equipped to handle the challenges of the course.

The highlights of my first year have been my Community Based Medicine (CBM) placements, which began online as Covid-19 cases were high but transitioned to being in person at the GP surgeries. The tutor I was allocated for my placement went above and beyond to educate my CBM group, providing us with diverse and enriching learning opportunities. These included shadowing patient consultations and learning from many other doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and patient experiences. For example, I gained an insight into the lives of different patients living with chronic conditions whilst also attaining a unique perspective of their healthcare journey and the range of services that could be beneficial for treatment. Another highlight of my experiences was learning anatomy and medical imaging analyses from a General Surgeon, whose depth of real world experience was an invaluable resource. 

My first year has been full of fulfilling experiences, and this would not have been possible without the support of the Kidderminster Medical Society. I would like to thank you all sincerely for the support you have given to me and other medical students. There is currently a movement amongst medical students, A Liveable NHS Bursary. This movement highlights the limitations of the NHS Bursary and Student Finance England loans available for medical students, meaning that the generosity and support from organisations such as Kidderminster Medical Society truly are some of the only means by which students, including myself, can afford to continue studying Medicine. The Kidderminster bursary has provided me with a safety net for these coming years, and for this I will be eternally grateful. Your support has allowed me to feel excited and eager to continue studies as I enter into my third year at the end of August.

Emma Porter

Elective Report- Albania, April-June, 2022

Imogen Jury

I would like to start by thanking Kidderminster Medical Society for their generous support of my elective to Albania.

In the middle of April, I landed in Tirana, Albania for the start of my elective. The hospital was easily identifiable by the streams of people in jeans, t-shirts and white coats heading in one direction. We started our placement in the endocrinology ward. There were around 15 doctors and each doctor specially cared for 2-4 patients. The patients had very ‘textbook’ endocrine pathologies, due to the longer time to seek specialist care- we saw large goitres, grave’s eye disease and acromegaly within the first week, which I had never seen in person in Oxford. Due to the language barrier, we largely observed, with the doctors translating histories for us, and asking the patient’s permission for us to examine.

A doctor explained the process to becoming a resident doctor in Tirana, which incredibly involved working without pay for several years, so as to avoid being sent to a smaller town. Many doctors are support solely by family members, though senior doctors also worked in private hospitals. They also explained the differences in patient culture in Albania. Patients in hospital were largely cared for by family members, who were constantly on the ward, with food and supplies, and apparently during the pandemic, many preferred to hire an oxygen tank and treat relatives at home than bring them to hospital. Additionally, due to the large population working abroad, family members brought medicines which were unavailable in Albania back from Turkey and Italy, such as continuous glucose monitoring systems.

While on endocrinology we also visited an outpatient clinic, where patients had travelled from all across the north of the country. The appointments were very short and were permeated by interruptions form other patients who waited in a crowd by the door, occasionally entering the clinic room to check if the previous appointment was over, before being sent away by an authoritative nurse. When we asked about this, the doctor laughed and said they and tried to implement a waiting room and timing system, but it had been abandoned quickly as the patients ignored it.

Later, we moved to paediatric ICU. The block was brand new, as the previous building had become structurally unsafe following the earthquake in 2019. For such a large block, there were very few children. Despite the polished wards, and incubators emblazoned with sponsorship logos, it was clear some supplies were in short supply. Vials were kept if they were half used, to avoid waste.

There were some very heart-warming stories, such as a child who had been born with undiagnosed gastroschisis. This was treated with an operation in our first week, they were out of the incubator in our second week, and home in our third week. It was a complex operation, which may not have been possible until recently in Albania thanks to the rapidly advancing medical system. It made us smile that the nurses gave the family the medication to take home in a fake Louis Vuitton plastic bag, which seemed to be the bag of choice in Tirana.

We also regularly visited a charity for children with Down’s Syndrome in Tirana, which had been set up by a mother. They provided free, high quality physiotherapy, speech, occupational and music therapy for children, which was highly sought after, as the state funding for families with disabled children was insubstantial to pay for expensive private treatment. The techniques we saw being used were very up to date, and it was interesting to see how they encouraged integration of the children and young people, teaching them how to work in cafes and shops and in their on-site coffee room. They told us how Albanian society is gradually becoming more accepting of people with Down’s Syndrome, but that there was still prejudice to overcome.

In the second half of the elective, we went to a hospital in Saranda, which is in the south of the country, on the coast. Here we were mostly in the emergency room, and also visited surgery. The ED had a similar list of complaints to in the UK- minor injuries, chest pain, chest infections and D&V. Surgery was quite different as they did not have laparoscopic equipment and so appendectomies and other small operations were done as open. They also had reusable gowns and drapes. There seemed to be a more traditional ‘surgeon’ role – it seemed surgery was still very male dominated.

Overall, my elective to Albania was incredibly informative both from a medical and cultural perspective. Albania is a country which has few visitors and so we were always treated very warmly by people keen to show off how beautiful their country was. We hope to encourage more students to do electives in Albania and hope to help set up an exchange programme for medical students.

Imogen Jury