January 26, 2015, by studentcontributor
The pros of living out
Hi everyone, it’s TJ again. As you might know, most medical schools like to ensure you go to a range of different hospitals for your clinical placements. The first time you are sent away, it can be a bit daunting to be in a new place, far from all your friends but today I’m going to tell you about some of the pros of being away!
Free on-site accommodation
If your placement is far enough away, you will be provided with free on-site accommodation. When I lived out, this meant your own bedroom and bathroom and a kitchen you shared with 4 others. In the evenings, there are so many things to do, including: movie nights, cooking dinners together, exploring the new town, taking part in a pub quiz or even revising for exams together! There are also other perks such as not waiting for the shower and free heating.
Meeting new people
Living out is a great chance to get to know some students you haven’t met before and you may find they become close friends! In places such as Lincoln, students from more than one university attend hospital placements so I got to speak to students from the University of Leicester too 🙂
More experience
Each hospital you go to will be different in its structure, its appearance, the staff and the patients. For example, I moved from a really large teaching hospital (Derby) to a smaller, rural general hospital (Lincoln) which was a little less organised but had much friendlier nurses and junior doctors who let us get much more involved on the wards 🙂 As a doctor, you will have to move between hospitals and adjust to them, so it’s great experience and it makes placements more interesting too!
So if or when you are sent away on hospital placement, try and make the best of it 😀
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