50 at 50: The experience of undertaking CP1 during the Covid-19 pandemic

Clinical placement is a time for us medical students to put into practice all of the skills and academic knowledge we have learnt to date. Additionally, it is a time to realise that when you’re asked a question when you first start on the wards, no matter how simple it is, your mind will go …

Together We Will Overcome Addiction – My week at the Betty Ford Centre

I have had an interest in the Disease of Addiction since a placement on the Liver Ward at the Royal Derby Hospital during my first clinical placement at medical school. I found working with the certain alcoholic demographic — typically low socio-economic status, disenfranchised and at the edge of society — extremely rewarding. Typically they …

Placement in psychiatry and running the London Marathon (Part 1)

Dan Townley, one of our final-year graduate entry medical students, describes his placement in psychiatry and shares how it motivated him to run the London Marathon to help raise awareness of mental health issues.  I felt a little unsure about what to expect from my placement in psychiatry – perceptions undoubtedly shaped by my limited experience …

A Day in Anaesthetics

Hey everyone, it’s Ella and I have just finished my fourth year!  Whilst in 4th year, students get the opportunity to choose a month long placement in an area they are interested in – this is known as the Student Selected Module (SSM). There are lots and lots of potential placements (think a 50+ page …

Work Experience in General Practice

The reality of General Practice General practice is a huge part of medicine and can get overlooked, especially by television/ media image of what it is to be a doctor – the stereotype, constantly running to crash calls and saving lives 24/7. But in reality there is so much more to the job than the …

Clinical placement at Kings Mill Hospital

Hi I’m Cat, and I’m a month away from finishing my first clinical placement (CP1) at Kings Mill Hospital (KMH) near Mansfield. There are about 40 medical students from my year here, and there are many reasons why being on placement outside is great (even if the idea seems pretty scary at first!) Accommodation We …

Studying abroad

Hello from the Land Down-Under! It’s Jane here again! Although since my last blog post, I have moved 11,000 miles from home to the east coast of Australia for five months, for my Paediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynaecology clinical placements! At Nottingham, a large proportion of courses offer opportunities to spend some time studying abroad …

More tips for the wards!

Hi everyone, Jon again with some more high quality wisdom for clinical placements! 3. Learn the surgical sieve This. Consultants have a habit of asking medical students what the causes of things are. My go-to move when that happens is to physically and mentally freeze up, look around me in a panic as if the …

Pre-hospital emergency medicine

Hi, Hannah again! I’m now about to start my final year so have been looking back over my highlights of med school so far. For me, my Student Selected Module, or SSM, was the best part of clinical placement. In fourth year all students at Nottingham get the opportunity to try almost anything of their …

Transitioning from pre-clinical to clinical phase

Hi! I’m Abby. I’m a third year medical student, which means I only started my clinical phase only a month ago- and I simply can’t believe it because time has flown by so so quickly! Clinical phase is really an exciting time because you finally feel like you’re studying to be a doctor. You wake …