Welcome to Acute Medicine!
Welcome from the Undergraduate Lead
Hello and welcome to your two week placement in Acute Medicine!
We are really excited to be welcoming you to our busy but friendly department. This is the first year we've had medical students from the University of Surrey. We've worked hard to create a timetable to meets all of your learning needs.
For most of you, this will be your first exposure to Acute Medicine. Our specialty focusses on the management of medically unwell patients in their first 72 hours of care. We do this across three areas: the Emergency Department, Medical Same Day Emergency Care and the Acute Medical Unit.
During your time with us, you'll see a whole range of pathology, from exacerbations of COPD and diabetic ketoacidosis, to severe sepsis to suspected subarachnoid haemorrhages. While we'll be providing some classroom teaching, the bulk of your time will be spent embedded with our clinical team.
The website you're on was designed to induct our resident doctors and we hope that you find it useful too.
Excited to meet you all when you arrive!
Dr Zack Ferguson, Undergraduate Subspecialty Lead for Acute Medicine
Where?
You will receive a detailed induction on your first Monday, which will include a tour of the department and some teaching on how to clerk a patient.
Please attend this on your first Monday at 08:30 in the Postgradute Education Centre (PGEC).
You will be spending time on the Acute Medical Unit (AMU), Medical Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) and the Medical Take. You'll receive a bespoke introduction to each area (including a supervised first take shift) on Day 1.
The following pages were designed for our resident doctors, so not everything will be applicable, but they do give a thorough explanation of how all three zones work:
WHEN?
Your personalised timetable will be emailed to you ahead of your start date with us. Below is a sample of what to expect.
Week 1
Week 2
WHO?
You'll be spending time with our entire team, including consultants, residents, nursing staff and allied health professionals. Your timetable includes dedicated time with both our pharmacy and therapies teams, who play a crucial role in caring for our patients and facilitating their discharges.
You can learn more about our consultant team here.
Dr Zack Ferguson is the undergraduate subspecialty lead in the department and is your first port of call for any issues. He will be in touch with you via email head of your placement starting.
WHAT?
Acute Medicine is dedicated to the care of unwell medical patients in the first 48-72 hours of their inpatient stay. Much of what we do focusses around admission avoidance, as you will find during your time in Medical SDEC. You can learn more about the specialty here.
The medical school expects you to complete the following clinical tasks during your time with us:
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Clerk 3 acute medical admission including a history, examination, investigations, problem list and plan
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Present cases clearly and concisely to senior clinicians
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Identify 2 medication-related issues
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Observe and reflect on VTE assessments and medicine reconciliation
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Interpret basic investigations (including ABGs, ECG, bloods and imaging) under supervision
These are best achieved through fully immersing yourself in the clinical activities you're assigned to, but a dedicated pharmacy session is provided to ensure your medication-related learning objectives are achieved.
A list of the teaching on offer in the department can be found here, but we'd recommend the following for medical students:
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Workshop on the Perfect Medical Clerking - Monday 1 at 10:00 in the AMU Consultant Office
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Resident Doctor Teaching - Both Wednesdays at 13:00 in the ED Seminar Room
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Bite Size Teaching - Every Day at 11:45 in the AMU Lilac Office
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Workshop on ECG & ABG Interpretation - Monday 2 at 14:00 in the AMU Consultant Office
This is the first time we've had Surrey medical students - if there's something missing from your placement here, we'd be grateful for any feedback you might have, both during and after the placement.
It's been the most wonderful rotation. Thank you all for your generous support and warm welcome. Had the most amazing time and look forward to working with you all in future.