Wards

So, you’ve finally dragged yourself out to get onto the wards. But, 2 minutes in and you’re already thinking: “what an utter waste”. Sounds all too familiar, right? Well, hopefully we can change that. These are some tips to get the most out of ward time. 

Tip 1: Plan your ward day. 

As with anything, you’re going to get more out of it by planning ahead. Ways to do this is to introduce yourself to the ward team, especially the F1s and try to get their contact details (i.e. their digits). This will allow you to message ahead and ask if there are any interesting patients to see or skills that need doing. 

Tip 2: Attend some ward rounds but not all. 

Turn up to a few ward rounds to get the gist of what happens. But after this, the usefulness is quite low tbh. 

Tip 3: Ask doctors for interesting patients.

 If you haven’t been able to plan ahead, you could just rock up and ask one of the doctors in person to point you towards an interesting patient with a good history or clinical signs. 

Tip 4: Take histories, examine & present. 

Whenever you’ve made the effort to turn up to wards, make full use of it by taking a history and examining at least 1 patient. Remember to present to a doctor and get constructive feedback.

Tip 5: Do clinical skills. 

Getting involved with clinical skills like cannulation, blood cultures, suturing etc., can be daunting especially at the beginning, but it’s something you’re going to have to get very good at or at the very least, get signed off. So just get stuck in! Ask a nice doctor or nurse if there are any skills that need doing and if they’d be happy to supervise you and sign you off. Most of the times they’re very accommodating and help you every step of the way! 

Tip 6: Create learning opportunities. 

Ask the consultant, registrar or F1/2s for some teaching sessions on anything you’re finding tricky. For e.g. fluid balance regimes, dealing with acutely unwell patients or learning practicalities like discharge summaries.