UK medical students on placements at PEH
A RECORD number of medical students gained real-life experience at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital this Easter during seven-week elective placements.
Because UK medical students were struggling to find hospitals to carry out their training due to the pandemic, the Medical Specialist Group stepped in earlier this year to offer more electives to students.
Usually there are fewer than 10 placements annually, but this year at least 25 students will be accommodated.
This is also the first time there have been eight students on their electives at the same time.
‘Everyone was very welcoming and generous with their time,’ said local 25-year-old Josh Datta, who undertook his elective in paediatrics.
‘The team at the MSG have been very accommodating and it was very easy to organise. I recommend a Guernsey elective to anyone who asks.’
He had previously worked at the PEH for work experience and had inspired three of his fellow Leicester University students to apply for the elective with him.
‘It was interesting coming back after completing my studies in the UK with the knowledge that I have now,’ he added.
Karan Gour, 24, came from Birmingham and said his elective in surgery had been ‘brilliant’.
‘The teams in the MSG and the PEH have been very friendly, helpful and have really enabled me to have a positive learning experience,’ he added.
‘Guernsey is a fun-filled island and there is a lot to
explore and enjoy outside the hospital too.’
Max Roberts, 25, from Bedford, undertook a psychiatry elective, organised by HSC.
‘Everyone from the doctors to the social workers to the psychologists has been so welcoming and allowed me to gain great insight into how mental health services are run in Guernsey.
‘A final year elective in Guernsey is something I would honestly recommend to anyone as I learned so much and had such a wonderful time.’
There had been opportunities to enjoy cycling, fishing, and swimming in the island, aside from being at the hospital, said 24-year-old Toby Austin from Hereford, who enjoyed his time with the anaesthetic and ICU team.
‘I have worked closely with consultants one to one, who were all very keen to teach, gaining many opportunities to undertake practical skills, lots of which you do not get to do in larger UK teaching hospitals.’
