101 Things To Do with Spare Moments on the Ward

by Dason Evans, Nakul Patel

Overview

“I went home early, as teaching was cancelled, nothing was happening and I was bored”

Here are 101* of the best ideas to make the most effective use of your time on the ward. Over 250 contributors, including students, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and therapists from 18 countries, help make you the finest doctor you can be!

On the ward, you are surrounded by a multitude of learning opportunities. This book will help you develop your own skills to make the most of this ward time. Written by experienced medical educators, in collaboration with medical students, doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, each tip will provide you with an appropriate overview of the topic and prompt you to think outside the conventional textbook learning methods.

Grouped by theme, you will gain an insight into techniques for learning, followed by tips on clinical examination, practical procedures, prescribing, and data interpretation.

Features include:

• Tasks to work on individually, with fellow students, or with patients
• Tasks you can complete in a few spare minutes or half a day
• The equipment you need for each task
• Further reading for each of the themes

Pocket-sized for 'dipping into' during a spare moment or a couple of hours on the ward, this short guide is ideal for medical students on rotation or junior doctors who wish to boost learning and motivation. Clinical teachers, who are looking for novel ways to engage their students, will also find this an invaluable resource.

*There are actually 100 ideas. Now it’s your turn to develop tip 101! Submit your ideas to 101things.org

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118306505
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/19/2012
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Dason E. Evans, MBBS(Lond), MHPE(Maastricht), fHEA
Honorary Senior Lecturer in Medical Education,
Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry,
Queen Mary, University of London
Speciality Doctor in Sexual Health, St George’s NHS Trust

Nakul Gamanlal Patel, BSc(Hons), MBBS(Lond), MRCS(Eng)
Plastic Surgery Specialty Registrar East of England Deanery Norfolk
and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
St Andrew’s Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns,
Broomfield Hospital, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust
Lister Hospital, East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust

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Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Abbreviations and Medical hierarchy viii

Introduction x

Acknowledgements xiv

Table of tasks xix

Section 1 Teaching, Testing and Learning 1

Memory aids and mnemonics 2

Building quizzes 5

E-learning resources 8

Section 2 Clinical Communication 12

Narrative – the patient’s story 15

Preparation 20

History taking 22

Observing communication 26

Section 3 Physical Examination 31

Peer practice for physical examination 33

Examining patients – systems examinations 36

Examining patients – holistic assessments 40

Spot diagnosis 44

Exploring around the patient 45

Section 4 Practical Procedures 49

Know your equipment 50

Peer practice of practical skills 55

Hidden teachers, hidden opportunities for practical skills practice 63

Infection control 70

Section 5 Prescribing 75

Navigating around the drug chart 77

Preventable human errors in prescribing 83

Your peripheral brain – the BNF (British National Formulary) 86

Hidden teachers in pharmacology 90

Transition to junior doctor 93

Section 6 Being Curious 95

A doctor’s best friend: the nurse 99

Who are the players? 102

Communication 107

Section 7 Data Interpretation 110

Patient notes 111

Patient ECGs (Electrocardiogram) 115

Imaging 118

Section 8 Getting Teaching 123

Motivating people to teach you 123

Finding other teachers 126

Section 9 Effectiveness and Efficiency 129

Knowing your own motivation 130

Fun and flippant suggestions 133

Never too early to think about your future 136

Organisation and efficiency 136

Section 10 Over  to You 143

Task 101 143

Index 144

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Thomas Nelson Told, BS, DO (Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine)
Description: There are many learning opportunities in a hospital ward during the down times of a clinical rotation. The authors seek to help students identify those golden moments or opportunities to learn what is not found in most textbooks.
Purpose: They guide students to useful learning encounters that might otherwise be wasted if they just sat and read. These are indeed worthy objectives, since learning at the point of care is the most effective learning of all. The authors make a good attempt to cover the more common situations.
Audience: Although written for medical students and residents, it is quite elementary for residents and they may not be inclined to use it. The material is applicable to all medical specialties since the skills are common to all fields of medicine. It is most useful for students just starting rotations who want to make a good impression.
Features: Because it is designed as a quick reference, it is arranged in sections with icons prompting readers about important tasks to be completed or individuals who need to be consulted. Icons also alert readers to the length of an activity. Brief anecdotes from practitioners around the U.K. and other countries highlight the points of each section. The book covers the core skills important for all physicians as they interact with patients, such as memory building, effective communication, and the art of doing and distilling information from the physical examination. An important section covers learning how to benefit from nurses and other allied personnel as teachers. The section on data analysis is also important in this world of electronic information exchange. I like the way the anecdotal accounts are distinguished from formal instructional material by different fonts. If the book fell short in any way, it is that it is a bit too abbreviated. It may have benefitted from a bit more formal didactic material and a few less personal accounts.
Assessment: This is an easy-to-read, quick guide to spare-time activities that enhance learning for third-year medical students about to begin clinical rotations. It is not intended as a formative text for rotations.

Doody's Review Service

This is an easy-to-read, quick guide to spare-time activities that enhance learning for third-year medical students about to begin clinical rotations. It is not intended as a formative text for rotations.”  (Doody’s, 17 August 2012)

 

 

 

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