Working during a pandemic

four days because the locals believed that the milk was sour. There will be times when you need to decide which issues are life threatening, and which are long-standing cultural traditions. I decided the Ethiopian mothers had drunk strong coffee daily throughout their pregnancies, so chose not to address the issue. However, in Afghanistan, where maternal death rates were high, we conducted a workshop on the safe benefits of ‘breastfeeding immediately after delivery’ for the mother’s safety as well as the babies. This new information brought about a change in behavioural practices.

AC: What advice would you give to healthcare students who are considering joining MSF or other similar aid agencies in the future?

F: Go camping and have a weekend without hot food, WI-FI or electricity. Learn French or Arabic and get some overseas experience. There’s a very good organisation called ‘Care4Calais’, who provide support to the refugees in Calais. Undertaking a tropical medicine course is also essential and there are courses available in Liverpool and at the London School of Tropical Medicine.

AC: Do you have any plans to work for MSF in the future?

F: I’d love to! I’ve had my bag packed for a year! If nothing comes up, I’m thinking of going to work in the Moria Camp in Lesvos with a smaller charity.

For more information on MSF, including how they set up a COVID hospital for homeless people - a project that has now finished - check out the link below.

http://msf.org.uk/

WORKING DURING THE PANDEMIC: INTERVIEW WITH IZZY CARA

Isabel Cara is a year 3 medic who after University closed in March 2020 spent the majority of her lockdown working for the NHS. We caught up with her to discuss working during a pandemic and how coronavirus has impacted her medical school experience.

How did you spend your pandemic?

During the pandemic, I was fortunate that my local DGH, Northampton General Hospital (NGH), was able to offer a scheme for returning medical students. The program involved us working as ‘clinical assistants’, a novel role that incorporated many of the skills that we had already learned (or were learning) as medical students. These included practical skills; and jobs such as preparing notes for the ward round, ordering scans, venepuncture, cannulas etc. Having worked at NGH as a phlebotomist during my previous two summers, I had developed a good relationship with my manager there. She e-mailed me outlining the emerging clinical assistant role that was being planned, and that’s how I got the job!

How did you manage to study simultaneously whilst working?

The clinical assistant scheme was created as a bank role in order that medical students would be able to fit their studies around the job. I was therefore able to book my shifts to avoid my online lectures. In this way I felt that I was able to continue my theory learning as well as gaining valuable clinical experience. It was also nice to get a bit of normality from working in the hospital. Obviously, hospitals had to carry on as best they could during the first wave of the pandemic, so it was really refreshing to be able get out of the house and talk to people who weren’t in my ‘bubble’.

Did you ever get coronavirus?

Yes, within the first week of lockdown, my parents and I managed to catch coronavirus. My brother (also a medical student!) returned a week after me and managed to pick it up too. Fortunately, all of

us had very mild experiences with COVID and the only troubling symptom was my parents and I losing our senses of smell for a few months. In retrospect, I think we were very lucky to catch coronavirus when we did. As my dad is on immunosuppressants it was reassuring to know that he was unlikely to be at further risk and to an extent this helped to offset the stress of lockdown. Despite my relatively positive experience of lockdown, I can really appreciate how difficult it would be for some people. I know that many of my friends really struggled with their mental health during this period, especially those who had to isolate on their own.

Did you witness the NHS struggling to cope or do you think it managed all the time?

Coronavirus has definitely had a very conflicting impact on the NHS. While during the initial few months the pressure on beds at Northampton (and elsewhere) was significantly reduced and A&E attendances dramatically declined, I can appreciate how this has only added to waiting lists and long-term stresses on the healthcare system. On a national level, it does appear that COVID has showcased some fantastic elements of the NHS: multiculturalism, team-working, equity and an absolute commitment to its patients. However, it has also highlighted limits to the resources that are available.

In my experience, I didn’t see wards being overrun, or oxygen supplies running out. Nevertheless, my parents are both doctors at NGH and in recent months I have heard from them how their departments have struggled to keep services going during this time.

How has coronavirus impacted your studies?

Despite COVID, I have really enjoyed my first term of clinical placement. There has been a reduced amount of face-to-face care and teaching but I appreciate the lengths to which our supervisors and CTFs have gone to replace that with online teaching. At the BRI a number of wards have closed, and it has sometimes been challenging to get enough clinical exposure through ward rounds and clinics. This meant that I missed out on opportunities presenting patients and developing clinical skills on the wards.

Based on your experience, what impacts have you seen that COVID has had on patients and staff in the NHS?

While working, the biggest impact I saw on the patients was isolation in the hospital: being unable to have visitors and see their family. One of the wards I spent time on was the stroke ward, home to many elderly patients often for several weeks. It was saddening that they were unable to see their loved ones, especially during a time when they were most vulnerable. However, the staff went to extraordinary lengths to ease their feelings of loneliness, organizing facetime calls and bringing patients to the window to see family who were outside. They worked around the clock to not only ensure the safety of their patients during such an unsettling time, but to bring a little normality too. I would definitely recommend working in any aspect of the NHS to a medical student before graduating! It’s great way to improve your bedside manner, develop important clinical skills and also get used to working in a team in a clinical environment. I found working as a phlebotomist and as a CA an invaluable experience that I really enjoyed!