Articles
Ignaz Semmelweis – ‘The Saviour of Mothers’
I can vividly remember being taught how to ‘scrub up’ as a third year medical student. The careful scrutiny of the theatre sister filled me with fear. Had I touched the wrong part of the scrub pack? Were my hands completely sterile? On more than one occasion I...
Why Antarctica?
The stories of the unknown adventure, camaraderie, hardship, sheer dogged determination, and often superhuman strength, of mind and body of the early Antarctic explorers such as Scott and Shackleton are amazing tales to this day. Some of the events make you groan with...
What Can Ants Teach Doctors About Teamwork?
I have just spent the last two weeks observing a team, which was full of resilience, oozed motivation and was full of pride. They faced change on an hourly basis and worked tirelessly for no pay or reward. For those observant ones amongst you will have no doubt guess...
The Coldest Case – Lessons From the Iceman
I am an unashamed fan of history and spend much of my time away from Medicine reading about history and listening to podcasts such as the excellent 'Hardcore History' by Dan Carlin. This particular article was inspired by Daniele Bolleli’s incredible work on his...
Stress and Burnout
Stress is endemic at the moment – the NHS is widely known as being a very difficult environment to work in, and doctors seem to be either leaving, emigrating, or becoming so stressed that it results in illness and long-term sick leave. So why are we as a profession so...
Applying to a UK Medical School: The MSAG perspective
If you are reading this blog post, hurray! You have not let the current debate about the new junior doctor contract put you off the thought of medical school. This is the first step on the way to studying Medicine in the UK – it shows commitment to a medical career,...
Aneurin Bevan and the Birth of the NHS
The NHS has been in the news a lot lately, and not for the right reasons. Winter bed emergencies, the junior doctors contract dispute, student nurses bursaries, and the widespread funding crisis are constantly making front-page news. The sight of junior doctors on a...
Dealing With Death
Recently I've been thinking about death and how death influences and affects us at each stage of our career. When I was a medical student, I was involved in a resuscitation for a patient who had suffered a cardiac arrest. The event was traumatic; I performed chest...
Learning Resilience in a Fast-Paced World
The world we live in has never moved as fast as it does now..... Changes are happening all around us at a great pace..... Who would have imagined 5 years ago that the worlds largest taxi company would own no taxis (Uber)? or that the largest telecommunication company...
Overcome the Odds and Achieve Your GOALS!
Have you ever had a goal that you wanted to achieve so badly, that you would do whatever it takes to achieve it? That is the sum of my story of becoming a doctor, in 23 words. Growing up in the poverty stricken and gang infested streets of Shreveport, Louisiana, the...
