| Individual Placement Description | |
|---|---|
| Placement | Paediatrics |
| Year | F2 |
| Region | West |
| Hospital(s) | University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire |
| Main Duties of Placement | The Paediatrics rotation consists of 2 months spent in the General Paediatrics Department, and 2 months in the Neonatal Unit. The Paediatrics unit consists of Ward 1A, which is the Children's Assessment Unit, Ward 1B, which is an inpatient ward with combined medical and surgical specialties, and Ward 1C, which is the Out-Patient Clinic. The Neonatal unit has an ICU, HDU and Special Care Unit. You are also responsible for the newborns in the Maternity Unit's postnatal wards. |
| Typical Work Pattern | Day shifts in General Paediatrics are 9am-4pm, and there is a backshift from 2pm-8pm. In the neonatal block, day shifts are 9am-5pm. For each unit there will be an trainee on a long day, 9am-9:30pm, and also 9pm-9:30am night shift. On weekend days there is only the one trainee on a long day shift for each unit. One of the main responsibilities of the Ward 1A FY2 is clerking admissions, which is an excellent learning opportunity. Days are generally much busier on Ward 1A, but there is such variety in patient presentations and ages that it is always interesting, and you will gain experience fairly quickly. On the Neonatal unit, there are usually three trainee doctors on each day. As in the general paediatric wards, there is always a registrar in the unit. |
| Learning Opportunities | |
| Teaching | There are weekly teaching sessions, which are usually based around a case-based presentation given by one of the trainees, and monthly CME meetings. |
| Unique Selling Points | It is good to be able to gain experience in both general paediatrics and neonates. Starting paediatrics can admittedly be a daunting prospect, particularly in neonates; communication and clinical skills when clerking/reviewing patients needs to be tailored to each child individually, and even simple tasks such as venepuncture can be quite challenging at first, but in this department it is a very well supervised and supported role with a registrar always available to offer advice and help. |
| It is important to note that this description is a typical example of your placement and may be subject to change. | |
