Blog 35 Embarrassing medical moments
July 18, 2019My pager sounded its loud, shrill, urgent call, something that always caused my heart to flutter. It was an anxious technician from the pathology laboratory. “Doctor, you’ve sent us a blood sample on a man called Walter Franklin. The request card says he had surgery yesterday. I thought you ought to know; his haemoglobin is […] Read more
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Blog 34 Beware the effects of drugs may be unpredictable
July 1, 2019William Wetherall, the hospital’s Senior Physician, led his team of doctors and nurses onto the ward. It seemed that the theme for this particular round was to be the varying effects that drugs can have on different patients. The consultant had recently read reports in the Medical Journals that many well known proprietary medicines, particularly cough medicines, […] Read more
Blog 33 Never assume that because you are a doctor you know better than a nurse
May 28, 2019My unfortunate patient, Mr Quigley, was already distressed and when I suggested a second attempt to pass the nasogastric tube into his stomach he looked concerned. I’d already made one ill-judged attempt but the entire length of the tube had coiled inside his mouth making his face inflate like hamster’s cheek pouches! Fortunately Mr Quigley […] Read more
Blog 32 If you get stuck and don’t know what to do – ASK FOR HELP
April 29, 2019I had been asked to pass the nasogastric tube, a task I hadn’t previously undertaken. It was a procedure that the nurses normally performed. However, I didn’t anticipate any difficulties. At any one time on the surgical ward, there were at least half a dozen patients being treated with these tubes and I wasn’t aware that […] Read more
Blog 31 Battling with the nursing sister – an uneasy truce
April 23, 2019It promised to be a busy day – there were three new patients to be seen and it seemed unlikely that I should have time to examine them all before the boss arrived for his ward round. But I got off to a bad start for no sooner had I introduced myself to the first […] Read more
Blog 30 My battle with the nursing sister – round 2
April 8, 2019Standing in the corridor outside the office door, angry and frustrated, I wondered what I should do until the nursing hand over was finished? I had been publicly humiliated when I walked onto the ward on my first morning as a doctor. Sister Ashbrook, damn her, had inferred that I was still a medical student, […] Read more
Blog 29 My battle with the nursing sister – round 1
March 19, 2019I have the greatest admiration for nurses. They are wonderful, caring, hard working people who do a great job, often in difficult circumstances. So I wasn’t surprised when I started my first job as a resident doctor, that I was advised by my consultant to heed the immense experience and wisdom of the ward sisters […] Read more
Blog 28 A Bizarre Medical Interview
February 6, 2019It was 1966 and 70 newly qualified doctors were applying for their first medical job as house officers at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Frederick Swindles, the secretary to the Medical Board, appeared holding a clipboard. He called for attention, then detailed the arrangements for the interviews. Eight posts were available. “You will be called into the […] Read more
Blog 27 The day I became a doctor
January 27, 2019My anxiety increased with every step, as I walked from the station to Manchester University’s imposing Whitworth Hall. I was on my way to discover whether I had passed the final medical school examination. Arriving just after 9.30 I paused, took a long deep breath, then opened the door of this historic building. This was […] Read more
Blog 26 Is ‘Having Sex’ the same as ‘Making Love’
January 7, 2019This was the first tutorial that Paul had ever given but as he introduced himself to the group, he had no idea that it would end with such comedy and confusion. Without exception, the students were intelligent; had they not been bright they wouldn’t have been admitted to medical school. However, they differed greatly in their ability […] Read more
