MEDICAL WOMEN’S FEDERATION
Tavistock House North, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HX
Tel: 020 7387 7765 email: admin.mwf@btconnect.com
www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk
@medicalwomenuk
www.facebook.com/MedWomen
Name
Alison Gowland
Email
Alison.gowland@kcl.ac.uk
Project title
i. Clinical Placement in Emergency Department,
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Bridgetown, Barbados.
ii. Clinical Placement in neuro-rehabilitation, Frank
Cooksey Rehabilitation Unit, Lewisham Hospital,
London.
As above
Location of your Elective
Contact details for your elective (eg. Website
address or email address of your project coordinator)
What did you achieve?
Would you recommend this location / project to
others?
Further comments (eg. Travel advice, tips for
organising an elective similar to this etc.)
In Barbados: Janelle.nurse@cavehill.uwi.edu
In neuro-rehabilitation: p.makela@nhs.net
Barbados: I had a very ‘hands on’ clinical placement in the
emergency department, taking histories and examining patients
for presentation to the doctors. I was also able to practice my
clinical skills, particularly cannulation and catheterisation, and
learn new skills that are not routinely taught to medical students in
the UK such as application of backslabs to fractured limbs.
UK: I joined the neuro-rehabilitation team and followed the
patient journey of two particular patients from the acute hospital
setting into a specialist neuro-rehabilitation unit. I attended their
therapy sessions with them, learning more about the roles of
physiotherapists, speech & language therapists and occupational
therapists, and about how the multi-disciplinary team works in
practice in this setting. During my placement I worked on my
submission for the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine’s
medical student essay prize, choosing to write about the effects on
patients of delays in their admission to a rehabilitation unit after
brain injury.
Yes, strongly. Overall I had a great experience and my two
placements complemented each other more than I initially
anticipated: in the emergency department I witnessed the hyperacute stage of brain injury management, and in neurorehabilitation I met patients later after their initial injury, while
they were working towards regaining previous function or
adapting to their impairments.
Take advantage of any schemes organised by your university (my
Barbados placement was part of my university’s twin links
programme); this will ease some of the administrative load of
organising your elective.
If you come across something during your medical studies that
interests you, approach the clinician or lecturer to see if they can
offer you any opportunities for your elective – this is how I ended
up organising my neuro-rehabilitaion placement.
MEDICAL WOMEN’S FEDERATION
Tavistock House North, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HX
Tel: 020 7387 7765 email: admin.mwf@btconnect.com
www.medicalwomensfederation.org.uk
@medicalwomenuk
www.facebook.com/MedWomen
Would you be happy for you feedback form to
be available on our website?
Further comments (eg. A review of your trip)
max. 500 words.
Yes with email address
To be provided (poster presentation documenting my elective
experience).