Toju Akomolafe, a sixth-year medical student, spent her internship at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, England. She writes an essay and sends pictures.
suite and Medical Day Centre, used for
procedures such as endoscopies,
colonoscopies, manometry and
pH impedance investigations.
Photograph: Archive of T. A.
To say I've had an incredible few weeks would be an understatement. I was fortunate enough to be accepted for an internship at the world-renowned Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) in London. This had long been a dream of mine and I was elated when I received my acceptance letter. Located at the heart of Central London, GOSH was the first hospital dedicated solely to the treatment of children in the UK and stands at the forefront of innovative technology in the field of Paediatrics. For as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by the tremendous impact physicians at the institution have made.
On my first day I made my way on the London underground to Russell Square station. As early as it was the station was bustling with city workers, students and locals. Looking very much like a tourist and with google maps as my aid I made my way to my first stop at the Human Resources department, where I collected my contract, ID badge and schedule for the next 3 weeks.
ID badge and stethoscope in hand, I made my way to the main hospital building. I conducted the majority of my internship in the department of Gastroenterology, but with the permission of my supervising consultant I was allowed to wander onto several other departments. This provided insight into a multitude of disorders and also gave me the opportunity to introduce myself to various staff at GOSH, some of whom happened to be collaborating with doctors at the Second Faculty of Medicine who are also acclaimed in the field of Paediatrics.
Having been introduced warmly to all the staff I was immediately catapulted into the daily endeavours faced by doctors on the ward. This involved conducting ward rounds, taking patient histories, carrying out physical examinations, taking blood samples as well as other practical procedures. As I was made aware of within hours of stepping foot in GOSH, administrative work also proved to be a major ‘past time’, not escaping the hands of any doctor to their despise.
The rest of the week I was also fortunate to sit in multidisciplinary meetings, teaching sessions and scrub into a multitude of procedures receiving advice and learning from the best of the best in the field of paediatrics.
It still seemed surreal that in a year time from now, I too would be on these wards no longer as a student but as a fully qualified doctor.
Three weeks came and went in the blink of the eye. In addition to being exposed to a wide variety of disorders it provided an excellent opportunity to experience medical subspecialties that I otherwise might not have considered.
My time at GOSH was incredibly enlightening, and has since proved to be one of the most constructive and rewarding internships to date. It was a fantastic learning experience and I am looking forward to starting FY1 after my graduation. Until that time, I hope to continue to further develop in terms of my practical skills and theoretical knowledge. At current, I'm considering pursuing a career in paediatrics and had hoped the internship would allow me to experience as much of the specialty as possible. It did not fail to impress and exceeded my expectations.
