Medical Schools’ Best Kept Secret

Sarah Laurie, 3rd-year medic, reflects on her personal experiences of mental health education and support. 

Mental health problems amongst medical students are common – this should come as no surprise. Amidst 100 highly intelligent members of the general public, one would expect to find approximately 20 with a mental illness. And yet, I am willing to bet that for every student who has ‘gone public’ about having a mental health condition, there are a handful who are struggling alone.

The mental health education in my school was shockingly poor and misinformed. After 14 years of compulsory PSHE lessons learning about things like periods, smoking, and abstinence, I cannot recall a single lesson in which obsessive-compulsive disorder was properly explained to me. During our teenage years, we have to balance a heavy workload and simultaneously navigate the emotional minefield of sexuality, health, goals, and aspirations – it is no wonder that 50% of mental illnesses manifest by the age of 14 [1]. So why does the government see no reason to educate us on the matter? If somebody told me that panic attacks weren’t normal reactions to sitting my GCSEs, or that sobbing into a mirror for hours at a time wasn’t just “being a teenage girl”, I may not have had to spend the majority of my teenage years struggling with mental illness.

Work Hard, Work Harder

Third year, Heather Kirkland, investigates the feasibility of working a part-time job while studying for a medical degree and reflects on her personal experiences.

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I speak from experience when I say it’s tough to have a job during term time. I also speak from experience when I talk about how expensive it is to live in St Andrews. I am lucky enough to have the help of my parents to fund me, and the government paying my fees – woohoo Scotland! However, I really do feel for anyone who just can’t make ends meet without working part-time while studying medicine.

Last semester I worked in a bar and I frequently wouldn’t finish until 3 or 4 am. Towards exam time it was just unbearable: I was stressed, tired and, if you ask my flat mates, extremely grumpy. I was lucky enough to still pass my exams, even if the grade did drop as a consequence. I just don’t know how others are able to work, study, pass exams, have a social life and not bite anyone’s head off!

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My brain was never fully in either game. I found myself thinking about my upcoming shift in lectures and about stuff I should be revising while pulling pints. It was also so hard to sell cigars and cigarettes to customers without rhyming off the potential damage they were doing to their health.

To Sleep or Not to Sleep? (Answer = Sleep)

Third year, Sarah Levy, looks at the medical effects of sleep deprivation and its prevalence in the UK.

http://www.cityofsleep.com/category/sleep-health/

Being the fact-cramming, society-juggling, library-living, pub-frequenting multitaskers that they are, it is hardly surprising that medical students often have to sacrifice something in order to maintain at least half-decent grades and some semblance of a social life. For many, a decent night’s sleep is the first luxury to be lost. Although sleep deprivation is particularly common among medical students, for whom a work-life balance can be hard to achieve, it is most certainly not restricted to those in the medical profession. Indeed, a recent study carried out by the UK Sleep Council aptly entitled the “Great British Bedtime Report” found that 33% of the population sleep five to six hours a night, with 70% sleeping for seven hours or less. In addition, of those participating in the study, 27% described their sleep as being of “poor quality” on a regular basis^[1].

But How Much Do I Need?

Although scientists have generally concluded that there is no official optimal amount of sleep, with values depending on age, genetic factors, activity levels etc., it is generally concluded that most adults function at their best on 7-8 hours of sleep a night. A study investigating the link between sleep amount and sickness absence in 3760 individuals concluded that the optimum was 7.8 hours for adult men and 7.6 hours for adult women^[2]. Worryingly, less than a quarter of adults questioned by the UK Sleep Council regularly sleep this amount. A variety of factors have likely resulted in this, including heavy work pressure, depression, insomnia and other conditions that make sleep difficult. 47% of those questioned said that they found themselves lying awake at night preoccupied by stress and worry^[1].

Clinical Signs Crossword

Coming to terms

Jasmine Latter, first-year, asks Professor Guild and Patrick O’Hare for their views on semester reform. *Thechanges described below are now in place.

With the university introducing changes to the academic year, many students are concerned about the impact this could have on their social and educational experience at university. The loss of reading week will be the greatest concern to many, but with everyone in the same boat, and the advantage of a longer Christmas holiday the changes may have a silver lining.

The following interviews will hopefully shed some light on what the reform will involve and how it could affect students.

Sleep your way to a first

 Simon Friderichs, first-year, drifts through the murky universe of sleep physiology. 

The scene is set. It’s Thursday afternoon after a marathon of a morning filled with lectures on cranial osteology and acute neuralgia. Revision is required. Paper out, pen gripped, poised to tackle Parkin’s “shopping lists” of anatomy from the night before until a familiar wave of exhaustion piles on. Like any other diligent medical student this has no immediate consequence. However as time carries on, your notes begin to become less legible and symptoms of fatigue take hold. Resonating yawns, tearing eyes, and an overall lack of gumption become common symptoms. There is no time for a tempting nap as the entire weeks lectures stare up from the desk simply begging for attention. Such is the dilemma a medical student often faces… to nap or not to nap… that is the question.

Tashion Show: Movember 2012

 

Is Research for You?

Divya Manoharan, and Deepika Manoharan, address the question.

 

Whether research is up your alley or not will never be found until you endeavour and challenge yourself to experience it. There are so many options out there from laboratory research to secondary data analysis to clinical audits to literature reviews. Research will offer medical students a chance to taste a sample of the culture of medical academia and life as a scientific clinician. Most importantly, it’s an interim, risk-free opportunity at an early stage to investigate and explore whether a research career or a particular field is a good fit.

Every type of research will provide students with learning research techniques, exposure to latest methodologies and equipments, problem-solving skills, statistics, and besides all this, offers students a chance to use their time to chat with other research students, medical graduates, clinical fellows, postdoctoral researchers, and many other members of the faculty about science and scientific careers. Working in a multi-faculty research building will further enhance your exposure and provide you with the prospect to enquire about future research opportunities.

Research at the Medical School

Compiled by Divya Manoharan and Deepika Manoharan.

Research, in general, is vital for the development in knowledge and to promote advancements and alterations in our practices. Medical research, in particular, will impact us all as it is one of the key areas responsible for further understanding the many aspects related to the longevity and well-being of humanity. Imagine dying from a runny nose, not knowing the physiology behind hypertension, living with no cure to malaria, not having a vaccination for polio, or being blind because of no treatment to cataracts. We take most advancements in surgery & medicine for granted and most improvements become a routine part of our day- to-day life, but none of this would have been possible without the world of research which comprises of people with innovative minds, continuously asking questions and digging deeper to find the answers.

The research in our medical school is no different and comprises of a world renowned multi-disciplinary team working in various aspects of medical research ranging in several topics such as molecular medicine, disease mechanisms, community health, ethics, medical education, and psychology. The new building also provides the ideal infrastructure and facilities required by our staff to sustain, develop, and make further accomplishments in medicine.

Some of the research staff were kind enough to take time out of their busy schedule and provided us with some insight on their current and future projects,  interests of study,  and achievements.

First medical conference guide

Why you should submit and present research at a conference

Enhancement  of CV

Just the fact that your abstract is selected for a presentation (poster or oral) is a big deal on its own as hundreds of abstracts are submitted to national and international conferences. It indicates that your research is novel and of interest in comparison. These factors, along with attending the conference, are major plus points to your CV. Enhancing your CV will help with applying for further research opportunities, internships and preferred jobs.

Provides extra points when applying for foundation jobs
It is important to remember that in a few years time, we will all be applying for foundation programs for FY1/FY2 training. The application process is rigorous and highly competitive. Presenting work at conferences certainly adds an extra edge and gives you additional points on the application, setting you apart from the rest of your peers.