On Wednesday 22nd March I got to learn about something that as been a dream of mine for a long time. Medicine. I was able to visit Kings College in London to see how university life works and to get a flavour of what it’s like to work in medicine.
The day began with a journey into the centre of London. We got off the train at London Bridge and walked past the shard to reach our destination.
The university campus was just as big as I expected but filled with far more coffee shops. We were ushered into a room and given an introduction by one of the students.
Within only one hour they showed us how the lungs work and how to measure your peak expiratory flow (the amount of air you can forcefully exhale in one breath) using a peak flow meter, how the heart works, including how to monitor blood pressure, how much sugar, salt and fat is in different foods and how you see the world differently when you’re drunk – which involved an obstacle course and many people falling over as well as colliding with the wall.
After a short break we were given a full tour of the campus then we returned to have lunch. That was when we began to learn about the practical side of medicine. In reality, stitching, taking blood, performing CPR, the Heimlich manoeuvre and keyhole surgery (all we had to do was put some string through a hole using the tools they use in surgery) are much harder than they look. Routine procedures like this take many hours of practise to perfect.
This was a fascinating experience and it really gave me an insight into how much work and dedication it really takes to work in medicine. I would recommend that anyone who wants to work in this field take opportunities like this.
Susanna Whitlock, Charles Darwin School
