We had a brilliant day at the college! We started the day off by arriving at the college and attending a lecture that introduced us to anaesthesia. Many anaesthetists across the country took parts in giving the lecture, they stated what their jobs were and talked thoroughly about their journey of how they specialised. During the lecture, we learnt about the gruesome history of medicine and how it developed over the years, as well as introducing us to modern anaesthetic methods. After the lecture, we were split into groups to take part in three different workshops. The first workshop was quite surprising but interesting, because it was about the intensive care unit and they showed us how to read a heart monitor which was attached to a £48,000 dummy- the odd thing was that it resembled a human as it was blinking and you could hear it breathe. The second workshop was about airway management, where we learnt about how doctors inserted a tube down the trachea if the patient was unable to breathe. In this workshop, we had a chance to insert the tube ourselves and see what an anaesthetist would do in an emergency. For example, if they couldn’t breathe through the mouth, then the tube would be inserted through the nasal cavity. The last workshop was about resuscitation- we learned about how to perform CPR on a person and use a defibrillator which gives shocks to the person so they can become responsive and can breathe. The day was phenomenal -it was informative and has given us an insight to medicine that I didn’t have before. Moreover, it has allowed us to consider other options like anaesthesia in the military or just having a different career in medicine, since all the doctors were pleased and happy with their jobs. It also taught us that when you’re doing medicine, don’t look at the pros, look the cons and if you can deal with them than medicine may be the right choice for you.

Having been given the opportunity to go to the Royal College of Anasthesists has really helped me get a better understanding of the path to a career in medicine and just how vast the options with a medical degree is. I think what was great about this opportunity was getting information about being a doctor from doctors at different stages of their careers. It allowed me to get a truthful insight of just how much work and dedication is needed to get to the top position, but as said by all the consultants I met there: “it is completely worth it in the end when you see a patient leave with a smile.” 

Going to the royal college of anaesthetists was very helpful. Since the start of the year I was quite confused about what course in university would be best suited for me, however after visiting and having a hands on experience was incredibly useful. It has made my path clearer but I was also able to see a different branch of medicine. Anaesthetics is a huge branch of medicine that plays a significant role in the hospital, so being able to understand what anaesthetists actually do was completely different to how I had perceived it as. Being with experts had developed my understanding and knowledge of medicine but also make me more confident if I am ever in a real life situation.