Hi I’m William, a final year medical student at the University of Edinburgh with a keen interest in hepatopancreaticobiliary and transplant surgery. I am pleased to share an insight into my elective experience, completed at the end of the six-year MBChB programme.
I’ve been excited for my elective since we had our first lecture on the topic in fifth year. Wanting to pursue a career in academic HPB (hepatopancreaticobiliary) surgery, I knew a five week elective would give me ample time to get into theatre and experience surgical life, helping me decide if this was the career for me.
I had met my elective supervisor, Mr Adam Frampton, via a mentorship programme run by the Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery group, created to foster interest in careers in upper GI surgery. We later met at the UGI 2021 conference in Belfast, where we agreed that I’d come and visit his centre, the Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH), for my elective.
Daily theatre and academic experience
Following my finals, job interviews and national exams, I finally made my way down to Guildford for the start of my elective. My first day started with a quick trip to the hospital’s coffee shop for a round-up of the week’s activities, followed by the HPB team’s weekly meeting to review patients. The rest of my week was spent in theatre, on ward rounds or in the clinic with one of the seven consultant surgeons in the unit, all of whom were welcoming and keen to teach about the intricacies of HPB surgery.
Because the HPB unit at the RSCH is a high-volume tertiary centre I was in theatre almost every day, and was glad to leave the centre having seen a variety of operations, and increasing my surgical eLogbook numbers considerably, building on my ability to assist in theatre. I was also able to see what is required from a HPB surgeon pre-operatively, intraoperatively, and post-operatively, developing an understanding of how HPB surgeons manage complications and tackle challenging cases.
Whilst in Guildford I was also exposed to the academic side of the unit. Mr Frampton is a senior academic at both the University of Surrey and Imperial College London, and I was able to visit his lab in Guildford numerous times. I was made a visiting research fellow at the University of Surrey, a position I still hold, and began working on a number of projects, mainly focussing on microRNAs, the microbiome in HPB cancers, as well as meta-analysing RCT data.
Alongside this I was tasked with assisting two Bachelors of Science students in completing their dissertations, exploring the diagnostic and prognostic roles of microRNAs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This experience developed my understanding of how one balances their research activities and clinical work, giving me an insight into the working life of an academic, having to plan one’s timetable well, splitting time between theatre and the lab, whilst making sure patient care does not suffer.
Whilst in Guildford I also made sure to spend time seeing friends in London, including other Edinburgh students on their electives, walking through the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and frequenting the local pubs with other juniors at the RSCH.
Networking in NYC
During my third week at the RSCH an opportunity arose to visit New York City to attend the International HPB association’s World Congress with my elective supervisor Mr Frampton. Thankfully, a grant from the University of Surrey allowed me to attend the conference and afford to stay in New York. I had never visited the United States and was excited to both attend the conference and see the sights of NYC.
I was able to meet, network and listen to some of the world’s most renowned HPB surgeons, all of whom I have great admiration for. I was also able to have some time off around the conference and enjoy all that New York had to offer. Some highlights included the Museum of Modern Art where Van Gogh’s Starry Night hangs, going to the top of One World Trade Center, and hopping on the Staten Island Ferry. Alongside this I was able to visit a multitude of the great bars and restaurants of New York.
My elective was truly one of the best parts of my medical school experience, and I’ll look back on it with fond memories. It has enabled me to solidify my career plans and experience parts of the world I have never visited. I’m sure the experience will go on to help me in more ways than I can imagine as I go on to pursue a career in HPB surgery.
