7 May 2024
Becoming a St John Ambulance Cadet, and observing doctors at work in a hospital, have helped Athena in Year 10 be certain that her plan to study medicine at university is the right one for her, as well as highly valuable experience to turn her ambitions into reality, as she explains below.
Athena L, Year 10
In February, I began training as a cadet for St John Ambulance, a charity which has been providing first aid and first aid training for more than 140 years. Its cadet programme, which began in 1922, has already taught me a multitude of important skills.
At my first meeting, I learnt how to position and assist people with spinal injuries, including how to work as a team to move people onto stretchers and how to ensure no further injuries are incurred whilst waiting for an ambulance. Each week we learn something different, from bandaging to compressions to how to operate radios at an event. Everyone has been so welcoming and I have already made many friends.
After four weeks of taster sessions, I was delighted to accept the offer to become an official St John Ambulance Cadet. In the upcoming weeks I am going to begin my first aid qualification and hopefully qualify in time to assist at some important summer events, such as the Wimbledon tennis championships.
I am incredibly excited to continue my journey with St John Ambulance and happy that I’ll be able to make a difference in people’s lives.
During the Easter holidays, I continued gaining experience in the medical field through observing a day in the life in the obstetrics and gynaecology ward at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (see photo in gallery below). Upon arriving I was given my own scrubs and began by observing some checkups on in-patients. It was fascinating to see how quickly and efficiently doctors are able to communicate with patients and one another to solve problems.
After this, I moved to the labour ward to observe two elective caesarean sections. This was the highlight of my experience. It was incredible to see life come into the world. I also saw the measures the doctors took to ensure the environment was as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for the patient, as they all introduced themselves before the procedure took place.
After a quick lunch break, I moved into the surgical ward where I observed two operations. One of these was a robotic hysterectomy with a bilateral salpingectomy, which, in short, involved the use of a robotic device to perform the surgery. I thought this was amazing and really displayed the rapid advancements of medicine in recent years. Not only did the use of the device mean the operation took less time, but it also increased accuracy as the robot cut away tissue using electrical impulses on the tips of the tiny equipment that generate heat. I was able to watch everything going on inside the patient as a camera was used to enable both leading surgeons to see what was going as one instructed the other controlling the robot exactly where to move.
From my incredible experience at the hospital, and my role as a St John Ambulance Cadet, I would advise anyone interested in going into the field of medicine to try to gain work experience as it is a great way to be certain whether this is what you want to do and if you’re up for the challenge, as I know I am.
