Commendations Year in Review: Part II - Educators

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The Sid Watkins building at The Walton Centre
The Sid Watkins Building at The Walton Centre

Commendations recognise our student doctors, as well as staff across the School of Medicine and our partnering Trusts and GP practices, for areas where they have gone and above and beyond, whether it be in patient care, peer support or in study and research activities.

As we approach the end of the academic year, we dive a little deeper into the stories behind some of the commendations awarded in 2020-21. In Part One we heard from a selection of students whose achievements had been recognised this year.

However, it’s not only student doctors who receive commendations. Individual staff members, teams, Trusts and organisations are often recognised for their dedication to undergraduate education.

Instilling the values of teamwork at Warrington

Warrington Hospital has been awarded multiple commendations this academic year and plays a key part in our student doctors’ clinical education, providing year four and year five students with invaluable opportunities to develop their clinical skills and become part of the team. In fact, this year the entire Ward 2 team at Warrington was awarded a commendation for providing a welcoming and supportive placement for student doctors.

Many of our student have commended Warrington Hospital for the welcoming and supportive environment, including Student Doctor Natasha Varshney and Student Doctor Charlotte Hankinson.

Miss Sheila Bowyer, a bank staff nurse at Warrington received her commendation for supporting a student doctor with both practical and academic skills during theatre. She says,

“The student spent the day with us observing trauma surgery. Together, we reviewed the patient’s X-rays and I explained to him what type of surgery the patient was to have, so he could better understand the surgery he would be observing. We discussed the implants required to fix the fracture and how the fixation worked, and about how the patient would be managed post operatively."

I was honoured to receive the commendation and grateful to the student for taking the time to show his appreciation for something which to me was a normal part of my job and not anything particularly special. However, it had obviously made a difference to him at the time.

Dr James Roberts, Second-year General Practice Speciality Training (GPST2) in Paediatrics, was recognised with a commendation for going above and beyond to provide teaching and support for Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) revision, and for always being friendly and approachable.

“As a student doctor, I always found OSCEs quite nerve-wracking and challenging. I feel it is important to provide bedside teaching to allow students to have more confidence for the OSCES and when reviewing patients in the future as foundation doctors.”

Mutual learning opportunities with Primary Care Wirral

Another GP practice recently commended for its excellent placement experience is the Orchard Surgery in Bromborough, Wirral. Dr Thomas Wyatt is a GP Partner there, and Founder and Board member of Primary Care Wirral.

He says, "Thank you for our recent commendation which has really lifted our Practice team at a time when all of the hard work that is happening every day within General Practice can go unnoticed."

At the Orchard Surgery we love to welcome Liverpool student doctors into our teams, to learn from them while taking the opportunity to help them explore what matters to patients and communities and how we can respond to needs with both intelligence and kindness.

"We hope that the time spent with us will further help the training and development of these students and we are confident that they will all achieve great things in their future medical careers."

Novel teaching methods at The Walton Centre

The wide breadth of placement opportunities, including nationally and internationally regarded specialist units, is one of the key advantages of studying Medicine at Liverpool. The Walton Centre is the only specialist trust in the UK dedicated to providing comprehensive neurology, neurosurgery, spinal and pain management services. It offers undergraduates training opportunities across all clinical years of the MBChB programme.

Dr Dave Smith, Clinical Sub Dean, and Dr Rhys Davies, Consultant Neurologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the School of Medicine share how they have adapted their training to best suit the modern student doctor, particularly during the pandemic.

Historically, teaching had been consultant-led with support from specialist registrars. However, we saw an opportunity to involve staff at all levels in the programme, including Neurology and Neurosurgery teaching delivered by junior doctors.

"One of the most gratifying elements of student feedback has been praise given to the registrars and junior doctors and, interestingly, students have noted the benefit of being taught both by senior clinicians and by those in the early years of their career, noting how their guidance addresses different learning needs.

When COVID restrictions emerged, we had to identify novel teaching methods; creating a wide range of case-based Podcasts to replace face-to-face tutorials, delivering Case-based learning (CBL) via Microsoft Teams, and replacing our formative assessment by a remote end-of-block assessment for learning, another highlight from a student feedback perspective.

None of this would have been possible without the sustained efforts and organisational ability of the academic office team (Medical Education Officers Yasmin Harris and Judith Dennis, Medical Education Administrator Amy Chapple and Medical Education Development Manager Liz Doherty), which ensures this complex placement always runs smoothly. Students consistently comment about the friendly supportive atmosphere generated by this team.”

The Sid Watkins building at The Walton CentreStudent Doctors have unqiue learning opportunities at The Walton Centre

This year, a number of individuals at The Walton Centre have been recognised with a commendation.

Dr John Doherty, Trust Grade Doctor, received his for his contribution to Undergraduate Education. He says, “It has been a privilege working with the student doctors this academic year. They have worked very hard throughout their rotations and had so much enthusiasm which made our job a lot easier. It’s great to hear that they have enjoyed their placements at The Walton Centre. They will go on to make great clinicians”.

Chloe Clayton, Nurse Specialist picked up a commendation for making time to involve a student doctor in all aspects of the neurosurgical nurse specialty role. She says, “All of the students have been extremely enthusiastic and keen to learn. It is important we foster a collaborative approach to education as well as patient care, particularly in these times. As a Clinical Nurse Specialist, I work alongside doctors and allied health professionals to provide the best care and possible outcomes for our patients, and it is vital that we appreciate our various contributions to this endeavour."

Thank you to the thoughtful student who highlighted my support for their education. Please pay it forward, if you have the opportunity!

Dr Ahmad Ali, Core Surgical Training (CST) Doctor, was thanked for providing numerous additional teaching opportunities for students. He says, "The Walton Centre is a unique resource for Liverpool Student Doctors with opportunities to see rare, interesting, and complex pathology. It's therefore been encouraging to see the students keenly make use of this with some staying longer and later voluntarily to see and learn more."

A medical school is ultimately made better by the enthusiasm of its students. It's been a pleasure to help them get the most out of this and I very much look forward to more teaching opportunities.

Junior Doctor Shehab Samaha was acknowledged for providing numerous additional teaching opportunities for students, “Working in the NHS over the past year has been particularly challenging. However, one of the positive things that has resulted from it is the increased focus on teaching. Working with student doctors, we had more time to deliver teaching sessions and valuable feedback. Their curiosity kept us optimistic and gave us a moral boost through the year".

Experiencing every aspect of a busy GP practice

Alongside Trusts and specialist centres, Liverpool student doctors also have the opportunity to gain experience across a vast network of GP practices, many of which were commended by students this year for excellent placement experience.

One such practice was St Hilary Group Practice in Wallasey. Liverpool School of Medicine Alumna Dr Lucy Witcome is a GP and Partner there. She says, “On behalf of the practice we are absolutely delighted to receive this commendation."

Undergraduate teaching, which the practice has been involved with for well over 20 years, is our way of contributing to the training of tomorrow’s doctors which we all know is so important.

"Feedback has shown that the student doctors appreciate the fact that they are made to feel welcome from the start, so we have always given them their own room complete with their name on the door.

We have always adopted a team approach with students able to sit in with all members of the practice and experience first-hand their role in the day to day running of things and to practice practical skills. They experience the nurses doing chronic disease reviews, the healthcare assistants performing ECGs and intramuscular injections, the phlebotomist taking bloods which the students get stuck into practice, MSK examinations with the physiotherapist, and observe the journey of prescriptions in the adjoining pharmacist.

This runs alongside experiencing how different clinicians consult and by rotating around all clinicians in the first week they can pick up different consultation styles."

They have their own dedicated clinics where they are able to fully immerse themselves in the patient’s history and help make decisions on patient management.

"They attend daily lunchtime clinical review meetings where clinical staff discuss cases of interest or referrals.

We are heartened that our approach is considered worthy of a commendation and are grateful that the student doctors took the time to share their feedback with us. We very much look forward to continuing with subsequent learners in the future.

Clinical training at Aintree University Hospital

Aintree, part of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, provides clinical training across its departments to Liverpool student doctors. Multiple staff have been recognised this year for going above and beyond in their teaching.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, Dr Victoria Tippett, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at Aintree, started a video diary to document her experience during the first wave and assist Year Two student doctors who were no longer able to attend the hospital on clinical placement.

In February this year, educators from Aintree were instrumental in delivering an innovative Internet Hospital week, packed with interactive online sessions and activities designed to get Year Two students as close as possible to a clinical setting.

Student Doctor Jayden Gittens shows his appreciation for clinical training opportunites at hospitals within Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Clinical Sub-Dean Dr Rob Jones is proud of the hospital's partnership with Liverpool School of Medicine and of the commendations awarded to, "individuals that go above and beyond in teaching our student doctors and contribute enormously to their education."

Dr Stephen McKeever, A&E junior doctor, was thanked for going the extra mile in finding teaching opportunities in Aintree’s bustling A&E department. He says,

“It can be difficult at times to provide teaching to our students when A&E gets busy but, given their skills and knowledge, the 5th years are valuable members of our team."

I aim to get them involved as much as possible and to learn through practicing their clinical skills, history taking and discussing their diagnoses and management plans, which the students enjoy doing!

"I was delighted to receive a commendation which shows that my teaching is appreciated by the students. I look forward to welcoming students back to the department in the new academic year.”

Dr Luke Flain was recognised for providing outstanding support to a student in preparation for their role as an F1. He says,

“Starting F1 is a daunting experience and our role as Ex-Liverpool graduates and F1s is to make sure any student doctor gets the best hands on experience they can, especially when it relates to 5th years and the knowledge needed to be a successful F1."

New approaches & learning methods at Blackheath

Blackheath Medical Centre in Moreton, Wirral also picked up a commendation this year. Dr Bennett Quinn shares how the practice has adapted their training during the pandemic.

“Hosting the students during the pandemic presented challenges for us; how to maximise their learning experiences, and how to keep them and the practice safe.

In May 2020, we became concerned that chronic disease monitoring had basically stopped. We devised new working practices for hypertension, occlusive vascular disease and diabetes, allowing patients to carry out essential physical assessments such as blood pressure, blood tests, or diabetic foot checks quickly and safely.

This worked well for students who could see the patient face-to-face initially, present the case at our daily lunchtime meetings, participate in the discussion, and then often be tasked to implement the team’s decision. We are now developing similar strategies for significant mental health and rheumatoid arthritis.

eConsults present another opportunity for student development. Knowing the essence of the patient’s presenting complaint allowed the students to read up about it and then implement their new or enhanced knowledge during the consultation, using the case as one of their reflective log entries to complete the learning cycle.

The pandemic has brought about many changes in what used to be considered everyday practice. This commendation suggests that the students found these new strategies helpful in their development.

We are delighted to host the University’s students. They keep us on our toes and if we help in their training as tomorrow’s doctors that is just the icing on the cake.”

Discover more

  • If you would like to nominate a Liverpool student doctor or member of staff for a commendation, please contact the Director of Studies at dir.mbchb@liverpool.ac.uk.
  • Read Part One of our Commendations Year in Review for more inspirational tales, this time of commendation-winning student doctors.