As the final-year medical students of Obafemi Awolowo University approach the end of their medical school journey in less than four months, we all are looking forward to the day they will be called doctors. Recently, however, they completed a three-week external posting. This opportunity allowed them to visit hospitals beyond OAUTHC and its affiliates, gaining valuable knowledge and experience. While some students embarked on this journey, others chose not to, and some others chose to remain at OAUTHC. Medivoice conducted a vox pop with several of the part 6 chiefs to share their outside posting experiences.
Medivoice: Hello Chief, welcome back from your 3-week outside posting! I hope you had an exciting experience and created unforgettable memories. Can you please share with us your three-week outside posting experience: where you went, what you did, and the highlights of your journey?
I believe the three week outside posting is one that every OAU Medical Student should look forward to. My outside posting experience was soft.
Although I spent the first two weeks at home, the time I spent at home wasn’t a waste as I had a lot of time for self-reflection and also had time to rest after about 6 months of “Who clerked this patient”? Then, I spent the last week at the Accident and Emergency Unit. At the Accident and Emergency, there wasn’t too much drama that happened. I took a couple of blood samples and attempted setting an IV line twice. It was a nice experience overall.
-Temiloluwa Olateju
Well, it looks like aside from having time to breathe, the experience was stress-free for Temiloluwa. Will others feel the same way? What does At Steve have to say about his experience?
My three weeks of outside posting have been the best of my life since my clinical days started. It was so chill for me since I planned not to use the three weeks for anything besides having the best time of my life. What I was doing was to wake up and sleep again. The majority of my classmates that went for outside posting were doing one or two things, but I was really happy not doing anything besides sleeping, and trust me, it was really fun.
-Ay Steve
For someone who regularly goes through college stress, sleeping for a large chunk of the three weeks must have been really fun. Let us see what Ayodeji Onifade has to say.
I went to 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba where I ent to the surgical unit for half the time and the medicine unit for the other one and a half weeks. I used to go to the theater in the morning and we used to finish around 3 or 4 pm. It was a nice experience for ward rounds and theater when I was in surgery. It’s similar to what we do here, except that all the units there use the electronic medical record, be it ward round or clinic. Overall, it was a nice experience.
-Ayodeji Onifade
It looks like Ayodeji had an amazing time at the hospital in Yaba and got to experience the use of improved healthcare facilities all through. The best part? Work for him ended early every day. What is better than that? Does anyone else feel the same way? We will have to hear from Anthonia.
I went to Federal Medical Centre, Owo
At FMC Owo, I got to rotate their Emergency Medicine and General Surgery Unit. I got to partake in the management of several cases which was quite enlightening.
I would say the highlight of the outside posting for me is that I got to learn and practically do different procedures. It was good that I also got to assist in surgeries which was fun for me, especially because I got to put my suturing skills into practice. Another beautiful aspect was the opportunity of meeting with several alumni who were Consultants, Senior Registrars, and the like. They received me eagerly and were always ready to teach me and put me through things that were confusing for me. I got to witness a stark contrast when it comes to toxicity, especially during ward rounds. The people there were so nice and kind with their words. I would say the environment was nice too.
-Anthonia
No doubt, just as she said, enlightening sums up Antonia’s experience. More than the chance to improve her skills was the warm reception she got from the doctors she worked with.
Well, another Chief had a similar experience to Anthonia’s.
l went home and luckily for me, there was a hospital where I stayed. I stayed in Owo, so I went to the Federal Medical Center, Owo. The experience was fine, there were a lot of Ife people there, and they made sure to mention my Professors at every opportunity. They are very nice people and it’s not toxic. If you don’t know anything, they just correct you. Nobody shouts at you or insults you. I was also part of the management so they carried me along in everything they did.
-Anonymous
It seems like FMC Owo was a great fit for this chief and Anthonia, but the next chief had a completely different three-week outside posting experience. Let’s hear about it!
I didn’t do anything much. Just mainly stayed indoors and then traveled for a church program at Akure.
-Anonymous
What’s another Part 6 student’s take on their three-week outside posting experience? Let’s find out!
I went home to rest, and to take a break from academic stress. I just tried to learn a few things and read my books. Home was okay, at least I got to eat free food without stressing myself.
-Anonymous
You will agree with me that no one passes up an opportunity to eat free food for three weeks. Garnering knowledge was also involved in his experience, another win.
Fakz had a different three-week outside posting experience.
I was at Uniosun Teaching Hospital, Osogbo for my elective posting. It was quite an interesting experience, to be honest, I was fascinated by the vast amount of equipment and resources available at the Accident and Emergency. I spent 2 weeks in the A and E, I was allowed to see and be actively involved in patient management.
It was generally a nice experience to be fair, work is done in shifts and is covered by different people. I had 2 calls and during my call, I slept in a room with working Air conditioning, a television set, and a refrigerator all to myself.
I saw and performed a lot of procedures and was as well able to incorporate some of the things I had learned and shared some experience with other health workers in the facility. The highlight of my journey was how comfortable and work-friendly the center is. I definitely would recommend working there during the House job.
–Fakz
Yes, we love the medical work and all, but it’s great to see Fakz enjoying life too! It’s awesome to see him finding a balance. And, Fakz has also given you a cool idea for your house job placement – definitely worth thinking about!
The three-week outside posting went by quickly. I spent most of the time in Gloryland. I spent the first week mostly in phase 2, the surgical skills lab and then I spent the second and third weeks learning things online inside my room, and I had fun playing games. The time went by quickly and I needed one more week to have more fun. It was great because you rarely got that amount of break in medical school unless there was a strike. The major and ultimate thing is to graduate this year, but it was lovely.
-Kizito
Although Kizito would have loved to spend more time having fun, it is obvious that he cannot wait to add the title “Doctor” to his name.
Conclusion
There is no doubt about it that our “doctors in a bit” will not be forgetting their various experiences anytime soon. Whether the time was spent learning or resting or gaining experience at a hospital or another, the elective outside posting has been a part of their medical school journey, one that will remain with them for a long time.
To read another post on elective postings, click here
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