First day training at Moorfields

I was surprised how easy it was to gain access to a hospital.  I emailed, followed up with a phone call and was then penciled in for a couple of days.  I showed up, was introduced around and spent the day sitting in with doctors as they consulted with patients.

It was an amazing day.

All the things I had been studying came to life:  seeing patients being given eye exams, hearing people use words that I had only read, meeting patients with conditions I had only imagined.  It all seemed very vital and alive, quite unlike the rather lifeless medical texts.

The first ophthalmologist I was assigned kindly provided a private anatomy and pathology lesson.  As patients came in for consultation, he showed me how his instruments were used and even let me have a look at a patient's eyes.  Mid morning I switched to a second ophthalmologist until a VIP patient necessitated my departure, after which I visited with the optometrist.  Following lunch I was supposed to sit in with a retinal specialist, but he had a couple of emergency surgeries, was running far behind in his consultations, and obviously didn't have time for me. A male nurse kindly walked me through the visual acuity test and his routine for gathering basic data before patients meet with doctors. And I finished out the day with one of the ophthalmologists and about a half dozen of his patients.

I'm scheduled to observe some surgeries this coming week and look forward to learning a whole lot more.

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