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ME4019 Surgery & critical care - Block 1, Aberdeen (2026 - 2027)
Schedule Comments Summary (optional)
What helped you to feel welcome?
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I rarely leave feedback. But this surgical block the next level that I feel like speaking out. I don’t know whether the ward supervisor got paid for doing this? I think if like to ask for a refund for my tuition or there will be a case of Medical Students vs Medical school of Aberdeen Uni. I also asked for some weekends don’t put me on placement. But they just did??? I was too late to ask for a leave because I haven’t planned that weekend to go down to London for family commitments. So I had to fly back a day before. Wasting my time and money. And the sign off was another nightmare. I had done all my block work and CBD and mini cases sign offs by the end of third week and got 50plus clinical sign offs and the ward supervisor was off for holidays even though I had a meet with them and they agreed to sign me off. They just didn’t do that and never did that. This is NOT okay. Turns out I got to find another supervisor by myself?? even though the admin had known the situation. And got the final sign offs done on the sixth week. If it could be done in 4 weeks. And I could have some decent days on ward instead of worrying final sign offs. I had no strong preference to leave it to the end. Time is money and efficiency is my life. I should coin this as NHS motto.
The induction talk The hub ward - FY1s, PAs, ANPs, etc - really lovely and helpful, felt included
The FY1s were very nice and welcoming, they acknowledged my existence unlike some more senior members
Staff on the ward- especially PAs, FY1s and nurses were very welcoming and keen to teach.
The introductory session with Mr Fernando and the team was excellent and provided a clear overview of the block, helping to set expectations and prepare us for the placement. Mr Fernando and the administrative team were approachable, supportive, and attentive to my needs as a student throughout the block.
My supervisor Ms Miller was fantastic and very welcoming and amazing at teaching.
The whole team of doctors in general surgery where very welcoming, answered any questions I had and helped me be an active part of the patients care.
My supervisor Mr Smith was brilliant and made me really interested in a future of orthopaedics
Comment on your interaction with patients on this block
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I feel confident. It’s like you got to stay late to see as many as patients. It’s a very chill ward in the morning.
Got to clerk patients in, take histories and do examination. Got to attend ward rounds and post op exams. Got to practise practical procedures on patients - cannula, bloods, ECG, etc. Got to attend consenting patients for theatre and watch the theatre anaesthetic induction process and surgery Got to speak and learn from many patients on the ward
Great range of interactions- very varied spoke sessions to increase exposure also.
Patient interaction on this block was limited. I was rarely given opportunities to speak with patients or receive meaningful feedback on my communication and interpersonal skills. When opportunities arose, I was confident in approaching patients, taking histories, and understanding their experiences. However, these opportunities generally had to be sought out independently, requiring a high degree of self-directed learning, as there was limited engagement from clinical staff in facilitating student-patient interactions or providing feedback.
Patients were very kind and patient.
I had some opportunities to see patients but they are limited. I was in one of general surgery teams; these teams receive patients from receiving team or SAC, meaning that the patients are already clerked. For that reason, my most enjoyable placement was in Receiving team. I suggest giving students more placements in Receiving and SAC. Additionally, most of our time in the department felt like just waiting for opportunities to take bloods or put in cannulas which I acknowledge as important part of our learning, but I hope you can understand that this not the main reason why we are in placements. One suggestion I have is that the first day of the block, we have a morning meeting in the whole department to introduce new medical students so that all staff know who they are and what they can and can’t do. I felt like the staff had the impression that we were there to learn how to do bloods or do the rest of the practical stuff. I think we had limited time to think about clinical picture of the patient and how to think critically and develop a differential diagnosis or what investigations to order and why, I mean things that are expected of doctors.
I thought there was a huge variety in what each patient had going on
I was able to take history's from patients pre-and post-opratively. I also did pre operative examinations and post operative reviews. I was also involved in clarking patients.
As this block contains different specialties, please make it clear in your comments which specialty you are referring to. Please note any particularly good educational experiences and state why:
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I like the anathesiac spoke session. The duty anesthetists really did teaching and tried to make me involved. And FY2 s in my ward were all nice and they taught me a lot of stuff.
General surgery I was part of the red team and all the FY1s were so kind, welcoming and really helped my learning. They made the block very positive for me as I looked forward to working with them and learning from them. The senior staff were also really nice and provided good teaching when they were available. In theatre, mr shay nanthakumaran provided really good teaching during surgery. It was my first time in theatre, and he showed me the anatomy of the operation and allowed me to scrub in and see it up close and feel structures to support my learning. It was an amazing experience and a really positive teaching moment. Also mr aspinall allowed me to scrub in and hold instruments during surgery and provided good teaching throughout the operation. He asked me questions and gave teaching to enhance my learning from the experience. Anaesthetics - all of the anaesthetists that I got to interact with were very kind and welcoming and eager to teach. I really looked forward to learning from them in theatre. The sim sessions in Elgin and Aberdeen were great and I learned so much from them.
General Surgery - red team
General surgery at ARI- yellow team. All of the good experiences came from more junior members of staff who kept an eye out to support us.
Plastic Surgery (main attachment): My main attachment was unfortunately a poor educational experience. The ward was often very quiet meaning there were limited opportunities to clerk patients, practice clinical skills, or complete workplace-based assessments such as CBDs and Mini-CEXs. Although I made a conscious effort to seek out learning opportunities, these were rarely facilitated by the clinical team. Teaching and student engagement from the middle-grade and senior doctors was minimal. Despite expressing a genuine interest in Plastic Surgery as a potential career, I found it difficult to become involved in patient care, attend theatre, or receive meaningful teaching or feedback. I often felt like an observer rather than an active member of the team, and there were prolonged periods where there was little educational activity available. This required a significant amount of self-directed learning to make the placement worthwhile. In contrast, the junior doctors and Clinical Development Fellows were welcoming, approachable, and made an effort to involve me whenever their workload allowed. Unfortunately, due to service demands, they understandably had limited time for teaching. Spoke sessions: In contrast, all of my spoke sessions across the other specialties were excellent. The teams were welcoming, actively involved students in clinical activities, and created a positive learning environment. These sessions provided valuable educational experiences and were the highlight of the block.
Orthopaedic Surgery
general surgery I really enjoyed the surgical receiving, ED and anaesthetics placement. In the Ed and anaesthetics placement I felt like I was wanted there, they let me do things that I Hadn't really done before.
I was able to assist in orthopedic surgeries within my first week which was an excellent opportunity to learn about how an operating room works and what is involved in surgeries from all the members of the team. During this block I was also able to attend and see patients in orthopaedic outpatients clinic at woodend. This allowed me to practice my focused history taking, presentation and examination skills in a real setting with a consultant.
Mr Baliga gave me and 2 other students to make an informative audit for our CV for surgery which was incredibly helpful and has given us great opportunity. The FYs were brilliant especially Albert who really helped me understand focused history taking and gave me many opportunities to sign off different skills.
Please suggest any improvements to this educational experience.
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Just arranging shifts. Probably could bring AI in to help? And abolish the supervisor position or role. They are not helping. It’s just adding g more confusion. I really hope they didn’t get any reimbursement for ‘guiding’ us. Or I’d like to ask for refund and appeal to GMC.
Attending theatre for the first time is quite intimidating and a lot to learn and be aware of. Maybe more preparation or an induction for that. Also some guidance on entering theatre as the NHS badge we have works for barrier 1 but not barrier 2 and the timetable tells you to go to barrier 2 to sign in but it's very difficult to access - but if you went in barrier 1 first and got scrubs, then walked through to barrier 2 inside and signed in it's easier. staff than help. Also, theatre is a good experience if you can actually learn from it (most of the experiences were positive) but sometimes it feels like you are just in the way a lot and causing more problems for the staff. Even after asking if theres anything you can do to help, sometimes they just want you out of the way which is understandable for their job but not always the best learning oppurtunities for students.
A supervisor that communicates with us and responds to emails.
Finding ST3+ surgeons who were not in theatre and also willing to speak to students was incredibly hard. I was refused several times and was also 'handed over' to nurses and FY1s very often. This was fine for the most part but made the CBD discussions very difficult to complete. I think I would have appreciated more willingness from senior doctors to support us- especially during a mandatory sign off.
The educational experience on the Plastic Surgery attachment could be significantly improved by creating a more structured approach to student involvement. Identifying a named clinician responsible for student teaching each day, or scheduling regular teaching sessions, would ensure students receive consistent educational opportunities rather than relying on chance. Greater effort should also be made to involve students in ward rounds, new patient assessments, clinics, and theatre, particularly when there are limited inpatient admissions. Students should be encouraged to participate in clinical discussions, complete workplace-based assessments, and receive regular feedback on their performance. Even brief teaching sessions or case-based discussions during quieter periods would greatly enhance the educational value of the placement. Finally, fostering a culture where middle-grade and senior clinicians actively engage with and support medical students would make a substantial difference to both the learning environment and the overall placement experience. I hope these comments are received in the constructive spirit in which they are intended. My aim is not to criticise individuals, but to provide honest feedback that may help improve the experience for future students. I have been genuinely disappointed by my experience over the past six weeks, particularly as I have a strong interest in Plastic Surgery, and it has been difficult to come to terms with how limited the educational opportunities were. I hope this feedback contributes to positive changes for future placements.
When in theatre could we have a screen so we can watch specific surgeries as the surgeons will find it easier to teach us what it is they are seeing when looking through the microscopes.
I would've liked a shift/ half day in the surgical HDU, I felt like there wasn't much 'critical care' in this block. As much as I enjoyed the phlebotomist session at woodend, I left the session feeling like I was being told two different answers. The session vs what we were taught in the practical procedures is quite different. It would be easier for us if this was matched up.
Would you like to tell us more about the concern related to discrimination, bullying and harassment?
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We wish to recognise those who have excelled in your learning experience, e.g. quality of teaching, student support. Staff may be based in the University or the NHS. If you wish to nominate any member(s) of staff, please do so and state: 1. Who they are 2. Where they work 3. Why you have nominated them.
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1. Lesley Farquharson. 2. Phlebotomist at woodend hospital. 3. Amazing teacher and really kind person. Lesley is so dedicated to her job and helping students learn to be the best they can and promote patient safety. The one-to-one session with Lesley at woodend was the best teaching experience I have had at the university. She took the time and effort to tailor her teaching to me. I have already passed this on to the university in an email after my session but definitely wanted to reiterate the valuable learning she gave me.
Matthew Ward and Daniel Davidson Both FY1s working in ARI in General Surgery They were great, they were very warm and welcoming, answered any questions I had very well, gave me tips when performing practical procedures and went through the procedure beforehand to make sure I understood what I was doing and were very helpful in guiding me through practical procedures
Rhona Cumming, a PA working in yellow team General Surgery was incredibly supportive and kind to me and other students throughout the block. She went out of her way to ensure we had the best experience possible and absolutely deserves some recognition for her efforts and kindness.
Dr Adil Shahid (Clinical Fellow) (UoA Graduate) Rotating specialties between ARI and Glasgow Royal Infirmary, starting General Surgery CT in August Dr Shahid was an outstanding teacher and one of the highlights of this placement. From the outset, he actively involved me in his clinical work, encouraged participation, and created an environment where I felt like a valued member of the team rather than just an observer. He consistently challenged me at an appropriate level, kept me engaged with clinical reasoning, and took the time to provide teaching and constructive feedback. He was also instrumental in helping me complete workplace-based assessments, including CBDs and Mini-CEXs, while ensuring they were genuine learning experiences rather than simply sign-offs. His enthusiasm for teaching, approachability, and commitment to medical student education made a significant impact on my learning, and he is an excellent role model for future clinicians. Dr Dan Greenwood (ST6) ARI Dr Greenwood was an excellent teacher and role model throughout my time with the anaesthetic team. He consistently took the time to teach, despite a busy clinical workload, and actively involved me in patient care rather than leaving me as an observer. He encouraged me to think clinically, explained his decision-making clearly, and created an environment where I felt comfortable asking questions. He also took the time to complete a CBD with me, providing constructive feedback that made it a genuine learning experience rather than simply a tick-box exercise. His enthusiasm for teaching, approachability, and commitment to student learning made this one of the most valuable educational experiences of the block.
Ms Miller and Mr Baliga Orthopaedic Surgery Ms Miller was my supervisor and was amazing at teaching me and helping me through the block with her guidance. She was incredibly kind and very supportive and I really appreciate her time and effort. Mr Baliga was the consultant who I scrubbed in with for every surgery I observed and assisted in, he was extremely supportive and helpful as he taught me how to scrub in and gave me the confidence I did not have on my first day in theatre, when asking me questions he gave me a lot of confidence and support to answer them by creating a positive learning environment. Both of these consultants have been incredibly kind and amazing and I could not thank them enough.
1. Mr Ahmed Nassar 2. General Surgery 3. He was very welcoming and inclusive. Offered me to do more, explained to me his decisions, and taught me the things I didn’t encounter before. Invited me to theatre with him and involved me where possible during the surgery. He also agreed to discuss with me about research and invited me to participate in QI projects.
Evelianna - ST3 General surgery I was in theatre with her a lot and she really advocated for my education and made the environment safe for me to ask questions and also practice skills. She is a big reason why my surgery block was amazing, from first week she made contact, she created an environment where I could ask her for learning opportunities and she would give them to me on the ward. In surgery she would let me be involved with the surgery in anyway I could and also teach me new things, like suture skills. Student support and quality teaching was top notch from her.
Leslie Farquharson (phlebotomist at woodend who delivered the teaching session and the practical session) I thought she was absolutely fantastic, she was very knowledgeable about what she does. She explained things in detail and I felt like I could ask her questions without judgement.
