Medical Mavericks at Bolton School

29 May 2019 01:40
Published by: Daniel Almond

 

Where can I work in the awesome NHS? This was the question that the visiting Medical Mavericks posed to Y8 girls at Bolton School. The two-man team of Stefan and Toby told how there are more than 350 careers that can be followed in the NHS and that it is worth remembering that only five of these exclusively demand the top A-A*/8-9 grades.

In a presentation entitled ‘The Human Guinea Pigs Show’ and using real medical equipment, the girls were allowed to explore how their bodies work and, at the same time, learnt about different careers open to them in the health service. 

Through an interactive and engaging presentation, pupils learnt how recording basic medical observations is the work of a Paramedic, Nurse, Midwife and GP; how respiratory testing is undertaken by, among others, Health Promotion Officers, Smoking Cessation Practitioners, GPs, Respiratory Physiologists and Health Promotion Officers; and how ultrasounds can help measure growth and blood vessel size and are done by Sonographers, Cardiac Physiologists, Hepatologists (liver), Nephrologists (kidneys) and Physiotherapists. By making use of the iPhone Retina Scan they learnt about the work of Ophthalmic Scientists, Medical Engineers, Software Engineers and Opticians and by taking readings on one another with the Pulse Doppler they learnt about the work of Vascular Scientists, Medical Physicists and Medical Engineers.   

The girls were also apprised of the top 10 of not so well-known occupations in the health service, including Cardiac Physiologist, Operating Department Practitioners, Cytogeneticists, Pharmacists and Anaesthetists. They learnt how working in Life Sciences meant a laboratory-based career, working in Physiological jobs involved more patient contact, employment in Medical Physics is technology and patient based whilst anyone wishing to work solely in technology based careers should focus on Clinical Engineering.

 

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