We’ve just finished week 5 of the LIC. So far so good! I’m based at Masham Surgery which is just on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. I’m really thrilled with my practice, everyone is so nice and welcoming. Everybody knew my name by day one and seemed genuinely thrilled to have me there for the year. I really do feel like I am a member of their team already.
Doing the LIC does feel very different from anything I’ve done at medical school before. It feels a little bit more like going to work (in a good way!) This might be partly due to the routine, but also perhaps because I feel I have my own role there. I’m left to follow up my own longitudinal patients alone and organise how I do this, yet I don’t feel overwhelmed or like I cannot ask for help or advice if I were to need it. On Tuesday, for example, I had organised to attend an obstetrics appointment with one of my patients in Harrogate Hospital in the morning, prior to a midday tutorial with my GP and an afternoon clinic in Masham. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how easy it has been to follow up patients. The majority are thrilled that you’ve taken an interest in them, and are happy for you to attend appointments with them. The staff at the appointments have also been very welcoming and interested in what I’m doing. On Tuesday I ended up staying to see a few more patients with the consultant and got some really useful teaching.