Meet the General Practice Committee 2018-2019

Chair: Anne Fitzgibbon (Year 6)

Hi, My name is Anne and I am the 2018-2019 Chair of GP society!

This year I want to promote a career in general practice and gear the dialogue surrounding GP in a positive direction. Community medicine makes up the bulk of health care and GPs have a fundamental role in promoting good health behaviours and preventing disease. I have a particular interest in public health, nutrition and fitness and this year we’ll be kicking off with events on how to fuel our bodies, and how to discuss diet and exercise with patient, as well as sexual health events and exam prep sessions.

I also want to advertise opportunities in general practice to dip your toes into other areas of medicine- there are GPs who work 3 days a week in their practices and then work the other 2 in their local A&Es, or run minor surgery or cardiovascular clinics in a hospital environment!

As the chair this year we plan to host events that have mass appeal, to medics and non-medics alike across campus. I genuinely think General Practice offers unique opportunities and I want students to know what I didn’t when I first started at medical school!

When I’m not at uni I’m either at the gym or working at the Print Room Cafe whipping up coffees- please do pop by!

Manisha Gossain (Vice Chair)

General Practice is a career of endless diversity – you are never limited to just one aspect of the patient’s care! You have the privilege of being involved in the ‘bigger picture’ of a patient’s life, enabling you to build on a wide range of skills and have a key role in impacting their quality of life.

Through my role as GP MedSoc Vice Chair, I hope to help provide a better insight into the world of GP – an area that is often underrepresented at Medical School. GPs are the often the first point of contact and have a continuous presence in the patient’s life. It is therefore vital to maintain well-rounded knowledge, in order to identify red flags and coordinate care early on. Equally, a good relationship with the patient is key to understand their risk factors in the context of their lives. This is a pivotal part of the patient’s healthcare as a whole.

There is such a huge range of opportunities in GP that we are excited to share with you guys! I think it is important for us to have a better understanding of GP actually is at this stage of our training, to make better informed decisions about our careers as doctors!

Publicity and Online Presence: Zofia Gibbins (Year 6)

Hi I’m Zofia I’m a 6th year. I like GP because it’s general, you get to see a bit of everything, and you get to have a long term relationship with your patients. You also get to manage chronic conditions to keep people well and out of hospital, instead of being on the wards and seeing people at their lowest ebb

Publicity and Online Presence: Chinar Parikh (Year 4)

Hi I am Chinar Parikh, and I am fourth year medical student. Over the years, I am continuously being asked what I want to specialise in and to be honest I have no idea. But as I have been exploring and learning more about different specialities, I have found to general practice to be a diverse profession that encompasses so much. I think that there is a common misconception with regards to being a GP, with many people thinking of it as being less exciting than working directly in the hospital. Through being a part of GP soc I want to show people that this is not the case and being a GP is truly varied and an amazing profession and in most cases the first point of contact for patients. I am excited to take part in organising our events and meeting new faces and opening their eyes to what primary care has to offer!

Years 1-3 Rep: Raquel Traseira

Hello my name is Raquel and I am in my 3rd year studying an IBSC in Primary Health Care. Although I have had limited clinical exposure so far in my first two years at medical school, from what I have seen and learnt, GPs are able to offer holistic continuity of care for their patients unlike many other specialities. Furthermore, the diversity of patients at a cultural, generational, and physical level results in a great variety of medical presentations, making each short GP appointment unique and challenging. I feel like the profession of a GP is regularly undersold with many misconceptions around the specialty. I would love to work towards dispelling these myths and showing people the sheer clinical breadth general practice can offer. Furthermore, GPs are in a unique and vital position to promote health and prevent disease with the current trend now being to integrate aspects of public health into primary health care. All of these things combined, makes the role of a GP in health care distinct from any others and one I would truly like to become more involved in.

Fun fact about myself: I have had a legal name change!

Years 4-6 Rep: Harriet Hall (Year 6)

My role is to get an idea of what clinical students want from GP Soc and to help promote events. While I’m not certain whether I want to pursue a career in GP or hospital medicine, I think there’s a lot to be learned from GPs in terms of communication skills, time management and breadth of knowledge. When not cramming for exams I enjoy performing with the MDs, The Fourth Choir, and working part time as a photographer. Get in touch if you have any bright ideas about what GP Soc should offer you! harriet.hall.13@ucl.ac.uk

Years 4-6 Rep: Kerry Wales (Year 5)

I think that general practise as a career offers flexibility, control and diversity unparalleled by any other medical speciality. For me, the idea of being a portfolio GP and being able to devote some of my working life to education, health policy, research or acting on social issues, is very appealing. I also think that the role of primary care in prevention is hugely interesting and important. I believe that tackling an issue at its roots and taking a holistic approach to problem solving is a very exciting and effective way of making a difference to the lives of many people.

Fun fact:  I’m currently training to complete in a hepthalon (my favourite thing to talk about)!

Blog Writer: Mirali Patel (Year 3)

Hi, I’m Mirali and I’m a third year medical student undertaking an iBSc in Global Health. I’m interested in General Practice because I love the diversity it encompasses; you can never be sure what kind of patient will walk through the door! As the blog writer for the society I am excited to share interesting healthcare news and increase understanding of General Practice in UCL. A fun fact about me is that I LOVE food and am obsessed with trying out new restaurants in London!

Blog Writer: Balpreet Kaur Sanghera (Year 4)

I find general practice to be an exciting profession for several reasons. The doctor works in a multidisplinary team, meets a wide range of patients and conditions, and can provide continuity of care.

Furthermore, the ever-changing nature of the NHS requires GPs to become upskilled and offer more specialised services including ECGs, rheumatology clinics and gynaecology clinics. This gives the GP the opportunity to research and practise other areas of Medicine.

I am excited to explore many different topics regarding general practice and regularly write blog posts on my findings to keep you updated.

In my spare time I enjoy dancing, going to the gym and reading.

Juhi Rastogi

Hi! My name is Juhi Rastogi and I am a second year medical student at UCL. My first sweet taste of the world of Medicine was during a work placement at my local GP surgery. From that point on, my journey into medicine began! My first year at UCL has been great and throughout the year, I gained a valuable insight into the vital role that primary care clinicians play in the NHS. From the common cold to complex conditions, the GP sees it all – everyday is a different and interesting adventure. Through my role in the GP Society this year, I hope to be involved in as many student-led projects as possible. I am thrilled to take on this role and excited to share my enthusiasm to encourage other students to explore their career in primary care!

Save the date… InspireMEdicine Conference 2018

Date: Saturday 10th March
Time: 2pm
Location: UCL Main Campus

It’s BACK and it’s BETTER! The InspireMEdicine Conference will return next month and is set to be the best conference yet!

This year’s theme is Healthcare in 2050 and several specially-selected workshops have been lined up with a variety of first-class speakers – not forgetting an exclusive performance by your favourite Comedy Revue.

Details on tickets and final timetables for the day to be announced very soon!

Discover GP: RCGP Student Conference London and the South

Where: Kings College London Guy’s Campus

When: 3rd March 9.30-16.30

The inaugural London and the South: Discover GP student conference will explore the exciting, dynamic and rewarding career that is general practice. Join us in traversing the wonderful diversity associated with the profession, learn more about becoming a GP and discuss the career with a variety of high profile GPs.

The Discover GP Conference will include a varied programme of workshops and talks providing plenty of opportunities to hear from, meet and network with junior doctors, GP trainees and career GPs including GPs with special interest. Conference plenaries will be provided by Professor Mayur Lakhani.

Specialising within General Practice; the Best of Both!

Date: Tuesday the 28th of November

Time: 7pm-8.30pm

Venue: Gordon Street (25) 105 – Public Cluster

Have you been considering a career in general practice but are worried that you won’t be able to develop your knowledge in a specific field you’ve been interested in for some time? Well look no further! It seems the role of GPwSI is for you.

GP with special interest is the title given to a GP who also dedicates time to a developing specialty knowledge, teaching or carrying out research. From paediatrics, to care of the elderly, from expedition medicine to dermatology, GPwSI strikes the perfect balance between primary and secondary care.

Join us for an evening with a panel of GPs as they discuss their journey from medical school to becoming a GPwSI.

We have a range of GP’s with special interests lined up for you:

– Dr Anjaly Mirchandani: Palliative care & Minor Surgery

– Dr Deepa Shah: Torture victims, emergency work/family med abroad & public health

– Dr Craig Seymour: Management

– Dr Anjali Gondhalekar and Dr Natasha Malik: Medical education

We also have Mat Lawson from the RCGP doing the introductory talk.

It promises to be a fascinating evening and we will, of course, be providing snacks for all those who attend!

Listen Up: How to help those around you feel heard

By Anne Fitzgibbon (final year medical student)

With special thanks to Zofia Gibbins and Harriet Hall (final year medical students) for helping to sort out guest speakers.

To kick off the term, on November 20^th, GP hosted the event- ‘Listen up: How to make those around you feel heard’ where we were lucky to host Nightline- of term we were lucky to have a visit from Nightline, an anonymous, confidential, non judgemental listening service run by students- for students. Grace, the London coordinator gave a presentation on the work nightline carries out, the format of the communication between volunteers and those calling or messanewging in. The incidence of students battling with loneliness, depression and anxiety is increasing without an increase in services available. Indeed, in the UK, universities are not required by law to have psychological services available for students and given the statistics show that nightline is being increasingly used, there is clearly a need for suitably funded services accessible to students at university.

We also welcomed Theo, a medical student at Barts and retired nightline volunteer. He spoke about his experience as a volunteer, the longand difficult calls and how to unwind after a hard evening. He also highlighted that the medical teaching on how to have a ‘doctor’ head on, conflicts with the skills required to volunteer- and so you have to be adaptable. This service isn’t about the volunteer fixing the caller in difficulty. Rather it is intended to be a platform where those who get in contact have an open space facilitated where they can explore their situation and come to conclusions themselves.

I for one can definitely see how, with years of medical training on how to listen, pick out the salient points and prescribe a solution in under 10 minutes, that adapting to a conversation where your input is limited and where the whole basis is for the caller to guide themselves in a safe environment.

If any students want to apply to volunteer for nightline or want more information on the services available then please check out the nightline website here http://nightline.org.uk/

On behalf of the GP team I want to wish everyone a happy holiday period. If anyone is experiencing any problems for which they would lie some help please don’t hesitate to contact your GP practice or Nightline.